| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,073 | 15,733 | 18,968 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,218 | 15,181 | 18,676 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,881 | 13,893 | 17,455 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,395 | 11,544 | 16,346 | |
| 2008 | R | 5,736 | 10,982 | 17,029 | |
| 2004 | R | 5,118 | 11,097 | 16,379 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,641 | 9,018 | 14,075 | |
| 1996 | R | 5,261 | 5,991 | 13,524 | |
| 1992 | D | 5,492 | 5,360 | 13,537 | |
| 1988 | R | 4,324 | 7,277 | 11,645 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,767 | 8,204 | 11,971 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,472 | 7,149 | 11,903 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,265 | 4,692 | 10,035 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,795 | 7,253 | 10,048 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,763 | 5,631 | 9,838 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,968 | 4,632 | 9,600 | |
| 1960 | R | 2,734 | 7,095 | 9,829 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,066 | 5,473 | 8,539 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,349 | 6,608 | 9,983 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,599 | 4,427 | 8,060 | |
| 1944 | R | 3,020 | 5,151 | 8,185 | |
| 1940 | R | 4,218 | 6,158 | 10,397 | |
| 1936 | R | 4,725 | 5,297 | 10,064 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,775 | 3,660 | 8,540 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,543 | 4,869 | 7,461 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,681 | 3,130 | 6,493 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,323 | 4,344 | 6,869 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,861 | 2,132 | 4,245 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,565 | 1,465 | 4,294 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,827 | 2,164 | 4,236 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,605 | 2,089 | 3,913 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,975 | 2,059 | 4,216 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,373 | 1,892 | 4,298 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,642 | 1,484 | 3,539 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Howell County, anchored by West Plains in the southern Missouri Ozarks, delivered a 66-point Republican presidential margin in 2024 — a figure consistent with the region's long shift toward lopsided GOP alignment over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Howell County peaked at thirteen points in 1932. By 1996 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was sixty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Howell County's median household income of $50,993 sits well below state and national norms, and 20% 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 Cedar County and Venango County.