| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,421 | 10,887 | 14,672 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,285 | 9,875 | 13,670 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,223 | 8,441 | 11,621 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,928 | 7,566 | 10,817 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,751 | 7,515 | 11,606 | |
| 2004 | R | 2,941 | 8,347 | 11,504 | |
| 2000 | D | 6,870 | 2,267 | 9,366 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,960 | 4,984 | 9,176 | |
| 1992 | R | 2,694 | 4,724 | 10,075 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,212 | 5,189 | 8,473 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,093 | 5,908 | 8,041 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,721 | 5,349 | 7,541 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,478 | 3,096 | 5,690 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,633 | 3,416 | 5,080 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,522 | 2,392 | 4,257 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,323 | 2,140 | 4,463 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,923 | 2,644 | 4,567 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,658 | 2,467 | 4,125 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,334 | 3,109 | 4,443 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,681 | 2,053 | 3,769 | |
| 1944 | R | 1,164 | 1,912 | 3,076 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,931 | 2,560 | 4,491 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,304 | 2,064 | 4,616 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,687 | 1,735 | 4,608 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,441 | 2,845 | 4,308 | |
| 1924 | R | 786 | 2,006 | 3,493 | |
| 1920 | R | 894 | 1,894 | 3,245 | |
| 1916 | R | 858 | 1,224 | 2,243 | |
| 1912 | D | 975 | 0 | 2,230 | |
| 1908 | R | 792 | 953 | 1,860 | |
| 1904 | R | 268 | 754 | 1,146 | |
| 1900 | D | 565 | 550 | 1,125 | |
| 1896 | D | 807 | 562 | 1,373 | |
| 1892 | R | 128 | 427 | 1,168 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Meade County, home to Ellsworth Air Force Base and vast ranch lands west of the Missouri River, has delivered Republican presidential margins above 50 points for multiple cycles, reflecting a heavily rural, military-adjacent electorate with little urban counterweight.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Meade County peaked at forty-nine 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 forty-seven points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Meade County's median household income of $74,790 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Butte County and Custer County.