More than half of Hillary Clinton’s 2.9 million Illinois votes came from Cook County, with most of her remainder drawing from the other highly populated counties. And while President-elect Donald Trump won 91 of the state’s 102 counties, that was not enough to turn Illinois red like its neighbors.
The trend of highly populated places voting Democratic and the surrounding, less populated areas voting Republican was a pattern repeated across the country.
How deeply did that trend play out in Illinois?
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100%
of votes
for Trump
The population gap between Cook County and the rest of Illinois often decides electoral results for the state
Total population:
7,602,032
Cook County
population:
5,227,827
2m
4m
6m
Population
Take away Cook County and the trend holds: counties with more people tend to vote Democratic
9,033,298
people live in the counties that voted for Clinton
3,796,561
people live in counties that voted for Trump
More
Republican
McHenry:
Most populous county that voted for Trump
Rock Island:
Among least populous
counties that voted for Clinton
More
Democrat
200K
400K
600K
800K
1M
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Population
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The population gap between Cook County and the rest of Illinois often decides electoral results for the state
100% of votes for Trump
Total population:
7,602,032
Cook County
population:
5,227,827
1m
2m
3m
4m
5m
6m
Population
Take away Cook County and the trend holds: Counties with more people tend to vote Democratic
9,033,298
people live in the counties that voted for
Clinton
3,796,561
people live in counties that voted for Trump
McHenry:
Most populous county that voted for Trump
Rock Island:
Among least populous
counties that voted for Clinton
200K
400K
600K
800K
1M
Population
Clinton dominated populous counties, while Trump won less populated ones, sometimes by great margins. The difference in Illinois, as opposed to Midwestern states where Trump won, is that the massive population of Cook County was enough to outweigh the Republican’s dominance in the rest of the state.
The most and least populous counties in Illinois are very different places, with different racial demographics, levels of wealth and economies. These counties have faced different struggles in the time since the last election. How deep does this divide go?
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McHenry
County
more
democratic
Close
RACES
Rock
Island
County
more
Republican
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More Top Picks Bcd
McHenry County:
Trump won by 8.05 points.
Deep blues
Indicate very
Democrat areas. Clinton won Cook County by
55 points.
Rock Island County: Clinton won by 8.4 points
Purple shades
Are close races.
In McLean County, Donald Trump won by only 1.5 points.
Deep reds
Are very
Republican
counties. Trump won Wayne
County with
86.9 percent, a 74-point margin.
Looking at counties where the vote was close and that aren’t very high or low in population, does support for Clinton concentrate in populous areas and support for Trump concentrate in areas that are less populated?
The Tribune looked at two Illinois counties based on population and the availability of precinct-level voting results. Precincts are the smallest geographic areas with tallied election results, although official numbers aren’t reported for as long as three weeks after a presidential election.
Jackson County, home of Carbondale and Southern Illinois University, was the least populous county won by Clinton, but its precinct-level data is not yet available. Rock Island County, with 146,133 people, was the next smallest county. The northwest Illinois county is on the Mississippi River and is home to two of the Quad Cities.
On the other side, McHenry County, which is part of the Chicago area and is northwest of the city, was the most populous county that voted to elect Trump, 51 to 42 percent.
Rock Island County: A small county where Clinton won
Rock Island County contains tight areas of Clinton support, gradually giving way to bigger pockets of Trump voters. The Republican candidate did the best in Buffalo Prairie, a precinct where he won 66 percent of the vote. This precinct in the western part of the county has a population of 735 spread over 46 square miles – about 16 people per square mile.
Clinton was most successful in a precinct in the city of Rock Island, where she won 93 percent of the vote. This precinct is one of 15 in an approximately five-square-mile section of Rock Island. This section has a population of 17,691 making the population density 3,657 people per square mile, more than 200 times that of Buffalo Prairie.
That is not the only difference between these two areas: Rock Island Township is about 64% white, according to the 2014 American Community Survey. Buffalo Prairie is more than 99% white.
McHenry County: Near Chicago, but won by Trump
McHenry county, on the edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, had a greater number of Trump supporters.
Trump was most successful in one of Coral Township’s three precincts, all of which voted for Trump. Coral Township, in the southwest part of McHenry County, contains Union, a village with only a few hundred residents. The township as a whole has a population density of about 98 people per square mile, and its population is 98% white.
Clinton did best in a precinct within Nunda Township near the center of Crystal Lake. Nunda Township, with a population density of 812 people per square mile, is significantly more dense than Coral Township. Nunda covers a relatively large area, almost 47 square miles, and all parts of the township are not equally dense.
Not every one of Nunda Township’s 29 precincts went for Clinton. In fact, a majority of voters chose Trump. In one precinct, for instance, he won 60 percent of the vote; however, Clinton had more votes in Nunda’s most dense precincts.
Overall, this township is 94% white.
Maps of the election tend to look similar be it county, state or the middle of the county; concentrations of residents from more populous, dense places turned out for Clinton, while people who voted for President-elect Trump tended to live in more spread out, sparsely populated areas.
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