akashic
1876–2024
Congressional District 17·Illinois

Illinois 17th Congressional District delivered D+5 in 2024.

A blue-collar stretch of the Mississippi corridor that's shifted sharply rightward

2008 — 2024·5 elections
IL
LatestD+5in 2024
TypologyIndustrial Catholic Metrocluster typology
Population553,6572024 ACS

Illinois 17th Congressional District: Industrial Catholic Metro district. In 2024, voted D+5%. Democratic peak: D+22 in 2008.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+5MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
Population
553,6572024 5-year
Median household income
$67,1282024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
77.4%2024 5-year
Black
8.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
9.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+22 in 2008MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
D
SORENSEN, EricCongress 119 · Democratic
DW-NOMINATE first-dimension (economic) score-0.24 sits at approximately the 38th percentile.0-0.24−1 liberal+1 conservative
SORENSEN scores -0.24 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).

Predecessors: BUSTOS, Cheri (2021–2023), BUSTOS, Cheri (2019–2021), BUSTOS, Cheri (2017–2019), BUSTOS, Cheri (2015–2017)

Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 17
HarrisD+5
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Congressional District 17, ILA map of the constituent counties of Congressional District 17, IL, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).Knox County, IL · R+9McDonough County, IL · R+19Fulton County, IL · R+24Tazewell County, IL · R+27Peoria County, IL · D+5Warren County, IL · R+25Rock Island County, IL · D+10Stephenson County, IL · R+19Mercer County, IL · R+27Carroll County, IL · R+32Winnebago County, IL · D+1McLean County, IL · D+5Whiteside County, IL · R+15Henry County, IL · R+24
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic51.1%163,103
Donald TrumpRepublican46.4%148,144
OtherAll other candidates2.4%7,755
D+60
R+60
14 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 2008 to 2024. Most recent: +4.7% in 2024.+4.7%DR20082024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
2008+21.6%
2012+17.5%
2016+6.6%
2020+7.8%
2024+4.7%
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+4.7%
163,103148,144319,002
D
+7.8%
174,894149,071331,788
D
+6.6%
158,542137,393319,978
D
+17.5%
183,836129,046312,882
D
+21.6%
204,667130,852342,321
Congressional elections · 16 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
YearWonD %R %Total
2022O0.0%41.5%4,098,896
2020D54.9%38.9%5,968,901
2016D54.9%39.8%5,491,878
2014D53.5%42.7%3,603,519
2010R46.4%48.0%3,704,473
2008D67.8%28.5%5,329,884
2004D70.0%27.0%5,141,520
2002D60.3%38.0%3,486,851
1998R47.4%50.3%3,394,521
1996D56.1%40.7%4,250,722
1992D53.3%43.1%4,939,558
1990D65.1%34.9%3,251,005
1986D65.1%33.7%3,122,883
1984D50.1%48.2%4,787,335
1980D56.0%42.5%4,580,029
1978R45.5%53.3%3,184,764

Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
22.6%
Irish
12.2%
English
10.8%
American
4.5%
Italian
3.3%
Polish
1.9%
Scottish
1.2%
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: 40.8 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.9%
85+
1.6%
2.7%
75–84
3.4%
5.5%
65–74
6.1%
6.4%
55–64
6.6%
6.0%
45–54
5.8%
6.2%
35–44
6.0%
6.1%
25–34
5.8%
4.6%
18–24
4.3%
8.4%
5–17
8.1%
2.9%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$67,128
Congressional District 17 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 17$67,128
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
14.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.3%
Working age (18–64)12.7%
Seniors (65+)9.9%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
90.9%
speak English only
Spanish5.0%
Other Indo-European2.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.2%
Other languages0.9%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
13.3%
Other Christian
9.2%
Mainline Protestant
7.9%
Methodist
4.2%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.4%
Baptist
3.1%
Non-Christian
1.2%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 57.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Anchored by Rockford, the Quad Cities, and a corridor of rural counties, Illinois-17 has moved steadily toward Republican presidential candidates over the past decade, flipping from reliably Democratic to a 5.5-point Republican margin in 2024.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of twenty-two points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved three points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was five points.

A population of 553,657, a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $67,128 describe the district.

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.
Congressional District 17, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/1717/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Congressional District 17, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 17, Illinois voted Democratic by 4.7 points (D+5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 319,002 votes cast, 163,103 went Democratic and 148,144 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 17, Illinois's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 17, 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 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 0 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in Congressional District 17, Illinois?
Congressional District 17, Illinois has a population of 553,657 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 17, Illinois?
Median household income in Congressional District 17, Illinois is $67,128 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Congressional District 17, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 17, Illinois from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 0 went Republican. The district's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.