state senate districtIllinois 17th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+66.7
2008D+73.2
2012D+73.6
2016D+69.7
2020D+67.6
2024D+60.2
net swing · 2004→2024R+6.5D+66.7 → D+60.2
vs. U.S. · 2024D+61.6D+60.2 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 54.8% of 156,229 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
67,950
16,471
1,126
85,547
156,229
54.8%
2020
82,413
15,454
1,223
99,090
154,975†
63.9%
2016
84,427
13,808
3,109
101,344
153,040†
66.2%
2012
91,704
13,235
1,676
106,615
149,178†
71.5%
2008
98,502
14,778
1,065
114,345
148,620†
76.9%
2004
86,442
17,113
449
104,004
148,062†
70.2%
† 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 SD 17IllinoisUnited States
African American†57.5%12.1%9.9%
African4.1%0.5%0.5%
Nigerian1.3%0.3%0.2%
Jamaican0.6%—0.4%
Mexican12.8%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican1.6%1.7%1.8%
Ecuadorian0.3%0.3%—
Guatemalan0.3%0.3%0.5%
Colombian0.2%0.3%0.4%
Cuban0.2%0.2%0.7%
Venezuelan0.2%——
German4.4%16.1%12.5%
Irish3.8%10.6%9.4%
Polish3.0%6.0%2.2%
Italian2.1%5.4%4.8%
English1.7%6.9%9.5%
American1.0%3.3%5.3%
Swedish0.5%1.5%—
Russian0.3%——
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 SD 17
Illinois
United States
Median age
40.7
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
8.8%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
16.2%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IL SD 17
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$60,573
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
18.1%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
40.4%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IL SD 17
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
32.6%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
19.5%
14.0%
13.6%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic
3.7%
2.5%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
3.1%
2.6%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
1.2%
0.9%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
IL SD 17
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 17th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+66.7%
2008
+73.2%
2012
+73.6%
2016
+69.7%
2020
+67.6%
2024
+60.2%
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
79.4%Harris67,950
19.3%Trump16,471
1.3%
D+60.2
R+7.4
D+61.6
85,547
D
83.2%Biden82,413
15.6%Trump15,454
1.2%
D+67.6
R+2.1
D+63.1
99,090
D
83.3%Clinton84,427
13.6%Trump13,808
3.1%
D+69.7
R+3.9
D+67.6
101,344
D
86.0%Obama91,704
12.4%Romney13,235
1.6%
D+73.6
D+0.4
D+69.7
106,615
D
86.1%Obama98,502
12.9%McCain14,778
0.9%
D+73.2
D+6.6
D+65.9
114,345
D
83.1%Kerry86,442
16.5%Bush17,113
0.4%
D+66.7
—
D+69.1
104,004
current representation
Current officeholders
DElgie SimsState Senate · 17
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Anchored in rural downstate Illinois, this district recorded a 43-point Republican presidential margin in 2024 — among the widest in the state — reflecting the sharp rural-urban political divide that has reshaped Illinois's electoral map over the past decade.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 73.6 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 7.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 60.2 points.
A population of 217,053, a 16% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $60,573 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 15 and State Senate District 28.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate 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 17th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Illinois 17th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Illinois 17th State Senate District voted Democratic by 60.2 points (D+60.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 85,547 votes cast, 67,950 went Democratic and 16,471 went Republican.
How many people live in Illinois 17th State Senate District?
Illinois 17th State Senate District has a population of 217,053 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Illinois 17th State Senate District?
Median household income in Illinois 17th State Senate District is $60,573 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Illinois 17th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Illinois 17th State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
