state house districtIllinois 85th State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+9.4
2008D+27.5
2012D+23.0
2016D+24.0
2020D+25.2
2024D+17.3
net swing · 2004→2024D+7.9D+9.4 → D+17.3
vs. U.S. · 2024D+18.8D+17.3 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 58.8% of 77,832 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
26,214
18,306
1,235
45,755
77,832
58.8%
2020
30,402
17,951
971
49,324
76,004†
64.9%
2016
25,945
15,323
3,007
44,275
73,545†
60.2%
2012
26,183
16,243
764
43,190
70,212†
61.5%
2008
27,646
15,600
604
43,850
68,451†
64.1%
2004
20,397
16,843
477
37,717
66,689†
56.6%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. 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
GroupIL HD 85IllinoisUnited States
German14.7%16.1%12.5%
Irish11.5%10.6%9.4%
Polish9.2%6.0%2.2%
Italian7.8%5.4%4.8%
English4.9%6.9%9.5%
American2.2%3.3%5.3%
Swedish1.5%1.5%—
Dutch1.1%——
Mexican22.0%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican1.8%1.7%1.8%
Spaniard0.4%——
Guatemalan0.3%0.3%0.5%
Cuban0.3%0.2%0.7%
Colombian0.3%0.3%0.4%
Spanish0.3%——
African American†11.0%12.1%9.9%
African2.6%0.5%0.5%
Nigerian0.5%0.3%0.2%
Ghanaian0.3%——
Asian Indian3.2%2.1%1.4%
Filipino1.3%1.0%0.9%
Chinese0.8%1.0%1.3%
Pakistani0.6%0.3%—
Korean0.2%0.4%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
IL HD 85
Illinois
United States
Median age
38.2
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
8.9%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.9%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IL HD 85
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$91,916
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
8.7%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
39.1%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IL HD 85
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
23.2%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
12.9%
14.0%
13.6%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic
2.2%
2.5%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
3.4%
2.6%
2.0%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.2%
1.0%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
IL HD 85
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.
Illinois 85th State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+9.4%
2008
+27.5%
2012
+23.0%
2016
+24.0%
2020
+25.2%
2024
+17.3%
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
D
57.3%Harris26,214
40.0%Trump18,306
2.7%
D+17.3
R+8.0
D+18.8
45,755
D
61.6%Biden30,402
36.4%Trump17,951
2.0%
D+25.2
D+1.3
D+20.8
49,324
D
58.6%Clinton25,945
34.6%Trump15,323
6.8%
D+24.0
D+1.0
D+21.9
44,275
D
60.6%Obama26,183
37.6%Romney16,243
1.8%
D+23.0
R+4.5
D+19.2
43,190
D
63.0%Obama27,646
35.6%McCain15,600
1.4%
D+27.5
D+18.0
D+20.2
43,850
D
54.1%Kerry20,397
44.7%Bush16,843
1.3%
D+9.4
—
D+11.9
37,717
current representation
Current officeholders
DDee AvelarState House · 85
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Illinois House District 85 breaks sharply from the state's statewide Democratic lean, delivering double-digit Republican margins at the presidential level — a pattern typical of rural and small-city downstate districts far from the Chicago media market.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 27.5 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 8.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 17.3 points.
A population of 108,384, a 48% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $91,916 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 98 and State House District 86.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts 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.
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.
Illinois 85th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/17085/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Illinois 85th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Illinois 85th State House District voted Democratic by 17.3 points (D+17.3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 45,755 votes cast, 26,214 went Democratic and 18,306 went Republican.
How many people live in Illinois 85th State House District?
Illinois 85th State House District has a population of 108,384 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Illinois 85th State House District?
Median household income in Illinois 85th State House District is $91,916 — above the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Illinois 85th State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Illinois 85th State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
