akashic
1876–2024
Chicago·Illinois

Chicago has voted Democratic in nine straight presidential elections — D+23 in 2024.

A media market where Cook County's margins routinely offset downstate returns

1876 — 2024·38 elections
IL
LatestD+23in 2024
TypologyTexan Rightcluster typology
Population9,698,8612024 ACS

Chicago, Illinois: Texan Right market. In 2024, voted D+23%. Republican peak: R+51 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
D+23MIT Election Lab
Political typology
Texan RightAkashic typology
Population
9,698,8612024 5-year
Median household income
$91,2212024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
53.8%2024 5-year
Black
15.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
23.6%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+35 in 2008MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+51 in 1920MIT Election Lab
2024 presidential election
Chicago
HarrisD+23
—
2024 presidential margin by county for Chicago, ILA map of the constituent counties of Chicago, IL, each outlined and filled by its 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic).DeKalb County, IL · D+2DuPage County, IL · D+13Kendall County, IL · D+2Newton County, IN · R+57Porter County, IN · R+10LaSalle County, IL · R+18Jasper County, IN · R+54LaPorte County, IN · R+14Kankakee County, IL · R+21Grundy County, IL · R+30Lake County, IL · D+21McHenry County, IL · R+5Kane County, IL · D+9Lake County, IN · D+6Cook County, IL · D+42Will County, IL · D+2
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala Harris ✓Democratic60.4%2,518,309
Donald TrumpRepublican37.3%1,554,365
OtherAll other candidates2.2%93,410
D+60
R+60
16 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: +23.1% in 2024.flipped D · 1992+23.1%DR18762024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
1876No data
1880No data
1884No data
1888No data
1892+7.2%
1896−20.6%
1900−9.9%
1904−35.1%
1908−21.8%
1912+11.1%
1916−11.4%
1920−51.0%
1924−44.0%
1928−10.5%
1932+10.6%
1936+22.8%
1940+6.5%
1944+10.3%
1948+4.2%
1952−5.8%
1956−18.8%
1960+6.8%
1964+20.5%
1968+1.3%
1972−15.8%
1976−0.2%
1980−1.3%
1984−9.1%
1988−0.5%
1992+16.6%
1996+23.6%
2000+20.2%
2004+20.0%
2008+35.1%
2012+28.4%
2016+32.0%
2020+30.8%
2024+23.1%
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
D
+23.1%
2,518,3091,554,3654,166,084
D
+30.8%
2,905,9621,515,2804,512,162
D
+32.0%
2,594,9421,276,2804,125,968
D
+28.4%
2,433,0491,342,6683,838,274
D
+35.1%
2,702,6021,286,5314,033,864
D
+20.0%
2,250,9321,496,9283,774,113
D
+20.2%
1,974,6241,296,3663,362,265
D
+23.6%
1,738,8171,026,9203,013,727
D
+16.6%
1,786,8751,195,5363,569,951
R
−0.5%
1,599,7691,614,7503,239,205
R
−9.1%
1,540,8531,852,4953,413,126
R
−1.3%
1,508,4561,552,6743,355,132
R
−0.2%
1,636,3281,642,0593,340,951
R
−15.8%
1,408,1451,938,3193,363,730
D
+1.3%
1,520,5521,477,4843,297,448
D
+20.5%
2,021,9381,333,0123,356,109
D
+6.8%
1,780,9221,554,1163,343,727
R
−18.8%
1,232,6271,803,2753,043,270
R
−5.8%
1,447,0981,625,1753,080,999
D
+4.2%
1,448,0541,329,3462,799,211
D
+10.3%
1,517,8381,233,5732,761,835
D
+6.5%
1,426,2331,250,7632,687,813
D
+22.8%
1,512,438937,3492,520,799
D
+10.6%
1,145,428918,7762,130,651
R
−10.5%
869,0531,075,4221,959,213
R
−44.0%
272,095895,1801,416,626
R
−51.0%
243,371826,8771,144,115
R
−11.4%
461,447585,4031,089,568
O
+11.1%
172,829109,529572,411
R
−21.8%
198,478319,797557,416
R
−35.1%
134,875317,746520,992
R
−9.9%
233,100286,185533,707
R
−20.6%
197,123301,389506,554
D
+7.2%
191,505164,987367,591
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Demographics

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
13.0%
Irish
10.2%
Polish
7.8%
Italian
6.0%
English
5.0%
American
2.5%
French
1.1%
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: 38.7 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
0.7%
85+
1.2%
2.0%
75–84
2.7%
4.5%
65–74
5.1%
6.2%
55–64
6.4%
6.3%
45–54
6.3%
6.9%
35–44
6.8%
7.1%
25–34
7.0%
4.5%
18–24
4.4%
8.4%
5–17
8.1%
2.8%
<5
2.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$91,221
Chicago ranks near the middle of US counties.
Chicago$91,221
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
11.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1815.0%
Working age (18–64)10.1%
Seniors (65+)11.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
70.2%
speak English only
Spanish17.7%
Other Indo-European7.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.6%
Other languages1.5%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic & Orthodox
29.1%
Other Christian
6.6%
Non-Christian
6.2%
Mainline Protestant
3.9%
Baptist
3.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
1.8%
Methodist
1.3%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 47.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Chicago's designated market area delivers the state's largest television audience and anchors Illinois Democrats' statewide math, with Cook County alone casting roughly 40% of the state's total votes in most election cycles.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of thirty-five points in 2008 and a Republican high of fifty-one points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the market moved eight points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty-three points.

A population of 9,698,861, a 54% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $91,221 describe the market.

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.
Chicago, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/dma/602/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did Chicago, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Chicago, Illinois voted Democratic by 23.1 points (D+23), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 4,166,084 votes cast, 2,518,309 went Democratic and 1,554,365 went Republican.
What is Chicago, Illinois's political typology?
Akashic places Chicago, Illinois in the "Texan Right" 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 market has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 15 times, and other 1 times.
When did Chicago, Illinois last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Chicago, Illinois voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Chicago, Illinois?
Chicago, Illinois has a population of 9,698,861 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Chicago, Illinois?
Median household income in Chicago, Illinois is $91,221 — above the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Chicago, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Chicago, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The market's typology — "Texan Right" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.