akashic
1876–2024
Decatur, IL·Illinois

Decatur, IL delivered R+19 in 2024.

A mid-size Illinois hub where manufacturing decline reshaped the electorate

1876 — 2024·38 elections
IL
LatestR+19in 2024
TypologyFarm Beltcluster typology
Population101,8492024 ACS

Decatur, IL, Illinois: Farm Belt metro. In 2024, voted R+19%. Republican peak: R+42 in 1928.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+19MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Farm BeltAkashic typology
Population
101,8492024 5-year
Median household income
$62,6662024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
74.2%2024 5-year
Black
16.3%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
2.9%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+32 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+42 in 1928MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Decatur, IL
TrumpR+19
—
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican58.6%26,562
Kamala HarrisDemocratic39.7%18,009
OtherAll other candidates1.7%770
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 timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 1876 to 2024. Most recent: −18.9% in 2024.flipped R · 2012−18.9%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892−2.9%
1896−13.1%
1900−10.8%
1904−33.3%
1908−17.1%
1912+8.8%
1916−10.7%
1920−33.9%
1924−35.8%
1928−42.0%
1932+12.1%
1936+27.1%
1940+15.9%
1944+7.5%
1948+6.8%
1952−7.2%
1956−9.1%
1960−2.1%
1964+32.2%
1968+4.7%
1972−18.6%
1976+6.3%
1980−11.1%
1984−8.9%
1988+3.0%
1992+15.8%
1996+12.9%
2000+0.9%
2004−9.2%
2008+1.1%
2012−5.2%
2016−17.7%
2020−17.6%
2024−18.9%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−18.9%
18,00926,56245,341
R
−17.6%
19,84728,58949,534
R
−17.7%
18,34326,86648,060
R
−5.2%
22,78025,30949,030
D
+1.1%
25,48724,94851,216
R
−9.2%
23,34128,11851,746
D
+0.9%
24,26223,83049,499
D
+12.9%
24,25618,16147,235
D
+15.8%
27,44918,68455,580
D
+3.0%
25,36423,86249,489
R
−8.9%
25,46330,45756,112
R
−11.1%
22,32528,29853,956
D
+6.3%
28,24324,89353,599
R
−18.6%
20,29629,59650,029
D
+4.7%
23,36921,02749,741
D
+32.2%
35,04517,95753,002
R
−2.1%
26,02927,15153,288
R
−9.1%
23,06627,67350,771
R
−7.2%
22,27725,74448,066
D
+6.8%
21,48718,71940,456
D
+7.5%
22,80819,60842,569
D
+15.9%
27,58919,99847,864
D
+27.1%
27,36015,58543,486
D
+12.1%
21,63816,86839,346
R
−42.0%
9,93224,49234,654
R
−35.8%
6,67016,45827,331
R
−33.9%
7,91716,48625,257
R
−10.7%
11,18113,99726,427
O
+8.8%
4,4353,35612,278
R
−17.1%
4,6156,64311,866
R
−33.3%
2,9526,28410,008
R
−10.8%
4,8746,08611,216
R
−13.1%
4,7566,21611,154
R
−2.9%
4,3034,5759,524
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
18.6%
English
12.4%
Irish
10.4%
American
6.0%
Italian
1.7%
Polish
1.7%
Scottish
1.7%
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: 40.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
1.2%
85+
1.8%
2.6%
75–84
3.4%
5.6%
65–74
6.5%
6.3%
55–64
6.7%
5.5%
45–54
5.8%
5.5%
35–44
6.0%
5.7%
25–34
6.3%
4.1%
18–24
4.3%
8.5%
5–17
8.1%
3.1%
<5
2.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$62,666
Decatur, IL ranks near the middle of US counties.
Decatur, IL$62,666
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
15.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.2%
Working age (18–64)14.0%
Seniors (65+)9.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.9%
speak English only
Spanish1.7%
Other Indo-European1.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
10.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
9.5%
Catholic & Orthodox
9.4%
Mainline Protestant
8.5%
Baptist
4.1%
Methodist
3.3%
Non-Christian
1.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 53.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Decatur anchors Macon County, a once-reliably Democratic union stronghold that shifted sharply rightward as Archer Daniels Midland's workforce contracted and the region's industrial base eroded over the past three decades.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of thirty-two points in 1964 and a Republican high of forty-two points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was nineteen points.

A population of 101,849, a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $62,666 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.
Decatur, IL, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/19500/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Decatur, IL, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Decatur, IL, Illinois voted Republican by 18.9 points (R+19), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 45,341 votes cast, 18,009 went Democratic and 26,562 went Republican.
What is Decatur, IL, Illinois's political typology?
Akashic places Decatur, IL, Illinois in the "Farm Belt" 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 13 times, Republican 20 times, and other 1 times.
When did Decatur, IL, Illinois last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Decatur, IL, Illinois voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Decatur, IL, Illinois?
Decatur, IL, Illinois has a population of 101,849 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Decatur, IL, Illinois?
Median household income in Decatur, IL, Illinois is $62,666 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Decatur, IL, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Decatur, IL, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 13 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.