| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 30,829 | 53,932 | 86,631 | |
| 2020 | R | 31,879 | 50,959 | 84,835 | |
| 2016 | R | 25,576 | 47,617 | 79,592 | |
| 2012 | R | 33,551 | 43,015 | 78,477 | |
| 2008 | R | 35,690 | 41,194 | 78,756 | |
| 2004 | R | 32,659 | 41,726 | 75,577 | |
| 2000 | R | 24,800 | 32,402 | 62,476 | |
| 1996 | D | 24,238 | 21,474 | 55,045 | |
| 1992 | R | 21,451 | 22,502 | 59,340 | |
| 1988 | R | 23,798 | 27,529 | 52,093 | |
| 1984 | R | 20,944 | 30,216 | 51,645 | |
| 1980 | R | 21,862 | 24,888 | 51,522 | |
| 1976 | D | 25,027 | 19,574 | 47,821 | |
| 1972 | D | 19,315 | 18,951 | 41,400 | |
| 1968 | D | 15,990 | 15,422 | 33,580 | |
| 1964 | D | 19,063 | 13,009 | 32,166 | |
| 1960 | D | 19,026 | 13,522 | 32,581 | |
| 1956 | R | 9,829 | 17,364 | 27,257 | |
| 1952 | R | 9,907 | 18,267 | 28,213 | |
| 1948 | D | 15,261 | 10,153 | 25,706 | |
| 1944 | R | 8,647 | 13,298 | 22,029 | |
| 1940 | R | 9,305 | 16,027 | 25,434 | |
| 1936 | D | 12,760 | 5,262 | 22,580 | |
| 1932 | D | 18,293 | 4,499 | 23,050 | |
| 1928 | D | 16,104 | 6,459 | 22,615 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,354 | 6,469 | 17,314 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,616 | 13,566 | 15,714 | |
| 1916 | R | 3,350 | 4,312 | 7,921 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,317 | 1,134 | 6,434 | |
| 1908 | D | 3,835 | 2,614 | 6,745 | |
| 1904 | R | 2,625 | 2,849 | 5,649 | |
| 1900 | D | 4,244 | 2,460 | 6,920 | |
| 1896 | D | 4,911 | 2,873 | 7,967 | |
| 1892 | R | 1,624 | 4,461 | 6,859 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Stearns County, anchored by St. Cloud, combines a substantial Catholic German-heritage rural base with a mid-sized urban core, producing Republican presidential margins that have widened consistently over the past three election cycles.
The Republican margin in Stearns County reached its widest at seventy-six points in 1920. The margin in 2024 was twenty-seven points, in line with the county's deep historical pattern.
Stearns County's loyalty is rooted in its place. Median household income of $77,066, a 82% non-Hispanic-white share, and a population of 160,865 together describe a community whose political habits are deeply settled. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Crow Wing County and Lake of the Woods County.
