| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 4,916 | 15,361 | 20,537 | |
| 2020 | R | 5,439 | 15,757 | 21,512 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,310 | 15,277 | 20,345 | |
| 2012 | R | 5,789 | 13,681 | 19,767 | |
| 2008 | R | 7,104 | 11,916 | 19,348 | |
| 2004 | R | 6,420 | 12,314 | 18,843 | |
| 2000 | R | 6,734 | 9,490 | 16,489 | |
| 1996 | D | 7,239 | 6,363 | 15,190 | |
| 1992 | D | 8,881 | 6,032 | 17,531 | |
| 1988 | R | 7,453 | 7,979 | 15,505 | |
| 1984 | R | 6,743 | 9,368 | 16,166 | |
| 1980 | D | 8,810 | 6,238 | 15,355 | |
| 1976 | D | 7,749 | 5,115 | 12,990 | |
| 1972 | R | 3,129 | 7,133 | 10,388 | |
| 1968 | D | 4,391 | 3,791 | 11,869 | |
| 1964 | D | 7,954 | 3,328 | 11,297 | |
| 1960 | D | 6,436 | 5,574 | 12,010 | |
| 1956 | D | 6,535 | 5,300 | 11,917 | |
| 1952 | D | 7,157 | 4,285 | 11,469 | |
| 1948 | D | 6,149 | 2,608 | 9,366 | |
| 1944 | D | 7,352 | 3,795 | 11,174 | |
| 1940 | D | 8,695 | 3,884 | 12,609 | |
| 1936 | D | 8,193 | 3,602 | 11,837 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,158 | 3,817 | 13,088 | |
| 1928 | D | 6,640 | 6,330 | 13,000 | |
| 1924 | D | 5,864 | 5,292 | 11,854 | |
| 1920 | D | 7,829 | 6,732 | 14,836 | |
| 1916 | D | 3,757 | 3,615 | 7,505 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,147 | 1,357 | 6,502 | |
| 1908 | D | 3,721 | 3,315 | 7,231 | |
| 1904 | D | 3,125 | 2,826 | 6,226 | |
| 1900 | D | 3,321 | 3,024 | 6,506 | |
| 1896 | D | 3,470 | 2,490 | 6,052 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,014 | 1,726 | 4,380 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Hopkins County sits in western Kentucky's former coal belt, and its presidential margins have widened steadily over the past two decades as the region's energy-sector identity increasingly aligns with Republican voting patterns.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Hopkins County peaked at forty-one points in 1964; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of seventeen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Hopkins County's median household income of $56,815 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Sweetwater County and Caldwell County.