Macon County, Illinois: Farm Belt county. In 2024, voted R+19%. Republican peak: R+42 in 1928.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+19MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Farm BeltAkashic typology
- Population
- 101,8492024 5-year
- Median household income
- $62,6662024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 74.2%2024 5-year
- Black
- 16.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 2.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+32 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+42 in 1928MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Henderson County, KY · similarity 0.99
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Macon CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Macon County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | −2.9% |
| 1896 | −13.1% |
| 1900 | −10.8% |
| 1904 | −33.3% |
| 1908 | −17.1% |
| 1912 | +8.8% |
| 1916 | −10.7% |
| 1920 | −33.9% |
| 1924 | −35.8% |
| 1928 | −42.0% |
| 1932 | +12.1% |
| 1936 | +27.1% |
| 1940 | +15.9% |
| 1944 | +7.5% |
| 1948 | +6.8% |
| 1952 | −7.2% |
| 1956 | −9.1% |
| 1960 | −2.1% |
| 1964 | +32.2% |
| 1968 | +4.7% |
| 1972 | −18.6% |
| 1976 | +6.3% |
| 1980 | −11.1% |
| 1984 | −8.9% |
| 1988 | +3.0% |
| 1992 | +15.8% |
| 1996 | +12.9% |
| 2000 | +0.9% |
| 2004 | −9.2% |
| 2008 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | −5.2% |
| 2016 | −17.7% |
| 2020 | −17.6% |
| 2024 | −18.9% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 18,009 | 26,562 | 45,341 | ||
| R | 19,847 | 28,589 | 49,534 | ||
| R | 18,343 | 26,866 | 48,060 | ||
| R | 22,780 | 25,309 | 49,030 | ||
| D | 25,487 | 24,948 | 51,216 | ||
| R | 23,341 | 28,118 | 51,746 | ||
| D | 24,262 | 23,830 | 49,499 | ||
| D | 24,256 | 18,161 | 47,235 | ||
| D | 27,449 | 18,684 | 55,580 | ||
| D | 25,364 | 23,862 | 49,489 | ||
| R | 25,463 | 30,457 | 56,112 | ||
| R | 22,325 | 28,298 | 53,956 | ||
| D | 28,243 | 24,893 | 53,599 | ||
| R | 20,296 | 29,596 | 50,029 | ||
| D | 23,369 | 21,027 | 49,741 | ||
| D | 35,045 | 17,957 | 53,002 | ||
| R | 26,029 | 27,151 | 53,288 | ||
| R | 23,066 | 27,673 | 50,771 | ||
| R | 22,277 | 25,744 | 48,066 | ||
| D | 21,487 | 18,719 | 40,456 | ||
| D | 22,808 | 19,608 | 42,569 | ||
| D | 27,589 | 19,998 | 47,864 | ||
| D | 27,360 | 15,585 | 43,486 | ||
| D | 21,638 | 16,868 | 39,346 | ||
| R | 9,932 | 24,492 | 34,654 | ||
| R | 6,670 | 16,458 | 27,331 | ||
| R | 7,917 | 16,486 | 25,257 | ||
| R | 11,181 | 13,997 | 26,427 | ||
| O | 4,435 | 3,356 | 12,278 | ||
| R | 4,615 | 6,643 | 11,866 | ||
| R | 2,952 | 6,284 | 10,008 | ||
| R | 4,874 | 6,086 | 11,216 | ||
| R | 4,756 | 6,216 | 11,154 | ||
| R | 4,303 | 4,575 | 9,524 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
18.6%
English
12.4%
Irish
10.4%
American
6.0%
Italian
1.7%
Polish
1.7%
Scottish
1.7%
African American
13.0%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
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: 40.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$62,666
Macon County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Macon County$62,666
Illinois$83,390
United States$80,734
Macon County ranks near the middle of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.2%
Working age (18–64)14.0%
Seniors (65+)9.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.9%
speak English only
Spanish1.7%
Other Indo-European1.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 53.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Decatur, Macon County backed Democratic presidential candidates as recently as 2008 but has since swung nearly 30 points, reflecting broader trends among Midwest counties with mid-size manufacturing economies and declining union density.
The Republican margin here reached forty-two points in 1928. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved one point toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was nineteen points.
A population of 101,849, a 74% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $62,666 describe an agricultural county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Henderson County and Pulaski County.
Most similar counties
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.
Macon County, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/17115/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More farm belt counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Macon County, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Macon County, Illinois voted Republican by 18.9 points (R+19), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 45,341 votes cast, 18,009 went Democratic and 26,562 went Republican.
What is Macon County, Illinois's political typology?
Akashic places Macon County, Illinois in the "Farm Belt" typology — Rural Plains and Midwest farm counties — Republican, with modest recent movement. 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 county has voted Democratic 13 times, Republican 20 times, and other 1 times.
When did Macon County, Illinois last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Macon County, Illinois voted Democratic was 2008.
How many people live in Macon County, Illinois?
Macon County, Illinois has a population of 101,849 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Macon County, Illinois?
Median household income in Macon County, Illinois is $62,666 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Macon County, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Macon County, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 13 went Democratic and 20 went Republican. The county's typology — "Farm Belt" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.