| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,585 | 3,690 | 5,373 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,556 | 3,583 | 5,240 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,373 | 3,091 | 4,839 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,946 | 2,810 | 4,846 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,079 | 2,775 | 4,975 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,000 | 3,111 | 5,191 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,081 | 2,772 | 5,010 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,142 | 2,169 | 4,904 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,006 | 2,065 | 5,338 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,435 | 2,737 | 5,215 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,188 | 2,971 | 5,196 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,089 | 3,164 | 5,713 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,769 | 2,892 | 5,739 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,089 | 3,470 | 5,612 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,084 | 3,056 | 5,374 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,896 | 2,389 | 5,287 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,823 | 3,469 | 5,297 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,591 | 3,267 | 4,862 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,286 | 3,774 | 5,067 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,134 | 2,035 | 4,234 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,649 | 2,584 | 4,260 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,983 | 2,944 | 4,951 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,910 | 1,752 | 4,838 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,695 | 1,452 | 4,201 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,607 | 2,433 | 4,053 | |
| 1924 | R | 261 | 2,065 | 3,973 | |
| 1920 | R | 442 | 3,121 | 3,692 | |
| 1916 | R | 705 | 1,196 | 2,004 | |
| 1912 | D | 466 | 463 | 1,810 | |
| 1908 | R | 525 | 1,234 | 1,836 | |
| 1904 | R | 241 | 1,243 | 1,571 | |
| 1900 | R | 573 | 1,234 | 1,893 | |
| 1896 | R | 765 | 1,209 | 2,020 | |
| 1892 | D | 940 | 383 | 1,576 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Rock County, tucked into Minnesota's southwestern tip along the South Dakota border, has backed Republican presidential candidates by growing margins over the past decade, reflecting the broader rural realignment across the Upper Midwest's agricultural heartland.
The Democratic margin in Rock County peaked at thirty-five points in 1892. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-nine points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Rock County's median household income of $71,295 sits well below state and national norms, and 11% 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 Pipestone County and Scott County.