† 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
GroupWatsekaIllinoisUnited States
German32.7%16.1%12.5%
Irish13.2%10.6%9.4%
English9.7%6.9%9.5%
American7.5%3.3%5.3%
French6.2%0.7%1.6%
Italian5.1%5.4%4.8%
Dutch3.1%——
Polish1.9%6.0%2.2%
Mexican5.9%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.2%1.7%1.8%
Salvadoran0.2%—0.7%
Colombian0.2%0.3%0.4%
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
Watseka
Illinois
United States
Median age
47.7
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
8.9%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
25.1%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Watseka
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$43,608
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
23.4%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
12.2%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Watseka
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.4%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
2.9%
14.0%
13.6%
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)
1.0%
0.7%
0.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
Watseka
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.
Watseka, Illinois
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−35.4%
2008
−18.7%
2012
−34.5%
2016
−45.8%
2020
−46.1%
2024
−47.3%
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
R
25.4%Harris505
72.7%Trump1,444
1.9%
R+47.3
R+1.2
R+45.8
1,986
R
25.9%Biden545
72.0%Trump1,514
2.1%
R+46.1
R+0.3
R+50.5
2,103
R
23.4%Clinton466
69.2%Trump1,377
7.4%
R+45.8
R+11.3
R+47.9
1,990
R
31.7%Obama628
66.2%Romney1,313
2.2%
R+34.5
R+15.8
R+38.4
1,984
R
39.5%Obama853
58.1%McCain1,257
2.4%
R+18.7
D+16.7
R+26.0
2,162
R
32.2%Kerry690
67.6%Bush1,447
0.1%
R+35.4
—
R+32.9
2,140
Watseka sits at the heart of Iroquois County, a consistently Republican-leaning stretch of flat agricultural land where presidential margins have widened steadily over the past two decades as rural realignment reshaped Illinois outside the metro areas.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 47.3 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.2 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 47.3 points.
A population of 4,780, a 85% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $43,608 describe the city.
In 2024, Watseka, Illinois voted Republican by 47.3 points (R+47.3), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 1,986 votes cast, 505 went Democratic and 1,444 went Republican.
How many people live in Watseka, Illinois?
Watseka, Illinois has a population of 4,780 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Watseka, Illinois?
Median household income in Watseka, Illinois is $43,608 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Watseka, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Watseka, Illinois from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
