| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,061 | 12,326 | 15,673 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,884 | 12,250 | 16,353 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,015 | 11,993 | 16,540 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,733 | 9,784 | 14,890 | |
| 2008 | R | 7,530 | 7,741 | 15,659 | |
| 2004 | D | 11,132 | 6,612 | 17,885 | |
| 2000 | D | 10,088 | 5,068 | 15,394 | |
| 1996 | D | 9,655 | 3,139 | 14,384 | |
| 1992 | D | 13,351 | 3,540 | 18,674 | |
| 1988 | D | 12,327 | 5,296 | 17,764 | |
| 1984 | D | 10,259 | 5,218 | 15,543 | |
| 1980 | D | 10,975 | 4,179 | 15,385 | |
| 1976 | D | 10,151 | 3,108 | 13,333 | |
| 1972 | D | 7,544 | 6,099 | 13,800 | |
| 1968 | D | 8,333 | 3,550 | 13,043 | |
| 1964 | D | 11,644 | 2,352 | 14,041 | |
| 1960 | D | 9,876 | 5,010 | 14,886 | |
| 1956 | D | 7,907 | 6,166 | 14,088 | |
| 1952 | D | 8,940 | 4,238 | 13,189 | |
| 1948 | D | 8,823 | 3,127 | 12,016 | |
| 1944 | D | 7,729 | 3,197 | 10,926 | |
| 1940 | D | 9,100 | 3,711 | 12,811 | |
| 1936 | D | 7,962 | 3,375 | 11,337 | |
| 1932 | D | 8,537 | 3,415 | 11,986 | |
| 1928 | D | 5,721 | 5,109 | 10,830 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,220 | 3,773 | 8,572 | |
| 1920 | D | 3,597 | 2,825 | 6,468 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,217 | 1,823 | 4,066 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,553 | 961 | 3,028 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,601 | 1,557 | 3,196 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,580 | 1,201 | 2,801 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,615 | 1,197 | 2,826 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,410 | 1,057 | 2,487 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,141 | 634 | 1,831 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Floyd County, anchored by the city of Prestonsburg in the eastern coalfields, has swung from a Democratic stronghold to an R+59 presidential margin in roughly 16 years — a shift that tracks closely with the collapse of coal employment and a realignment of working-class Appalachian voters.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Floyd County peaked at sixty-six points in 1964; 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 one points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Floyd County's median household income of $41,279 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 28% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Knott County and McDowell County.