| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,213 | 5,147 | 6,477 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,284 | 5,226 | 6,741 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,480 | 4,608 | 6,245 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,722 | 4,042 | 5,974 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,003 | 3,808 | 6,036 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,913 | 3,678 | 6,659 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,062 | 3,223 | 6,479 | |
| 1996 | D | 3,749 | 2,111 | 6,644 | |
| 1992 | D | 4,165 | 2,506 | 7,643 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,763 | 3,535 | 6,331 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,679 | 4,051 | 6,802 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,702 | 3,187 | 7,137 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,785 | 1,932 | 7,717 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,669 | 3,310 | 4,979 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,513 | 1,819 | 5,281 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,407 | 1,527 | 4,948 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,008 | 1,303 | 3,433 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,008 | 1,381 | 3,393 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,884 | 1,243 | 3,144 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,866 | 408 | 2,421 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,642 | 489 | 2,132 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,236 | 224 | 2,467 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,382 | 318 | 2,700 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,010 | 272 | 2,290 | |
| 1928 | D | 2,086 | 802 | 2,901 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,314 | 334 | 1,744 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,925 | 1,042 | 3,046 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,099 | 781 | 2,880 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,401 | 436 | 2,538 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,743 | 1,040 | 2,997 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,079 | 913 | 2,060 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,554 | 798 | 2,366 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,261 | 812 | 3,085 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,761 | 600 | 2,510 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Yell County, anchored by the Arkansas River Valley, recorded a 60-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the deep-red realignment that has reshaped rural Arkansas over the past two decades.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Yell County peaked at eighty-two points in 1940; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of two points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Yell County's median household income of $55,934 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Van Buren County and Johnson County.
