Of the 100 counties most defined by poverty rate, 54 voted Republican and 46 Democratic in 2024 — a median of R+4.2, and as a group they shifted −5.9 points toward Republicans from 2020 to 2024.

Median 2024 margin

R+4.2

top 100 counties

2024 split

54 R · 46 D

of the top counties

Shift since 2020

−5.9 pts

toward R

Link to the vote

r = −0.01

weak · R

Median income

$39,345

14% college

Does poverty rate move the vote?

Every U.S. county, plotted by how much of the community lives there against its 2024 presidential margin — the demographic dial on one axis, the political one on the other.

how poverty rate tracks the vote

Across every county, poverty rate barely moves the vote either way — little relationship (r = −0.01).

Median 2024 presidential margin by Poverty rate share, across every county.
Poverty rate range	Counties	Median margin
5.4% – 6.9%	161	R+24.1
6.9% – 8.4%	214	R+30.2
8.4% – 10.0%	294	R+37.9
10.0% – 11.5%	302	R+34.1
11.5% – 13.0%	372	R+39.3
13.0% – 14.5%	302	R+40.4
14.5% – 16.1%	247	R+43.9
16.1% – 17.6%	242	R+50.2
17.6% – 19.1%	188	R+44.5
19.1% – 20.6%	131	R+43.2
20.6% – 22.2%	111	R+38.8
22.2% – 23.7%	78	R+37.4
23.7% – 25.2%	58	R+38.2
25.2% – 26.8%	27	R+26.8
26.8% – 28.3%	24	R+18.5
28.3% – 29.8%	74	D+0.6

Where poverty rate concentrates

Every county shaded by poverty rate — deep where the community clusters, pale at the other end. Counties below 5,000 population are suppressed.

5.4%Poverty rate29.8%+

The leaderboard

Ranked most to least by poverty rate. Filter by region or state, switch the column lens, cap the list, and sort on any figure.

Show

Region

State

Columns

Top

100 of 150 counties shown. Sorted by metric. Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-year · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) · MIT Election Lab.
#
1	Oglala Lakota County, SD	57.6%	D D+70.6	−8.6	3,062
2	Todd County, SD	48.4%	D D+50.5	−5.9	2,126
3	Dimmit County, TX	41.1%	D D+3.3	−20.7	3,427
4	Greene County, AL	40.1%	D D+55.7	−7.4	4,039
5	Lee County, AR	39.4%	D D+3.5	−1.3	2,520
6	McCreary County, KY	38.9%	R R+78.7	−2.0	6,212
7	Zapata County, TX	38.4%	R R+22.4	−17.1	4,871
8	Magoffin County, KY	38.2%	R R+64.1	−9.7	5,274
9	Wolfe County, KY	37.7%	R R+50.6	−8.3	2,915
10	Knox County, KY	36.9%	R R+71.1	−4.1	13,156
11	Holmes County, MS	36.4%	D D+62.1	−2.2	6,730
12	Coahoma County, MS	35.5%	D D+39.8	−3.1	6,790
13	East Carroll Parish, LA	35.2%	D D+17.6	−9.4	2,306
14	Madison Parish, LA	34.5%	D D+6.2	−9.3	3,992
15	McDowell County, WV	34.2%	R R+60.4	−1.9	5,425
16	Zavala County, TX	33.9%	D D+14.4	−17.0	3,492
17	Starr County, TX	33.5%	R R+16.0	−21.0	16,421
18	Bullock County, AL	33.3%	D D+45.8	−4.1	4,111
19	Terrell County, GA	33.3%	D D+4.1	−4.3	4,341
20	Duval County, TX	33.3%	R R+9.8	−12.4	4,461
21	Martin County, KY	33.2%	R R+83.6	−4.9	3,655
22	McKinley County, NM	33.2%	D D+24.5	−14.1	25,867
23	Socorro County, NM	33.2%	R R+3.7	−10.2	7,233
24	Breathitt County, KY	33.1%	R R+59.3	−7.0	5,113
25	Dewey County, SD	33.0%	D D+12.8	−4.6	1,871
26	Calhoun County, WV	32.9%	R R+64.8	−4.4	2,936
27	Wheeler County, GA	32.7%	R R+45.1	−6.0	2,276
28	Bolivar County, MS	32.6%	D D+23.7	−7.1	10,435
29	Jefferson County, MS	32.5%	D D+66.3	−5.3	3,299
30	Kusilvak Census Area, AK	32.4%	D D+15.6	−18.4	1,566
31	Clay County, KY	32.4%	R R+80.3	−3.3	7,517
32	St. Helena Parish, LA	32.4%	D D+0.8	−9.5	5,745
33	Mingo County, WV	32.4%	R R+73.8	−2.5	8,490
34	Hancock County, TN	32.2%	R R+76.5	+0.8	2,908
35	Lake County, TN	32.2%	R R+54.9	−7.4	1,939
36	Taylor County, GA	32.1%	R R+31.0	−4.1	3,982
37	Claiborne Parish, LA	32.0%	R R+22.1	−6.3	5,816
38	Presidio County, TX	32.0%	D D+30.2	−3.2	1,994
39	Concordia Parish, LA	31.8%	R R+29.3	−2.5	7,755
40	Leflore County, MS	31.5%	D D+38.4	−3.0	9,421
41	Perry County, AL	31.4%	D D+42.7	−5.5	4,465
42	Lincoln Parish, LA	31.2%	R R+25.5	−6.0	18,157
43	Tunica County, MS	31.1%	D D+38.9	−10.3	2,668
44	Glacier County, MT	31.1%	D D+19.6	−11.2	5,078
45	Galax city, VA	31.1%	R R+43.8	−3.6	2,721
46	Dallas County, AL	31.0%	D D+32.5	−5.1	15,547
47	Yazoo County, MS	30.8%	R R+2.4	−8.8	8,971
48	Claiborne County, MS	30.7%	D D+67.6	−3.7	3,541
49	Hancock County, GA	30.6%	D D+35.4	−8.5	4,240
50	Apache County, AZ	30.5%	D D+19.0	−14.6	32,019
51	Roosevelt County, MT	30.4%	R R+9.6	−7.4	3,914
52	Leslie County, KY	30.3%	R R+80.9	−0.4	4,357
53	Swisher County, TX	30.1%	R R+63.4	−5.4	2,265
54	Randolph County, GA	30.0%	D D+7.6	−1.5	2,990
55	Marion County, SC	30.0%	D D+10.5	−11.0	13,388
56	Lowndes County, AL	29.9%	D D+37.3	−8.6	5,655
57	Caldwell Parish, LA	29.8%	R R+72.5	−4.7	4,334
58	Quitman County, MS	29.6%	D D+30.7	−4.1	2,677
59	Pemiscot County, MO	29.6%	R R+49.1	−4.4	5,270
60	Union Parish, LA	29.4%	R R+57.0	−5.6	10,475
61	Phillips County, AR	29.3%	D D+13.3	−6.0	4,938
62	Morehouse Parish, LA	29.3%	R R+19.3	−5.8	10,097
63	Bienville Parish, LA	29.2%	R R+18.0	−6.4	6,256
64	Sunflower County, MS	28.9%	D D+35.5	−5.6	7,876
65	Bell County, KY	28.8%	R R+68.7	−5.4	9,340
66	Lee County, VA	28.8%	R R+72.0	−2.8	10,122
67	Jefferson Davis County, MS	28.7%	D D+13.7	−3.4	5,378
68	Radford city, VA	28.7%	D D+0.5	−8.5	6,583
69	Luna County, NM	28.6%	R R+18.9	−8.5	8,056
70	St. Francis County, AR	28.5%	D D+0.7	−4.4	5,979
71	Marlboro County, SC	28.5%	D D+2.4	−8.5	10,152
72	Bent County, CO	28.4%	R R+38.9	−5.0	2,189
73	Cibola County, NM	28.4%	D D+1.5	−7.1	8,977
74	Desha County, AR	28.3%	R R+4.8	−7.0	3,505
75	Wilcox County, AL	28.2%	D D+31.5	−6.1	5,263
76	Allendale County, SC	28.2%	D D+44.7	−7.7	3,023
77	Kleberg County, TX	28.1%	R R+12.7	−11.0	10,014
78	Floyd County, KY	28.0%	R R+59.2	−8.0	15,652
79	Gadsden County, FL	27.9%	D D+30.7	−5.9	21,868
80	Conecuh County, AL	27.8%	R R+13.9	−6.5	6,051
81	Avoyelles Parish, LA	27.8%	R R+43.1	−2.4	16,037
82	Bronx County, NY	27.8%	D D+45.1	−22.5	362,890
83	Dillon County, SC	27.7%	R R+10.8	−9.7	11,861
84	Amite County, MS	27.6%	R R+32.8	−6.7	6,815
85	Metcalfe County, KY	27.5%	R R+64.6	−5.1	5,127
86	Harlan County, KY	27.4%	R R+76.1	−4.4	10,388
87	Lee County, KY	27.4%	R R+67.7	−3.7	2,690
88	Wilkinson County, MS	27.4%	D D+25.3	−9.2	2,931
89	Robeson County, NC	27.2%	R R+27.6	−9.0	46,770
90	Pike County, MS	27.1%	R R+3.5	−4.5	15,485
91	Quay County, NM	27.1%	R R+40.9	−3.1	3,704
92	San Augustine County, TX	27.1%	R R+56.3	−5.6	3,747
93	Adams County, MS	27.0%	D D+13.9	−2.2	11,928
94	Humphreys County, MS	27.0%	D D+41.9	−3.4	3,468
95	Menifee County, KY	26.9%	R R+57.7	−7.3	3,294
96	Winston County, MS	26.9%	R R+18.2	−6.6	8,384
97	Perry County, KY	26.8%	R R+59.5	−5.2	9,992
98	St. Landry Parish, LA	26.8%	R R+18.8	−4.7	37,043
99	Hidalgo County, TX	26.7%	R R+2.9	−19.9	217,265
100	Sumter County, AL	26.5%	D D+41.1	−7.3	5,307

Source. Demographics — U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year (ancestry B04006, language C16001, income B19013/B19001, education S1501, poverty S1701); adherence — 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB); density — Census TIGER land area · counties and cities ≥ 5,000 population, ranked by poverty rate; the medians are taken across the 100 top counties; the correlation is over all 2,825 eligible counties. Presidential results are two-party margins (MIT Election Lab); city results are precinct-derived for 2008–2024. A place can be demographically homogeneous and politically split — which is exactly what these tables are built to show. Real returns — nothing estimated.