A downstate Illinois corridor where agricultural roots shape competitive margins
Spanning Coles and Calhoun counties across central Illinois, this metro blends a regional university presence in Charleston with Mattoon's manufacturing base, producing an electorate that has shifted steadily toward Republican margins over the past two decades.
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 91.8% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(5) | 3.2% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(7) | 2.3% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 1.5% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(6) | 1.1% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4) | 0.6% | 0.9% |
Native American / Alaska Native | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -43.2pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.1% | 61.3% | — | — | |
| 11.1% | 22.6% | — | — | |
| 6.2% | 12.7% | — | — | |
| 1.5% | 3.0% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.0% | 2.0% | — | — |
| 0.2% | 0.4% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 50.9% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Charleston-Mattoon, IL metro area? 204,919 residents across 4 counties.
24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 9pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+9 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate vs Governor | R+26.3 | R+30.6 | 4.2pp |