Congressional District 17 Congressional District (IL) — Elections 1876–2024

Illinois 17th Congressional District, Illinois: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+6%. Republican peak: R+52 in 1920.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: R+6MIT Election Lab
Political archetype: BellwetherAkashic typology
Population: 553,6612024 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+15 in 1964MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin: R+52 in 1920MIT Election Lab

2024 results by constituent county

21 counties · 4 D · 17 R

R+60

D+60

One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	R	−6.0%	118,236	133,693	256,983
2020	R	−3.2%	126,494	135,199	268,421
2016	R	−4.5%	111,519	123,024	253,663
2012	D	+8.2%	134,188	113,425	252,838
2008	D	+14.2%	148,428	111,099	263,565
2004	D	+1.6%	133,662	129,460	265,009
2000	D	+5.1%	124,969	112,393	244,321
1996	D	+11.6%	117,028	90,436	229,396
1992	D	+10.9%	122,746	94,234	261,871
1988	D	+1.3%	120,926	117,820	240,001
1984	R	−10.6%	118,173	146,395	265,857
1980	R	−21.0%	88,718	142,868	258,283
1976	R	−8.6%	113,517	135,214	252,527
1972	R	−24.4%	93,382	153,999	248,235
1968	R	−9.4%	100,967	123,906	242,997
1964	D	+15.0%	139,432	102,977	242,410
1960	R	−12.5%	109,759	141,257	251,394
1956	R	−23.9%	88,287	143,899	232,534
1952	R	−22.7%	90,233	143,312	233,902
1948	R	−11.0%	82,673	103,195	187,365
1944	R	−9.6%	90,955	110,297	202,193
1940	R	−3.7%	110,331	118,832	230,279
1936	D	+10.6%	114,653	92,166	211,161
1932	D	+4.5%	94,875	86,603	185,028
1928	R	−36.0%	52,095	111,466	165,044
1924	R	−46.5%	20,797	87,663	143,670
1920	R	−52.2%	24,484	88,589	122,909
1916	R	−19.1%	49,408	74,662	132,017
1912	O	+12.8%	22,465	13,164	72,550
1908	R	−23.6%	25,133	42,408	73,323
1904	R	−41.0%	16,401	44,519	68,631
1900	R	−23.5%	27,173	44,551	74,074
1896	R	−21.8%	27,340	42,974	71,630
1892	R	−10.7%	25,078	31,497	60,213
1888	—	No data	—	—	—
1884	—	No data	—	—	—
1880	—	No data	—	—	—
1876	—	No data	—	—	—

Demographics

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.

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%

2.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

Median household income

2024 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.

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.

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.

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.

Illinois 17th Congressional District in the Upper Midwest has, for decades, voted very close to the way the country has voted. Its margins are typically narrow, and the candidate who carries Illinois 17th Congressional District more often than not also wins the national popular vote.

The Democratic margin in Illinois 17th Congressional District has rarely exceeded fifteen points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded fifty-two points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by six points.

Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 77% non-Hispanic-white share, a 14% poverty rate, and a median household income of $67,128 — all within the broad national range.

Cite this page

All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.

Congressional District 17, Illinois — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.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 Republican by 6.0 points (R+6), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 256,983 votes cast, 118,236 went Democratic and 133,693 went Republican.

What is Congressional District 17, Illinois's political archetype?

Akashic classifies Congressional District 17, Illinois as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 10 times, Republican 23 times, and other 1 times.

When did Congressional District 17, Illinois last vote Democratic?

The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 17, Illinois voted Democratic was 2012.

How many people live in Congressional District 17, Illinois?

Congressional District 17, Illinois has a population of 553,661 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 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 17, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 10 went Democratic and 23 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.

Illinois 17th Congressional District votes the way the country votes.

Key facts

Demographics

Frequently asked questions