| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,146 | 6,949 | 9,248 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,612 | 7,313 | 10,071 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,462 | 6,855 | 9,874 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,819 | 5,507 | 9,549 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,701 | 5,086 | 9,995 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,770 | 5,589 | 10,425 | |
| 2000 | D | 4,862 | 4,802 | 9,942 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,347 | 3,237 | 9,921 | |
| 1992 | D | 6,009 | 3,105 | 11,086 | |
| 1988 | D | 5,167 | 4,576 | 9,781 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,584 | 5,852 | 10,472 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,337 | 5,888 | 10,610 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,976 | 5,286 | 11,395 | |
| 1972 | R | 4,084 | 6,968 | 11,064 | |
| 1968 | R | 4,449 | 5,384 | 10,983 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,639 | 4,287 | 10,926 | |
| 1960 | R | 4,958 | 6,708 | 11,672 | |
| 1956 | R | 4,901 | 6,513 | 11,414 | |
| 1952 | R | 5,340 | 6,580 | 11,923 | |
| 1948 | R | 5,043 | 5,109 | 10,226 | |
| 1944 | R | 4,677 | 6,236 | 10,946 | |
| 1940 | R | 6,539 | 7,243 | 13,837 | |
| 1936 | D | 7,043 | 5,482 | 12,768 | |
| 1932 | D | 7,400 | 3,778 | 11,502 | |
| 1928 | D | 5,029 | 4,636 | 9,766 | |
| 1924 | R | 3,007 | 3,693 | 9,289 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,478 | 4,598 | 7,864 | |
| 1916 | R | 4,445 | 4,796 | 9,625 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,107 | 1,341 | 4,732 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,482 | 2,392 | 5,170 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,466 | 2,451 | 4,655 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,321 | 2,336 | 4,841 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,370 | 2,342 | 4,822 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,980 | 1,840 | 4,169 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Perry County's shift from Democratic-leaning labor politics to a 51-point Republican presidential margin reflects a broader realignment in southern Illinois's post-coal communities over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Perry County peaked at thirty-one points in 1932. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Perry County's median household income of $62,118 sits well below state and national norms, and 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Saline County and Harrison County.