† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupGalesburgIllinoisUnited States
German16.0%16.1%12.5%
Irish12.5%10.6%9.4%
English10.9%6.9%9.5%
Swedish5.8%1.5%—
American4.4%3.3%5.3%
Italian1.9%5.4%4.8%
Scottish1.7%—1.3%
French1.3%0.7%1.6%
African American†12.0%12.1%9.9%
African1.0%0.5%0.5%
Mexican6.3%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.8%1.7%1.8%
Honduran0.3%0.2%0.3%
Colombian0.3%0.3%0.4%
Spaniard0.3%——
Asian Indian0.7%2.1%1.4%
Chinese0.4%1.0%1.3%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Galesburg
Illinois
United States
Median age
40.8
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
12.6%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
21.5%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Galesburg
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$48,297
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
19.1%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
19.7%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Galesburg
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
7.5%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
3.7%
14.0%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
1.3%
0.3%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
1.2%
2.6%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Galesburg
Illinois
United States
Catholic
—
24.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
11.7%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
49.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Galesburg, Illinois
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+17.8%
2008
+28.6%
2012
+26.7%
2016
+12.8%
2020
+12.6%
2024
+10.2%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
54.1%Harris6,277
43.9%Trump5,092
2.0%
D+10.2
R+2.4
D+11.7
11,601
D
55.4%Biden6,952
42.8%Trump5,370
1.9%
D+12.6
R+0.2
D+8.1
12,557
D
52.4%Clinton6,563
39.6%Trump4,959
8.0%
D+12.8
R+13.9
D+10.7
12,524
D
62.3%Obama8,456
35.6%Romney4,827
2.1%
D+26.7
R+1.9
D+22.9
13,572
D
63.4%Obama8,430
34.8%McCain4,629
1.8%
D+28.6
D+10.8
D+21.3
13,294
D
58.7%Kerry7,888
40.8%Bush5,493
0.5%
D+17.8
—
D+20.3
13,447
Galesburg's manufacturing decline—anchored by the 2004 Maytag closure—left a working-class electorate that has swung sharply between parties across the last four presidential cycles, making it a reliable bellwether for Knox County's direction.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 28.6 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 2.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 10.2 points.
A population of 29,481, a 72% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $48,297 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Springfield and Canton.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Galesburg, Illinois voted Democratic by 10.2 points (D+10.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 11,601 votes cast, 6,277 went Democratic and 5,092 went Republican.
How many people live in Galesburg, Illinois?
Galesburg, Illinois has a population of 29,481 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Galesburg, Illinois?
Median household income in Galesburg, Illinois is $48,297 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Galesburg, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Galesburg, Illinois from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
