state senate districtIllinois 49th State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+0.8
2008D+19.8
2012D+11.3
2016D+14.0
2020D+17.1
2024D+9.2
net swing · 2004→2024D+8.5D+0.8 → D+9.2
vs. U.S. · 2024D+10.7D+9.2 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 66.3% of 152,346 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
53,797
44,466
2,676
100,939
152,346
66.3%
2020
60,148
42,269
1,863
104,280
147,437†
70.7%
2016
48,078
35,561
5,934
89,573
141,956†
63.1%
2012
41,478
32,885
1,356
75,719
134,864†
56.1%
2008
46,943
31,289
951
79,183
129,177†
61.3%
2004
33,829
33,294
634
67,757
123,491†
54.9%
† 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 49IllinoisUnited States
German16.9%16.1%12.5%
Irish12.9%10.6%9.4%
Polish10.1%6.0%2.2%
Italian8.4%5.4%4.8%
English5.5%6.9%9.5%
American2.4%3.3%5.3%
Swedish1.6%1.5%—
Dutch1.2%——
Mexican17.9%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican1.4%1.7%1.8%
Spaniard0.3%——
Spanish0.2%——
Cuban0.2%0.2%0.7%
Colombian0.2%0.3%0.4%
Guatemalan0.2%0.3%0.5%
African American†8.9%12.1%9.9%
African2.0%0.5%0.5%
Nigerian0.4%0.3%0.2%
Ghanaian0.2%——
Asian Indian3.6%2.1%1.4%
Filipino1.5%1.0%0.9%
Chinese0.9%1.0%1.3%
Pakistani0.6%0.3%—
Korean0.3%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 SD 49
Illinois
United States
Median age
37.2
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
9.0%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.4%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IL SD 49
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$117,693
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
6.0%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
37.4%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IL SD 49
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
22.3%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
13.3%
14.0%
13.6%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic
1.9%
2.5%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
2.9%
2.6%
2.0%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
1.1%
1.0%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
IL SD 49
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 49th State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+0.8%
2008
+19.8%
2012
+11.3%
2016
+14.0%
2020
+17.1%
2024
+9.2%
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
53.3%Harris53,797
44.1%Trump44,466
2.7%
D+9.2
R+7.9
D+10.7
100,939
D
57.7%Biden60,148
40.5%Trump42,269
1.8%
D+17.1
D+3.2
D+12.7
104,280
D
53.7%Clinton48,078
39.7%Trump35,561
6.6%
D+14.0
D+2.6
D+11.9
89,573
D
54.8%Obama41,478
43.4%Romney32,885
1.8%
D+11.3
R+8.4
D+7.5
75,719
D
59.3%Obama46,943
39.5%McCain31,289
1.2%
D+19.8
D+19.0
D+12.5
79,183
D
49.9%Kerry33,829
49.1%Bush33,294
0.9%
D+0.8
—
D+3.2
67,757
current representation
Current officeholders
DMeg Loughran CappelState Senate · 49
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Anchored in rural southern Illinois, this district delivered a 60-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, making it among the most lopsided state senate districts in a state whose statewide results trend the opposite direction.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 19.8 points in 2008. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 7.9 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 9.2 points.
A population of 217,224, a 55% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $117,693 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 43 and State Senate District 42.
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 49th State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17049/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Illinois 49th State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Illinois 49th State Senate District voted Democratic by 9.2 points (D+9.2), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 100,939 votes cast, 53,797 went Democratic and 44,466 went Republican.
How many people live in Illinois 49th State Senate District?
Illinois 49th State Senate District has a population of 217,224 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Illinois 49th State Senate District?
Median household income in Illinois 49th State Senate District is $117,693 — above the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Illinois 49th State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Illinois 49th State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
