Latinos in the 2016 Election: Illinois

This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters¹ and other major groups of eligible voters in Illinois.² All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2014 American Community Survey.³

Hispanics in Illinois’s Eligible Voter Population

• The Hispanic population in Illinois is the fifth largest in the nation. About 2.2 million Hispanics reside in Illinois, 4% of all Hispanics in the United States.
• Illinois’s population is 17% Hispanic, the 10th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
• There are 951,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois—the sixth largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.9 million.
• Some one-in-ten Illinois eligible voters are Hispanic, the 11th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
• Some 44% of Hispanics in Illinois are eligible to vote, ranking Illinois 28th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, more than three-quarters (79%) of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

• Age. About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois (35%) are ages 18 to 29, about the same as the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (33%) in that age range. By contrast, only 22% of all Illinois eligible voters and all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.
• Citizenship and Nativity. Among Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois, 28% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is greater than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., 10% of all eligible voters in Illinois and 9% of eligible voters in the U.S. overall.
• Hispanic Origin. Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois have a different Hispanic origin profile from Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. About seven-in-ten (73%) Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois are of Mexican origin, 15% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 12% claim other Hispanic origin. Among all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide, 59% are Mexican, 14% are Puerto Rican, and 27% are of some other Hispanic origin.
• Educational Attainment. About one-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Illinois (23%) have not completed high school, more than twice the 10% of all Illinois eligible voters who have not completed high school and about the same as the 22% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
• Homeownership. About two-thirds of Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois (63%) live in owner-occupied homes, greater than the 55% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Illinois (70%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Illinois, by Race and Ethnicity

• Number of Eligible Voters. White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois by 7 to 1, and there are 1.3 million black eligible voters in comparison to 951,000 Hispanic eligible voters. The number of Hispanic eligible voters is about triple the number of Asian eligible voters.
• Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than white, black and Asian eligible voters in Illinois. Some 35% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 26% of black eligible voters and 20% of Asian eligible voters.
• Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white, black and Asian eligible voters in Illinois. Some 23% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 7% of white eligible voters, 16% of black eligible voters and 8% of Asian eligible voters.
• Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters (63%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black eligible voters (43%) in Illinois, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (76%) or Asian (77%) eligible voters.