Watford City, North Dakota
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 2004 | −53.0% |
| 2008 | −45.7% |
| 2012 | −43.5% |
| 2016 | −68.8% |
| 2020 | −73.5% |
| 2024 | −74.5% |
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Other | Margin | Swing | vs U.S. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 12.0%Harris244 | 86.5%Trump1,756 | 1.5% | R+74.5 | R+1.0 | R+73.0 | 2,030 | |
| R | 11.7%Biden222 | 85.2%Trump1,611 | 3.1% | R+73.5 | R+4.7 | R+77.9 | 1,891 | |
| R | 12.2%Clinton177 | 81.0%Trump1,175 | 6.8% | R+68.8 | R+25.3 | R+70.9 | 1,451 | |
| R | 27.1%Obama400 | 70.6%Romney1,041 | 2.2% | R+43.5 | D+2.2 | R+47.3 | 1,474 | |
| R | 26.1%Obama263 | 71.8%McCain724 | 2.2% | R+45.7 | D+7.3 | R+53.0 | 1,009 | |
| R | 23.3%Kerry242 | 76.4%Bush792 | 0.3% | R+53.0 | — | R+50.6 | 1,037 |
Watford City's population surged roughly tenfold after the Bakken shale boom reshaped McKenzie County, bringing a transient workforce that complicates voter registration patterns and turnout modeling in an otherwise reliably Republican corner of North Dakota.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 74.5 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 74.5 points.
A population of 6,039, a 68% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $102,260 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Payette and Winnemucca.
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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Watford City, North Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/city/3883860/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.