Carbondale, IL Metro Area — Elections 1876–2024

Carbondale, IL, Illinois: Industrial Catholic Metro metro. In 2024, voted D+3%. Democratic peak: D+27 in 1964.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+3MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population: 53,0642024 5-year
Median household income: $48,7632024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic): 72.8%2024 5-year
Black: 14.0%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino: 5.3%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin: D+27 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+26 in 1920MIT Election Lab

2024 presidential election

Carbondale, IL

HarrisD+3

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Kamala Harris ✓Democratic	50.7%	11,394
Donald TrumpRepublican	47.2%	10,614
OtherAll other candidates	2.0%	457

D+60

R+60

1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	No data
1880	No data
1884	No data
1888	No data
1892	−2.7%
1896	−3.3%
1900	−4.2%
1904	−23.1%
1908	−11.5%
1912	+6.9%
1916	−10.2%
1920	−25.7%
1924	−13.2%
1928	−22.1%
1932	+11.8%
1936	−1.9%
1940	−11.0%
1944	−19.5%
1948	−8.8%
1952	−15.5%
1956	−17.5%
1960	−10.7%
1964	+26.9%
1968	−1.4%
1972	+2.9%
1976	+11.6%
1980	−0.9%
1984	−5.8%
1988	+7.8%
1992	+26.5%
1996	+21.8%
2000	+8.4%
2004	+12.0%
2008	+21.8%
2012	+14.3%
2016	+3.2%
2020	+1.3%
2024	+3.5%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+3.5%	11,394	10,614	22,465
2020	D	+1.3%	11,181	10,890	22,718
2016	D	+3.2%	11,634	10,843	24,617
2012	D	+14.3%	13,319	9,864	24,104
2008	D	+21.8%	15,248	9,687	25,532
2004	D	+12.0%	14,300	11,190	25,826
2000	D	+8.4%	11,773	9,823	23,090
1996	D	+21.8%	12,214	7,422	22,011
1992	D	+26.5%	13,373	6,899	24,434
1988	D	+7.8%	11,334	9,687	21,185
1984	R	−5.8%	12,105	13,609	25,896
1980	R	−0.9%	10,291	10,505	23,829
1976	D	+11.6%	12,940	10,152	24,122
1972	D	+2.9%	13,146	12,393	25,594
1968	R	−1.4%	8,856	9,134	19,657
1964	D	+26.9%	12,165	7,013	19,178
1960	R	−10.7%	8,527	10,568	19,112
1956	R	−17.5%	7,391	10,526	17,927
1952	R	−15.5%	7,457	10,193	17,674
1948	R	−8.8%	6,939	8,288	15,408
1944	R	−19.5%	6,735	10,002	16,791
1940	R	−11.0%	9,600	11,980	21,708
1936	R	−1.9%	9,971	10,363	20,546
1932	D	+11.8%	9,730	7,636	17,715
1928	R	−22.1%	5,836	9,180	15,102
1924	R	−13.2%	4,707	6,424	13,030
1920	R	−25.7%	4,575	8,003	13,347
1916	R	−10.2%	6,780	8,356	15,443
1912	D	+6.9%	3,323	2,780	7,833
1908	R	−11.5%	3,149	4,016	7,568
1904	R	−23.1%	2,350	3,984	7,076
1900	R	−4.2%	3,723	4,054	7,954
1896	R	−3.3%	3,631	3,879	7,620
1892	R	−2.7%	2,858	3,031	6,460
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

2024 ACS

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry

Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.

German

19.2%

English

13.3%

Irish

10.3%

Italian

3.8%

American

3.1%

French

2.4%

Scottish

2.4%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 32.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.5%

2.0%

75–84

2.5%

4.9%

65–74

5.0%

5.2%

55–64

5.4%

4.7%

45–54

4.6%

5.2%

35–44

5.1%

6.6%

25–34

6.2%

11.0%

18–24

10.6%

7.0%

5–17

6.7%

2.6%

2.5%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$48,763

Carbondale, IL ranks near the middle of US counties.

Carbondale, IL$48,763

Illinois$83,390

United States$80,734

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Poverty rate

All persons below federal poverty line

21.0%

Children face moderate poverty.

Children under 1822.3%

Working age (18–64)21.5%

Seniors (65+)11.8%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Language at home

Population aged 5 and older

90.2%

speak English only

Other Indo-European3.8%

Spanish3.4%

Asian & Pacific Islander1.4%

Other languages1.2%

Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Other Christian

14.8%

Baptist

10.3%

Non-Christian

6.7%

Mainline Protestant

5.9%

Methodist

3.3%

Catholic & Orthodox

3.0%

Pentecostal & Holiness

2.0%

Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 54.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Carbondale's voting patterns diverge sharply from surrounding Jackson County precincts, driven by a student and faculty population at SIU that tilts the city's electorate well left of the region's broader rural baseline.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of twenty-seven points in 1964 and a Republican high of twenty-six points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved two points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was three points.

A population of 53,064, a 73% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $48,763 describe the metro.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Carbondale, IL, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/16060/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.

License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Carbondale, IL, Illinois vote in 2024?

In 2024, Carbondale, IL, Illinois voted Democratic by 3.5 points (D+3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 22,465 votes cast, 11,394 went Democratic and 10,614 went Republican.

What is Carbondale, IL, Illinois's political typology?

Akashic places Carbondale, IL, Illinois in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 15 times, Republican 19 times, and other 0 times.

When did Carbondale, IL, Illinois last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which Carbondale, IL, Illinois voted Republican was 1984.

How many people live in Carbondale, IL, Illinois?

Carbondale, IL, Illinois has a population of 53,064 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.

What is the median household income in Carbondale, IL, Illinois?

Median household income in Carbondale, IL, Illinois is $48,763 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.

What is the political history of Carbondale, IL, Illinois?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Carbondale, IL, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 15 went Democratic and 19 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Carbondale, IL has voted Democratic in ten straight presidential elections — D+3 in 2024.

Key facts

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions