| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,174 | 4,092 | 5,369 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,367 | 4,041 | 5,505 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,272 | 3,513 | 4,957 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,620 | 2,766 | 4,481 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,065 | 2,837 | 4,972 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,249 | 2,687 | 4,960 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,008 | 2,258 | 4,362 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,156 | 1,526 | 4,239 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,323 | 1,809 | 5,041 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,113 | 2,128 | 4,258 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,575 | 2,269 | 3,857 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,006 | 1,716 | 3,767 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,859 | 1,148 | 3,029 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,230 | 1,766 | 3,024 | |
| 1968 | R | 934 | 1,157 | 2,718 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,622 | 993 | 2,625 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,122 | 1,508 | 2,630 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,343 | 1,339 | 2,685 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,218 | 992 | 2,213 | |
| 1948 | D | 975 | 719 | 1,713 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,023 | 902 | 1,931 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,266 | 989 | 2,270 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,185 | 998 | 2,197 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,300 | 826 | 2,135 | |
| 1928 | R | 732 | 1,160 | 1,892 | |
| 1924 | D | 939 | 724 | 1,689 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,038 | 835 | 1,884 | |
| 1916 | D | 757 | 587 | 1,344 | |
| 1912 | D | 647 | 381 | 1,197 | |
| 1908 | D | 739 | 699 | 1,464 | |
| 1904 | D | 738 | 647 | 1,413 | |
| 1900 | D | 788 | 696 | 1,499 | |
| 1896 | D | 688 | 625 | 1,341 | |
| 1892 | D | 580 | 446 | 1,062 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Powell County, nestled in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest, recorded a 54-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the deep partisan realignment that has reshaped rural Appalachian Kentucky over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Powell County peaked at twenty-four points in 1964. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-four points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Powell County's median household income of $40,309 sits well below state and national norms, and 23% 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 Dunklin County and Mason County.