---
title: "Latinos in the 2014 Election: Illinois"
description: "This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters[1. Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote.] and other major groups of eligible voters […]"
date: "2014-10-16"
authors:
  - name: "Anna Brown"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/fact-sheet/latinos-in-the-2014-election-illinois/"
---

# Latinos in the 2014 Election: Illinois

This profile provides key demographic information on Latino eligible voters[1. Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote.] and other major groups of eligible voters in Illinois.[2. The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably. References to other races and ethnicities are to the non-Hispanic components of those populations.] All demographic data are based on Pew Research Center tabulations of the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2012 American Community Survey.[3. This statistical profile of eligible voters is based on the Census Bureau's 2012 [American Community Survey](http://www.census.gov/acs/www) (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this statistical profile come from the 2012 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series ([IPUMS](http://usa.ipums.org/usa/)), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population. Like any survey, estimates from the ACS are subject to sampling error and (potentially) measurement error. More information is available on [ACS sampling strategy](http://usa.ipums.org/usa/design.shtml) and [associated error](http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/pums/Accuracy/2012AccuracyPUMS.pdf).]

### Hispanics in Illinois’s Eligible Voter Population

[![Population and Electorate in the United States and Illinois, 2012](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/PH-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-IL-01.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-illinois/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-il-01/)

- The Hispanic population in Illinois is the fifth largest in the nation. About 2.1 million Hispanics reside in Illinois, 4% of all Hispanics in the United States.
- Illinois’s population is 16% Hispanic, the 10th largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally.
- There are 846,000 Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois—the sixth largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter population nationally. California ranks first with 6.4 million.
- Some one-in-ten Illinois eligible voters (9%) are Hispanic, the 11th largest Hispanic statewide eligible voter share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 40%.
- Some 40% of Hispanics in Illinois are eligible to vote, ranking Illinois 29th nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. By contrast, more than three-quarters (78%) of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

### Characteristics of Eligible Voters

[![Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Illinois and the United States, 2012](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/PH-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-IL-02.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-illinois/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-il-02/)

- **Age. **About one-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois (34%) 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, 29% are naturalized U.S. citizens. This is greater than the 25% of Hispanic eligible voters in the U.S., 9% of all eligible voters in Illinois and 8% 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 (71%) Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois are of Mexican origin, 15% are of Puerto Rican origin, and 13% 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 (24%) 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 23% of Hispanics nationwide who have not completed high school.
- **Homeownership.** About two-thirds of Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois (65%) live in owner-occupied homes, greater than the 56% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Greater shares of all eligible voters in Illinois (71%) and eligible voters nationwide (67%) live in owner-occupied homes.

### Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Illinois, by Race and Ethnicity

[![Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Illinois and the United States, by Race and Ethnicity, 2012](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2014/10/PH-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-IL-03.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/fact-sheets/2014-state-election-fact-sheets/latinos-in-the-2014-election-illinois/ph-2014-10-election-fact-sheet-il-03/)

- **Number of Eligible Voters.** White eligible voters outnumber Hispanic eligible voters in Illinois by more than 7 to 1, and black eligible voters outnumber Hispanics by almost 2 to 1. 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 34% of Latinos are ages 18 to 29, compared with 19% of white eligible voters, 26% of black eligible voters and 19% 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 24% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained a high school diploma, compared with 7% of white eligible voters, 17% of black eligible voters and 7% of Asian eligible voters.
- **Homeownership.** Hispanic eligible voters (65%) are more likely to live in owner-occupied homes than black eligible voters (44%) in Illinois, but are less likely to live in owner-occupied homes than white (77%) or Asian (75%) eligible voters.