akashic
1876–2024
Rockford, IL·Illinois

Rockford, IL delivered R+2 in 2024.

Manufacturing-belt anchor where margins have tightened each cycle since 2008

1876 — 2024·38 elections
IL
LatestR+2in 2024
TypologyDiversifying Metrocluster typology
Population336,5222024 ACS

Rockford, IL, Illinois: Diversifying Metro metro. In 2024, voted R+2%. Republican peak: R+69 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+2MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
Population
336,5222024 5-year
Median household income
$68,8002024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
67.3%2024 5-year
Black
10.6%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
17.1%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+12 in 2008MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+69 in 1920MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Rockford, IL
TrumpR+2
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Rockford, IL, ILA map of the constituent counties of Rockford, IL, IL, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Winnebago County, IL · D+1Boone County, IL · R+14
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Donald Trump ✓Republican50.1%72,930
Kamala HarrisDemocratic48.1%70,101
OtherAll other candidates1.8%2,572
D+60
R+60
2 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
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: −1.9% in 2024.flipped R · 2016−1.9%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892−38.9%
1896−55.7%
1900−53.3%
1904−67.0%
1908−55.5%
1912−6.4%
1916−42.9%
1920−68.8%
1924−65.1%
1928−61.9%
1932−22.0%
1936−1.3%
1940−9.9%
1944−9.9%
1948−8.4%
1952−19.5%
1956−28.0%
1960−13.5%
1964+7.7%
1968−14.0%
1972−24.6%
1976−11.4%
1980−17.1%
1984−19.4%
1988−11.6%
1992+4.5%
1996+0.8%
2000−3.2%
2004−2.8%
2008+11.5%
2012+3.8%
2016−2.2%
2020−0.1%
2024−1.9%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−1.9%
70,10172,930145,603
R
−0.1%
74,59874,744154,318
R
−2.2%
64,69967,906143,056
D
+3.8%
71,61566,234140,838
D
+11.5%
81,36764,289148,188
R
−2.8%
68,02671,914140,966
R
−3.2%
58,46262,433124,820
D
+0.8%
51,60950,660112,919
D
+4.5%
53,41247,810125,842
R
−11.6%
49,51462,622112,772
R
−19.4%
48,34671,739120,757
R
−17.1%
35,55955,522116,703
R
−11.4%
46,85759,206108,469
R
−24.6%
39,06864,685104,015
R
−14.0%
39,50353,582100,272
D
+7.7%
52,52844,97397,501
R
−13.5%
42,69556,09398,903
R
−28.0%
30,95355,03886,086
R
−19.5%
33,69650,09683,936
R
−8.4%
29,08634,45364,195
R
−9.9%
29,90536,54566,745
R
−9.9%
30,33837,01367,759
R
−1.3%
29,58330,37262,011
R
−22.0%
19,94631,87654,200
R
−61.9%
9,05539,22348,741
R
−65.1%
2,57626,85037,278
R
−68.8%
3,85125,29931,159
R
−42.9%
7,40920,07429,555
O
−6.4%
2,8163,89816,787
R
−55.5%
2,75011,72416,155
R
−67.0%
1,47911,17914,472
R
−53.3%
3,20211,26215,118
R
−55.7%
3,10411,35314,821
R
−38.9%
3,1527,84812,067
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
22.3%
Irish
11.9%
English
9.0%
Italian
6.9%
Polish
4.2%
American
2.9%
Scottish
1.5%
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: 39.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.8%
85+
1.6%
2.4%
75–84
2.8%
5.1%
65–74
5.6%
6.5%
55–64
6.7%
6.0%
45–54
6.1%
5.9%
35–44
6.1%
6.1%
25–34
6.4%
4.3%
18–24
4.1%
9.1%
5–17
8.5%
3.0%
<5
2.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$68,800
Rockford, IL ranks near the middle of US counties.
Rockford, IL$68,800
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
14.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.2%
Working age (18–64)13.0%
Seniors (65+)10.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
83.9%
speak English only
Spanish11.5%
Other Indo-European2.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.4%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
24.9%
Other Christian
12.8%
Pentecostal & Holiness
5.7%
Mainline Protestant
5.6%
Baptist
2.6%
Methodist
2.4%
Non-Christian
1.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 44.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Rockford's Winnebago County shifted from reliably Democratic to genuine battleground territory as deindustrialization reshaped its working-class electorate, making it one of Illinois's few metro areas that statewide candidates treat as persuadable.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of twelve points in 2008 and a Republican high of sixty-nine points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the metro moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was two points.

A population of 336,522, a 67% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $68,800 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.
Rockford, IL, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cbsa/40420/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Rockford, IL, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Rockford, IL, Illinois voted Republican by 1.9 points (R+2), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 145,603 votes cast, 70,101 went Democratic and 72,930 went Republican.
What is Rockford, IL, Illinois's political typology?
Akashic places Rockford, IL, Illinois in the "Diversifying 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 5 times, Republican 28 times, and other 1 times.
When did Rockford, IL, Illinois last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Rockford, IL, Illinois voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Rockford, IL, Illinois?
Rockford, IL, Illinois has a population of 336,522 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Rockford, IL, Illinois?
Median household income in Rockford, IL, Illinois is $68,800 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Rockford, IL, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Rockford, IL, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 28 went Republican. The metro's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.