Winnebago County, Illinois: Diversifying Metro county. In 2024, voted D+1%. Republican peak: R+66 in 1920.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+1MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Diversifying MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 283,2922024 5-year
- Median household income
- $65,8372024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 66.4%2024 5-year
- Black
- 12.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 15.5%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+13 in 2008MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+66 in 1920MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- DeKalb County, IL · similarity 0.94
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Winnebago CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Winnebago 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 | −34.4% |
| 1896 | −52.8% |
| 1900 | −50.3% |
| 1904 | −64.0% |
| 1908 | −54.2% |
| 1912 | −2.0% |
| 1916 | −38.0% |
| 1920 | −65.9% |
| 1924 | −64.1% |
| 1928 | −61.8% |
| 1932 | −19.1% |
| 1936 | +4.1% |
| 1940 | −4.4% |
| 1944 | −5.1% |
| 1948 | −4.2% |
| 1952 | −16.1% |
| 1956 | −24.9% |
| 1960 | −10.5% |
| 1964 | +10.0% |
| 1968 | −12.1% |
| 1972 | −23.2% |
| 1976 | −10.6% |
| 1980 | −15.6% |
| 1984 | −17.9% |
| 1988 | −10.3% |
| 1992 | +5.4% |
| 1996 | +1.8% |
| 2000 | −1.7% |
| 2004 | −0.9% |
| 2008 | +12.8% |
| 2012 | +5.5% |
| 2016 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | +0.6% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 59,942 | 59,257 | 121,347 | ||
| D | 64,056 | 60,861 | 128,160 | ||
| D | 55,713 | 55,624 | 120,055 | ||
| D | 61,732 | 55,138 | 119,397 | ||
| D | 70,034 | 53,886 | 126,031 | ||
| R | 59,740 | 60,782 | 121,425 | ||
| R | 51,981 | 53,816 | 109,297 | ||
| D | 46,264 | 44,479 | 99,910 | ||
| D | 48,298 | 42,221 | 112,215 | ||
| R | 45,280 | 55,699 | 101,550 | ||
| R | 44,629 | 64,203 | 109,451 | ||
| R | 32,384 | 48,825 | 105,089 | ||
| R | 42,399 | 52,736 | 97,387 | ||
| R | 35,937 | 57,682 | 93,850 | ||
| R | 36,702 | 47,646 | 90,739 | ||
| D | 48,834 | 39,920 | 88,754 | ||
| R | 40,090 | 49,541 | 89,741 | ||
| R | 29,063 | 48,332 | 77,484 | ||
| R | 31,409 | 43,468 | 75,004 | ||
| R | 27,145 | 29,537 | 57,313 | ||
| R | 27,831 | 30,837 | 58,945 | ||
| R | 28,061 | 30,683 | 59,127 | ||
| D | 27,200 | 24,997 | 53,989 | ||
| R | 17,707 | 26,632 | 46,625 | ||
| R | 7,684 | 33,258 | 41,372 | ||
| R | 2,228 | 21,978 | 30,814 | ||
| R | 3,355 | 19,913 | 25,134 | ||
| R | 6,198 | 14,893 | 22,882 | ||
| O | 2,276 | 2,537 | 13,105 | ||
| R | 2,163 | 8,919 | 12,467 | ||
| R | 1,177 | 8,143 | 10,887 | ||
| R | 2,498 | 8,103 | 11,147 | ||
| R | 2,447 | 8,242 | 10,975 | ||
| R | 2,634 | 5,854 | 9,366 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
22.0%
Irish
11.8%
English
9.1%
Italian
6.6%
Polish
3.8%
American
2.9%
Scottish
1.5%
African American
9.6%
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: 39.6 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
$65,837
Winnebago County ranks near the middle of US counties.
Winnebago County$65,837
Illinois$83,390
United States$80,734
Winnebago 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
15.6%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1822.2%
Working age (18–64)13.9%
Seniors (65+)10.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
84.8%
speak English only
Spanish10.3%
Other Indo-European2.0%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.6%
Other languages1.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 42.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Home to Rockford, Illinois's third-largest city, Winnebago County shifted from reliably Republican to a genuine battleground as its mid-sized industrial economy restructured and its suburban precincts trended more competitive through the 2010s and 2020s.
The Democratic margin here reached thirteen points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved two points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was one point.
A population of 283,292, a 66% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $65,837 describe the county. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of DeKalb County and Lehigh 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.
Winnebago County, Illinois. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/17201/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More diversifying metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Winnebago County, Illinois vote in 2024?
In 2024, Winnebago County, Illinois voted Democratic by 0.6 points (D+1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 121,347 votes cast, 59,942 went Democratic and 59,257 went Republican.
What is Winnebago County, Illinois's political typology?
Akashic places Winnebago County, Illinois in the "Diversifying Metro" typology — Mid-size metropolitan counties growing more diverse and trending Democratic. 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 9 times, Republican 24 times, and other 1 times.
When did Winnebago County, Illinois last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Winnebago County, Illinois voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in Winnebago County, Illinois?
Winnebago County, Illinois has a population of 283,292 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Winnebago County, Illinois?
Median household income in Winnebago County, Illinois is $65,837 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Winnebago County, Illinois?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Winnebago County, Illinois from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 9 went Democratic and 24 went Republican. The county's typology — "Diversifying Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.