akashic
1876–2024
Knox County, Illinois
Knox County·Illinois

Knox County votes the way the country votes.

A manufacturing-era county still navigating its post-industrial identity

18762024·38 elections
Knox County, Illinois · Calvin Beale · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+9
in 2024
Archetype
Bellwether
since the recent cycles
Population
49,046
2024 ACS
Most similar
Crawford County
WI · similarity 0.98
48 precincts · 22,191 votes cast
Trump · R+9
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−9.4%
9,83811,91722,191
2020R
−5.6%
10,70312,00923,208
2016R
−2.9%
10,08310,73722,503
2012D
+17.3%
13,4519,40823,356
2008D
+19.9%
14,1919,41923,988
2004D
+9.3%
13,40311,11124,708
2000D
+11.5%
12,5729,91223,174
1996D
+20.7%
12,4877,82222,548
1992D
+16.6%
12,5248,33125,296
1988D
+8.1%
12,75210,84223,700
1984R
−10.9%
12,02714,97427,122
1980R
−23.5%
8,74914,90726,198
1976R
−10.0%
11,52514,12325,967
1972R
−29.8%
9,33317,31526,766
1968R
−17.1%
9,70714,21626,396
1964D
+7.7%
15,00012,85027,850
1960R
−20.3%
11,88917,93829,850
1956R
−32.2%
9,55818,65628,251
1952R
−28.4%
10,35418,56928,940
1948R
−21.0%
9,77215,01624,952
1944R
−22.5%
10,07015,96426,160
1940R
−16.1%
12,59717,45930,224
1936R
−3.5%
13,69714,71229,124
1932D
+0.2%
12,28212,24424,918
1928R
−45.5%
5,99316,15122,330
1924R
−52.6%
2,61712,96819,680
1920R
−57.1%
2,85212,55917,005
1916R
−22.3%
6,78510,91818,555
1912D
+9.6%
2,7581,75010,467
1908R
−34.3%
3,2777,08411,098
1904R
−55.8%
1,8497,56610,247
1900R
−39.1%
3,2997,81011,549
1896R
−36.9%
3,4807,68111,397
1892R
−28.4%
3,0735,8009,588
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
Polish
0.6%
African American
6.5%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Mainline Protestant
6.4%
Other Christian
5.6%
Methodist
4.4%
Catholic & Orthodox
3.6%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.2%
Baptist
1.4%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 75.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Knox County, home to Galesburg and its storied railroad history, has shifted rightward over two decades as union-household demographics gave way to a smaller, older, less college-educated electorate — a pattern visible across Illinois's western tier.

The Democratic margin in Knox County has rarely exceeded twenty-one points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded fifty-seven points. 2024 delivered the county to the Republican candidate by nine points.

Knox County's demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most counties. A 82% non-Hispanic-white share, a 15% poverty rate, and a median household income of $57,030 — all within the broad national range. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Crawford County and Vernon County.