| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,767 | 6,400 | 8,264 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,017 | 6,120 | 8,236 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,967 | 4,930 | 7,153 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,905 | 3,833 | 6,863 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,600 | 3,818 | 7,580 | |
| 2004 | D | 4,485 | 3,261 | 7,793 | |
| 2000 | D | 4,205 | 2,387 | 6,681 | |
| 1996 | D | 3,675 | 1,892 | 6,020 | |
| 1992 | D | 3,875 | 1,641 | 6,135 | |
| 1988 | D | 3,037 | 2,132 | 5,188 | |
| 1984 | D | 3,668 | 2,249 | 5,933 | |
| 1980 | D | 3,974 | 1,897 | 5,966 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,021 | 1,338 | 5,413 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,973 | 2,263 | 4,338 | |
| 1968 | D | 1,391 | 866 | 4,352 | |
| 1964 | D | 3,230 | 916 | 4,146 | |
| 1960 | D | 2,592 | 1,126 | 3,766 | |
| 1956 | D | 2,841 | 713 | 3,566 | |
| 1952 | D | 2,670 | 898 | 3,569 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,327 | 355 | 2,240 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,327 | 367 | 1,701 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,717 | 377 | 2,097 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,279 | 297 | 1,579 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,455 | 231 | 1,703 | |
| 1928 | D | 771 | 441 | 1,218 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,005 | 216 | 1,258 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,534 | 674 | 2,231 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,148 | 452 | 1,617 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,283 | 343 | 1,845 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,301 | 679 | 1,994 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,209 | 539 | 1,786 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,561 | 614 | 2,237 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,604 | 465 | 2,085 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,178 | 243 | 1,822 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Humphreys County, anchored by Waverly on the Duck River, has shifted decisively in presidential voting over the past decade, posting a 56-point Republican margin in 2024 — one of the starker swings among mid-size Tennessee counties.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Humphreys County peaked at seventy-two points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2008 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of three points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Humphreys County's median household income of $60,616 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Grundy County and Lake County.