state senate districtIllinois 53rd State Senate District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+26.4
2008R+13.4
2012R+26.8
2016R+34.2
2020R+34.0
2024R+35.1
net swing · 2004→2024R+8.7R+26.4 → R+35.1
vs. U.S. · 2024R+33.6R+35.1 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 68.1% of 162,164 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
34,662
73,441
2,400
110,503
162,164
68.1%
2020
35,748
73,866
2,396
112,010
161,733†
69.3%
2016
29,689
64,465
7,598
101,752
164,549†
61.8%
2012
34,196
60,042
2,153
96,391
164,408†
58.6%
2008
42,877
56,594
2,640
102,111
160,441†
63.6%
2004
36,531
62,962
533
100,026
156,474†
63.9%
† 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 53IllinoisUnited States
German30.0%16.1%12.5%
Irish14.6%10.6%9.4%
English11.5%6.9%9.5%
Italian6.4%5.4%4.8%
American5.5%3.3%5.3%
Polish4.8%6.0%2.2%
French2.5%0.7%1.6%
Norwegian1.5%——
Mexican4.4%14.4%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.4%1.7%1.8%
African American†1.3%12.1%9.9%
Asian Indian0.5%2.1%1.4%
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 53
Illinois
United States
Median age
41.4
39.1
39.1
Age 18–24
9.0%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
19.1%
16.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
IL SD 53
Illinois
United States
Median household income
$78,846
$83,390
$84,427
Poverty rate
9.6%
11.8%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
26.0%
37.9%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
IL SD 53
Illinois
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
6.1%
24.1%
22.3%
Spanish
4.1%
14.0%
13.6%
Religious landscape
Measure
IL SD 53
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 53rd State Senate District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−26.4%
2008
−13.4%
2012
−26.8%
2016
−34.2%
2020
−34.0%
2024
−35.1%
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
R
31.4%Harris34,662
66.5%Trump73,441
2.2%
R+35.1
R+1.1
R+33.6
110,503
R
31.9%Biden35,748
65.9%Trump73,866
2.1%
R+34.0
D+0.1
R+38.5
112,010
R
29.2%Clinton29,689
63.4%Trump64,465
7.5%
R+34.2
R+7.4
R+36.3
101,752
R
35.5%Obama34,196
62.3%Romney60,042
2.2%
R+26.8
R+13.4
R+30.7
96,391
R
42.0%Obama42,877
55.4%McCain56,594
2.6%
R+13.4
D+13.0
R+20.7
102,111
R
36.5%Kerry36,531
62.9%Bush62,962
0.5%
R+26.4
—
R+24.0
100,026
current representation
Current officeholders
RChris BalkemaState Senate · 53
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+47.8, District 53 sits at the far end of Illinois's partisan spectrum. Its electorate consistently delivers some of the widest Republican margins in a state that leans Democratic at the statewide level.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 35.1 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 35.1 points.
A population of 217,052, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $78,846 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State Senate District 23 and State Senate District 30.
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 53rd State Senate District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/17053/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Illinois 53rd State Senate District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Illinois 53rd State Senate District voted Republican by 35.1 points (R+35.1), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 110,503 votes cast, 34,662 went Democratic and 73,441 went Republican.
How many people live in Illinois 53rd State Senate District?
Illinois 53rd State Senate District has a population of 217,052 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Illinois 53rd State Senate District?
Median household income in Illinois 53rd State Senate District is $78,846 — below the national median of $80,734. The Illinois state median is $83,390.
What is the political history of Illinois 53rd State Senate District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Illinois 53rd State Senate District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
