| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 2,305 | 8,981 | 11,422 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,642 | 8,775 | 11,586 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,276 | 7,587 | 10,278 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,383 | 5,279 | 8,908 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,316 | 5,252 | 9,813 | |
| 2004 | D | 5,577 | 5,422 | 11,117 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,182 | 4,617 | 8,959 | |
| 1996 | D | 3,728 | 3,240 | 7,771 | |
| 1992 | D | 4,224 | 3,305 | 8,560 | |
| 1988 | D | 4,570 | 4,325 | 8,944 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,985 | 4,656 | 8,675 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,782 | 3,934 | 7,839 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,915 | 3,185 | 7,133 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,591 | 4,082 | 6,727 | |
| 1968 | R | 2,344 | 3,234 | 6,511 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,136 | 2,821 | 6,987 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,479 | 4,956 | 8,435 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,112 | 5,127 | 8,258 | |
| 1952 | R | 3,019 | 4,221 | 7,262 | |
| 1948 | R | 3,082 | 3,472 | 6,577 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,733 | 4,117 | 6,860 | |
| 1940 | R | 3,403 | 4,520 | 7,946 | |
| 1936 | R | 3,403 | 4,372 | 7,810 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,565 | 4,376 | 9,020 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,392 | 5,342 | 7,773 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,552 | 4,472 | 7,271 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,757 | 4,595 | 7,414 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,954 | 2,818 | 4,819 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,506 | 1,174 | 4,099 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,595 | 2,620 | 4,316 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,442 | 2,419 | 3,937 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,720 | 2,452 | 4,196 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,665 | 2,440 | 4,174 | |
| 1892 | R | 983 | 1,319 | 2,390 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Carter County's 2024 presidential margin of R+58.5 places it among the most one-sided counties in the state, reflecting a broader realignment across eastern Kentucky's rural, working-class communities over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Carter County peaked at nineteen points in 1964. By 2008 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifty-eight points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Carter County's median household income of $51,235 sits well below state and national norms, and 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Columbiana County and Greenup County.