| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,341 | 3,534 | 4,956 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,413 | 3,553 | 5,092 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,283 | 3,277 | 4,868 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,723 | 3,017 | 4,867 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,036 | 2,708 | 4,855 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,972 | 2,915 | 4,921 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,944 | 2,414 | 4,512 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,014 | 1,545 | 4,203 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,085 | 1,253 | 4,443 | |
| 1988 | D | 2,446 | 1,865 | 4,322 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,014 | 2,360 | 4,374 | |
| 1980 | D | 2,243 | 2,179 | 4,554 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,769 | 1,690 | 4,494 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,041 | 2,613 | 4,654 | |
| 1968 | D | 2,333 | 1,825 | 4,665 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,507 | 1,339 | 4,846 | |
| 1960 | D | 3,302 | 2,075 | 5,377 | |
| 1956 | D | 3,542 | 2,177 | 5,719 | |
| 1952 | D | 3,635 | 2,340 | 5,982 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,143 | 1,538 | 5,693 | |
| 1944 | D | 3,958 | 1,951 | 5,918 | |
| 1940 | D | 4,770 | 2,333 | 7,123 | |
| 1936 | D | 5,326 | 1,745 | 7,092 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,354 | 1,337 | 6,737 | |
| 1928 | D | 4,452 | 2,254 | 6,720 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,759 | 1,873 | 6,860 | |
| 1920 | D | 4,735 | 2,125 | 6,888 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,866 | 1,121 | 4,023 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,672 | 896 | 3,791 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,884 | 1,141 | 4,053 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,674 | 1,199 | 3,929 | |
| 1900 | D | 3,134 | 1,295 | 4,505 | |
| 1896 | D | 3,317 | 1,353 | 4,698 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,570 | 1,052 | 3,751 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Howard County's roughly 10,000 residents are concentrated in small towns along the Missouri River, and its presidential margins have shifted sharply rightward since 2012, reflecting a rural realignment common across central Missouri.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Howard County peaked at sixty points in 1932; 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 ten points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Howard County's median household income of $65,938 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 12% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Monroe County and Lewis County.