| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 9,049 | 17,296 | 26,572 | |
| 2020 | R | 9,633 | 16,437 | 26,315 | |
| 2016 | R | 8,764 | 14,543 | 23,938 | |
| 2012 | R | 9,435 | 13,977 | 23,620 | |
| 2008 | R | 9,454 | 13,460 | 23,010 | |
| 2004 | R | 7,025 | 12,432 | 19,522 | |
| 2000 | D | 10,531 | 6,634 | 17,313 | |
| 1996 | R | 6,172 | 8,154 | 15,215 | |
| 1992 | R | 6,445 | 7,337 | 15,980 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,352 | 8,190 | 13,570 | |
| 1984 | R | 5,987 | 9,284 | 15,304 | |
| 1980 | R | 6,024 | 6,773 | 13,037 | |
| 1976 | D | 5,728 | 4,677 | 10,467 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,901 | 6,915 | 9,928 | |
| 1968 | D | 3,232 | 2,669 | 11,587 | |
| 1964 | D | 6,090 | 3,595 | 9,685 | |
| 1960 | D | 6,039 | 2,694 | 8,733 | |
| 1956 | D | 5,730 | 2,277 | 8,007 | |
| 1952 | D | 5,429 | 2,404 | 7,833 | |
| 1948 | D | 4,675 | 1,055 | 6,030 | |
| 1944 | D | 4,706 | 1,133 | 5,839 | |
| 1940 | D | 5,528 | 936 | 6,464 | |
| 1936 | D | 6,133 | 964 | 7,097 | |
| 1932 | D | 5,552 | 839 | 6,431 | |
| 1928 | D | 3,533 | 2,521 | 6,054 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,048 | 1,502 | 4,643 | |
| 1920 | D | 3,522 | 2,266 | 5,788 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,957 | 1,274 | 3,232 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,605 | 295 | 2,509 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,828 | 1,304 | 3,163 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,803 | 867 | 2,670 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,316 | 1,799 | 4,115 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,513 | 2,207 | 4,743 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,865 | 1,612 | 3,561 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Beaufort County sits along the Pamlico River estuary in eastern North Carolina, where a largely rural, working-class white electorate has delivered Republican presidential candidates double-digit margins for more than two decades.
The Democratic margin in Beaufort County peaked at seventy-three points in 1932. By 2004 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Beaufort County's median household income of $58,357 sits well below state and national norms, and 18% 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 Harnett County and Onslow County.