Illinois's 2nd Congressional District (since 2023)

Illinois's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. It stretches south from Chicago's Kenwood community area through portions of the city's South Side and southern suburbs, extending into several more rural counties outside of Chicagoland. Nearly two-thirds of its residents live in densely-populated Cook County.

The 2nd district is nearly 50% Black and has voted reliably Democratic for decades. All four of its representatives since 1980 have been Black. The seat is currently represented by Democrat Robin Kelly, who announced in 2025 that she would pursue a Senate campaign in lieu of reelection.

In recent years, this district has been the site of multiple congressional scandals. Rep. Gus Savage lost his primary in 1992 after making antisemitic statements, and his two successors — Mel Reynolds and Jesse Jackson Jr. — resigned from office amid legal battles pertaining to sexual assault and campaign finance violations, respectively.

Composition

By county

Cities and CDP with 10,000 or more people

* Chicago – 2,665,039
* Calumet City – 36,033
* Danville – 29,204
* Lansing – 29,076
* Chicago Heights – 27,480
* Kankakee – 24,052
* Blue Island – 22,558
* Park Forest – 21,687
* South Holland – 21,465
* Dolton – 21,426
* Harvey – 20,324
* Frankfort – 20,296
* Matteson – 19,073
* Bourbonnais – 18,164
* Country Club Hills – 16,775
* Bradley – 15,419
* Hazel Crest – 13,382
* Richton Park – 12,775
* Rantoul – 12,371
* Markham – 11,661
* Pontiac – 11,150
* Riverdale – 10,663

2,500 to 10,000 people

* Sauk Village – 9,921
* Flossmoor – 9,704
* Steger – 9,584
* Lynwood – 9,116
* Glenwood – 8,662
* Crete – 8,465
* University Park – 7,145
* Monee – 5,128
* Hoopeston – 4,915
* Olympia Fields – 4,718
* Beecher – 4,713
* Watseka – 4,679
* Paxton – 4,450
* Peotone – 4,150
* Burnham – 4,046
* Dwight – 4,032
* South Chicago Heights – 4,026
* Fairbury – 3,633
* Gibson City – 3,475
* Westville – 3,167
* Momence – 3,117
* Dixmoor – 2,973
* Tilton – 2,660

Following the 2020 redistricting, the district will still encompass the south suburbs of Chicago, eastern Will County, most of Kankakee County, and Chicago's far southeast side. Additionally, it now takes in Iroquois County; most of Ford and Vermilion; eastern Livingston County including half of Pontiac; and the portion of Champaign County north of County Road 3000 N.

The 2nd district takes in the Chicago neighborhoods of Hegewisch and Riverdale; most of South Deering and Pullman; the coastal portion of Kenwood; the eastern part of Woodlawn and Hyde Park taking up Jackson Park; the portion of South Shore east of East 71st Street and South Yates Blvd (including Rainbow Beach Park); and part of Roseland.

Outside of the Chicago city limits, the district takes in the Cook County communities of Dolton, South Holland, Chicago Heights, Sauk Village, Park Forest (shared with Will County), Lansing, Burnham, Calumet City, Phoenix, Hazel Crest, East Hazel Crest, Thornton, Flossmoor, Glenwood, Olympia Fields, Ford Heights, Lynwood, Richton Park, South Chicago Heights, and Steger (shared with Will County); part of Blue Island; part of Riverdale; part of Dixmoor; part of Markham; part of Frankfort (shared with Will County); most of Harvey; most of Country Club Hills; and most of Matteson.

Will County is split between this district and the 1st district. They are partitioned by South Harlem Ave, West Peotone Rd, North Peotone Rd, West Kennedy Rd, Rock Creek, and South Center Rd. The 2nd district takes in the communities of Peotone, Beecher, Crete, Steger (shared with Cook County), Park Forest (shared with Cook County), Monee, University Park, Goodenow, Plum Valley, Willowbrook, Eagle Lake, and part of Frankfort (shared with Cook County)

Kankakee County is split between this district and the 1st district. They are partitioned by North 5000E Rd, East 6000N Rd, Cardinal Drive, Durham St, East Armour Rd, East Marsile St, Bisallion Ave, and the Kankakee River. The 2nd district takes in the communities of Kankakee, Momence, Aroma Park, Grant Park, Herscher, Hopkins Park, St. Anne, Sun River Terrace, Sammons Point, Chebanse (shared with Iroquois County), Irwin, Limestone, Bonfield, Essex, Reddick, Union Hill, Buckingham, Cabery (shared with Ford County); most of Bradley; and half of Bourbonnais.

Vermilion County is split between this district and the 15th district. They are partitioned by Twin Hills Rd, 1730 East, 1295 North, 1700 East, 1200 North, 1670 Rd East, 1050 North, Highway 150, Westville Ln, 1100 North, 800 East, 1200 North, and Lincoln Trail Rd. The 2nd district takes in the communities of Danville, Tilton, Bismarck, Hoopeston, Rankin, East Lynn, Rossville, Potomac, Henning, Alvin, Fithian, Muncie, Oakwood, Catlin, Westville, and Belgium.

Ford County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned by E 900N Rd, N Melvin St, E 8th St, and N 500E Rd. The 2nd district takes in the municipalities of Paxton, Cabery (shared with Kankakee County), Elliott, Kempton, Piper City, Roberts, Sibley, Melvin, Roberts; and part of Gibson City.

Livingston County is split between this district and the 16th district. They are partitioned by N 1800 Rd East, E 1550 Rd North, N 1600 Rd East, E 1500 Rd North, N 1500 Rd East, W Reynolds St, Highway 55, The Slough, E 1830 Rd North, Old IL-66 South, N 1700 Rd East, N 2125 Rd North, and N 1800 Rd East. The 2nd district takes in the municipalities of Fairbury, Chatsworth, Strawn, Forrest, Saunemin, Cullom, Odell, Emington, Campus; most of Dwight; and half of Pontiac.

Champaign County is split between this district, the 13th district, and the 15th district. They are partitioned by County Road 3000 N, County Road 1200 E, East Chandler St, and County Road 2000 E. The 2nd district takes in the municipalities of Rantoul, Dewey, Ludlow, and Foosland; most of Fisher; and part of Gifford.

Demographics

The southeast side of Chicago was for many decades the home of numerous Eastern European and Irish immigrants who sought the industrial work of the steel mills and railroad companies which were then dominant in the area. However, as local industry declined in the 1950s and 1960s, these groups were increasingly displaced by African Americans who were gradually migrating southward from other parts of the city. Whereas barely 20% of district residents were black in the 1960s, this figure increased to 70% by the 1980s, and by the 1990s the racial demographics of the 1st and 2nd congressional districts were very similar. At the same time, decreasing population in the district required expanding its borders into the suburbs, and it is now nearly three times the size it was in the 1980s, when it covered only .

Following redistricting for the 2000s (decade), 59% of the 2nd congressional district's population resides in the suburbs, with a total of 98.4% living in Cook County. The district's white population (almost 30% of its residents) now primarily resides in the southern suburbs and a few far southeastern Chicago neighborhoods such as East Side and Hegewisch.

Several suburbs closer to Chicago near Interstate 57 have black populations exceeding 75%: Calumet Park, Country Club Hills, Dolton, Harvey, Hazel Crest, Markham, Matteson, Phoenix, Richton Park, Riverdale, and University Park. In contrast, there are five suburbs further southeast with white populations exceeding 75% – Homewood, Lansing, South Chicago Heights, Steger and Thornton – although they surround Ford Heights,
with a population of only about 2800 the district's most racially one-sided population (96% black). Chicago Heights features the most even racial mix, with a population that is 45% white and 38% black. The district's largest white ethnic groups are German (5.8%), Irish (4.4%), Polish (4.4%) and Italian (3.1%), similar to other districts in southern Cook County.

Hispanics represent 10% of the district's population, with sizable communities in East Side and Chicago Heights. Chicago's South Shore neighborhood was the longtime home to a Jewish community which has since migrated to suburbs such as Homewood and Flossmoo

South Shore is now primarily a middle-class black community and is also home to a notable minority of African American Muslims, Black Muslims including the national headquarters of the Nation of Islam, Mosque Maryam

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