How did Pontiac, IL vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Pontiac, IL voted Republican in 2024 with a margin of R+46.3. Kamala D Harris received 4,311 votes and Donald Trump received 11,970 out of 16,549 total votes cast, a 2.2-point shift toward Republicans from 2020.

What is Pontiac, IL's political history?

Pontiac, IL has 40 presidential elections on record, spanning 1868 to 2024. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1936. The largest single-election swing was 49.8 points in 1876.

What are the demographics of Pontiac, IL?

Pontiac, IL has a population of 35,565 according to the 2020 Census. The racial composition is 87.7% non-Hispanic white, 5.8% Hispanic, 3.4% Black. About 19% of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Median household income is $73,790.

Which places are most similar to Pontiac, IL?

Based on demographic and electoral similarity analysis, the three most similar metro areas to Pontiac, IL are Bellefontaine, OH, Urbana, OH, Taylorville, IL. Similarity is computed using a vector embedding of demographic, economic, and electoral characteristics.

Pontiac, IL

Latest: 2024↓ R+2.2 vs 2020

Safe Republican — 36K residents — 1 counties

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Race & ancestry

Group	%
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	87.7%
▶Hispanic / Latino(11)	5.8%
▶Black / African American(4)	3.4%
▶Asian(4)	0.7%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4)	0.1%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1)	0.1%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(2)	0.2%
Multiracial / Other	2.1%

View full demographics →

Religious adherence

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents
Mainline Protestant	20.7%	49.3%
Evangelical Protestant	11.3%	26.9%
Catholic	8.7%	20.7%
Other	1.3%	3.1%
LDS (Mormon)	0.9%	2.2%
Non-religious	58.0%	—

View full religion →

Presidential results

Year	Result
2024	Trump+46.3
2020	Trump+44.1
2016	Trump+40.3
2012	Romney+31.4
2008	McCain+19.2
2004	Bush+29.2
2000	Bush+21.9
1996	Dole+13.6
1992	Bush+11.7

View full election history →

Pontiac, IL is a metro area that has a population of 35,565. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+46.3. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.

Pontiac, IL Presidential Election Results, 1948–2024
Year	Dem %	Rep %	Margin	Swing
2024	26.0%	72.3%	R+46.3	R+2.2
2020	26.8%	70.9%	R+44.1	R+3.8
2016	26.2%	66.5%	R+40.3	R+8.9
2012	33.3%	64.7%	R+31.4	R+12.2
2008	39.5%	58.7%	R+19.2	D+10.0
2004	35.1%	64.3%	R+29.2	R+7.3
2000	38.1%	60.0%	R+21.9	R+8.3
1996	38.1%	51.8%	R+13.6	R+1.9
1992	35.1%	46.8%	R+11.7	D+22.8
1988	32.5%	67.0%	R+34.5	D+11.2
1984	27.0%	72.6%	R+45.7	R+1.5
1980	24.4%	68.6%	R+44.2	R+12.7
1976	33.1%	64.6%	R+31.5	D+12.7
1972	27.9%	72.1%	R+44.2	R+7.2
1968	28.8%	65.9%	R+37.1	R+27.6
1964	45.3%	54.7%	R+9.4	D+23.4
1960	33.6%	66.4%	R+32.8	D+12.9
1956	27.1%	72.9%	R+45.7	R+2.7
1952	28.4%	71.5%	R+43.0	R+10.0
1948	33.3%	66.3%	R+33.0	—

Political Identity

What defines Pontiac, IL?

Pontiac, IL has been trending Republican — 15pp redder over the last 4 presidential cycles. It has a working-class, predominantly white electorate — strong Republican base territory.

Constituent Counties

Open in Cartographer

Similarity Explorer

Similar metro areas

Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.

8 visible matches

Bellefontaine, OH

Small-town rural republican 3

R+56.2

Similarity score96%

Urbana, OH

Small-town rural republican 3

R+50.7

Similarity score96%

Taylorville, IL

Small-town rural republican 3

R+46.6

Similarity score96%

Van Wert, OH

Small-town rural republican 3

R+58.5

Similarity score95%

Mount Vernon, IL

Small-town rural republican 3

R+47.7

Similarity score95%

Greenville, OH

Small-town rural republican 3

R+65.4

Similarity score95%

New Castle, IN

Small-town rural republican 3

R+47.7

Similarity score95%

Sidney, OH

Small-town rural republican 3

R+64.8

Similarity score95%

Constituent Geography

Counties in Pontiac, IL

2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.

Sort:

County	Pop.	Margin	Dem	Rep	Total	Share
Livingston	36K	R+46.3	4,311	11,970	16,549	100.0%

1 countiesTotal votes: 16,549

Historian Query

Ask the Historian

Explore Pontiac, IL's political evolution with the Historian

“How has the Pontiac, IL metro area voted in presidential elections?”

Automated Readout

Key Insights

High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.

Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
Latest election (2024) was a Republican landslide with a 46.3% margin
Shifted 14.9 points toward Republicans over the last 4 elections

Race & Ancestry

Who Lives Here

A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.

Pontiac, ILCensus ACS 2024Ancestry detail available

Census race profile

Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.

Expand rows for ancestry detail

White (Non-Hispanic) 87.7%Hispanic 5.8%Black 3.4%Multiracial 2.1%Asian 0.7%

Group	Pontiac, IL	National
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13)	87.7%	57.4%
▶Hispanic / Latino(11)	5.8%	19.3%
▶Black / African American(4)	3.4%	12.2%
Multiracial / Other	2.1%	4.0%
▶Asian(4)	0.7%	6.0%
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(2)	0.2%	0.2%
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1)	0.1%	0.9%
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4)	0.1%	0.9%

Method notes

Census treats race and Hispanic/Latino origin as separate questions. Race categories other than Hispanic reflect total populations (small Hispanic overlap in Black, Asian, AIAN, NHPI). “Multiracial / Other” is derived as a non-overlapping remainder.

Click rows to expand ancestry detail. Ancestry from ACS B04006, B03001, B02020, B02016. Totals may differ from race — individuals can report multiple ancestries.

Black / African American (estimated remainder) is derived as Black population share minus reported Sub-Saharan African and West Indian ancestry. It is shown as an estimated ancestry detail, not a standalone Census ancestry category.

MENA estimated from ancestry reporting — Census does not have a separate MENA race category. Not shown in bar (overlaps with other race groups).

Religious Adherents

Population that are religious adherents:

42.0%(15.0K people)

U.S. Religion Census 2020

Browse all religions

Catholic-Evangelical edge: -10.7pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.

Tradition	% Pop	% Adherents	US Pop	US Adherents
Mainline Protestant	20.7%	49.3%	—	—
Evangelical Protestant	11.3%	26.9%	—	—
Catholic	8.7%	20.7%	—	—
Other	1.3%	3.1%	—	—
LDS (Mormon)	0.9%	2.2%	—	—
Non-religiousPopulation	58.0%	—	—	—

Click the chevron to expand denominations. Tradition and denomination rows label both share of total population and share of all religious adherents. Non-religious is shown as a share of total population only.

Who lives in the Pontiac, IL metro area? 35,565 residents across 1 counties.

Demographic Comparison

Demographics

Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.

Pontiac, IL vs National36K residents

19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 14pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.

Population & electorate

Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.

Total population

Local vs state vs U.S.

36K

local

36KNational 334.9M

Share of U.S. population

Local vs state vs U.S.

0.01%

local

0.01%National 100%

Voting-age population

Local vs state vs U.S.

72.4%

local

72.4%National 75.7%

Economic profile

Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.

Median household income

Local vs state vs U.S.

$73,790

local

$73,790National $83,960

Poverty rate

Local vs state vs U.S.

10.5%

local

10.5%National 12.5%

College degree

Local vs state vs U.S.

19.0%

local

19.0%National 35.6%

Homeownership

Local vs state vs U.S.

74.3%

local

74.3%National 65.2%

Community profile

Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.

Median age

Local vs state vs U.S.

41.8 yrs

local

41.8 yrsNational 39.1 yrs

Age 18–29

Local vs state vs U.S.

13.4%

local

13.4%National 15.7%

Age 65+

Local vs state vs U.S.

20.1%

local

20.1%National 17.0%

Foreign born

Local vs state vs U.S.

2.4%

local

2.4%National 14.1%

Non-English at home

Local vs state vs U.S.

4.0%

local

4.0%National 22.2%

English only

Local vs state vs U.S.

96.0%

local

96.0%National 77.8%

Voter Turnout

Turnout in Pontiac, IL

Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.

2024 Turnout

64.3%

vs Previous

-2.6pp

Voting-Age Pop

25,743

History

1988–2024

Competitiveness

How competitive is Pontiac, IL?

Safe RAvg margin: R+43.6 (last 3 elections)

2008

R+19.2

2012

R+31.4

2016

R+40.3

2020

R+44.1

2024

R+46.3

Elasticity

27.1pp

margin range

Party Flips

last 30 years

5-Elec Avg

R+36.3

Ticket-Splitting

Do voters in Pontiac, IL split their tickets?

Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.

ConsistencyHeavy splitting (28/100)

2022 Office Comparisons

Offices	Margin A	Margin B	Split
Senate vs Governor	R+42.7	R+46.9	4.2pp

Average divergence across office pairs: 13.3pp

Containing Geography

Located In

Pontiac, IL sits inside these higher-level geographies.

Illinois(State)

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