| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 60 | 477 | 550 | |
| 2020 | R | 90 | 498 | 599 | |
| 2016 | R | 69 | 450 | 558 | |
| 2012 | R | 108 | 490 | 609 | |
| 2008 | R | 147 | 463 | 627 | |
| 2004 | R | 134 | 565 | 717 | |
| 2000 | D | 509 | 137 | 664 | |
| 1996 | R | 184 | 463 | 729 | |
| 1992 | R | 166 | 454 | 779 | |
| 1988 | R | 261 | 521 | 786 | |
| 1984 | R | 206 | 689 | 899 | |
| 1980 | R | 189 | 689 | 919 | |
| 1976 | R | 374 | 515 | 890 | |
| 1972 | R | 346 | 642 | 997 | |
| 1968 | R | 358 | 562 | 1,008 | |
| 1964 | D | 548 | 415 | 963 | |
| 1960 | R | 423 | 644 | 1,067 | |
| 1956 | R | 471 | 601 | 1,072 | |
| 1952 | R | 323 | 739 | 1,062 | |
| 1948 | R | 414 | 522 | 948 | |
| 1944 | R | 264 | 465 | 729 | |
| 1940 | R | 508 | 832 | 1,340 | |
| 1936 | D | 620 | 608 | 1,264 | |
| 1932 | D | 929 | 472 | 1,455 | |
| 1928 | R | 422 | 857 | 1,290 | |
| 1924 | R | 141 | 732 | 1,320 | |
| 1920 | R | 255 | 609 | 977 | |
| 1916 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1912 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Jones County's roughly 1,200 residents are spread across a vast stretch of the South Dakota plains, and its presidential margins have ranked among the widest of any county in recent cycles, reflecting both its rural isolation and its demographically homogeneous electorate.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Jones County peaked at fifty-six points in 2000; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of sixty points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Jones County's median household income of $65,119 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 18% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Douglas County and Harding County.