| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 3,028 | 6,013 | 9,119 | |
| 2020 | R | 3,624 | 6,307 | 10,056 | |
| 2016 | R | 3,524 | 5,990 | 9,599 | |
| 2012 | R | 4,148 | 6,111 | 10,332 | |
| 2008 | R | 3,890 | 6,070 | 10,022 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,193 | 5,562 | 8,795 | |
| 2000 | R | 2,981 | 4,635 | 7,705 | |
| 1996 | R | 2,652 | 3,219 | 6,490 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,064 | 3,874 | 7,783 | |
| 1988 | R | 2,889 | 4,496 | 7,414 | |
| 1984 | R | 2,818 | 5,000 | 7,836 | |
| 1980 | R | 3,494 | 3,844 | 7,383 | |
| 1976 | D | 3,306 | 3,022 | 6,422 | |
| 1972 | R | 975 | 4,648 | 5,663 | |
| 1968 | D | 739 | 247 | 5,075 | |
| 1964 | R | 276 | 3,539 | 3,815 | |
| 1960 | D | 707 | 490 | 2,233 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,493 | 373 | 2,129 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,604 | 717 | 2,321 | |
| 1948 | D | 137 | 4 | 1,376 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,380 | 35 | 1,415 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,388 | 22 | 1,410 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,367 | 44 | 1,412 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,023 | 23 | 1,050 | |
| 1928 | D | 917 | 289 | 1,206 | |
| 1924 | D | 905 | 56 | 961 | |
| 1920 | D | 547 | 112 | 707 | |
| 1916 | D | 787 | 47 | 868 | |
| 1912 | D | 569 | 15 | 655 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | D | 422 | 74 | 518 | |
| 1896 | D | 655 | 30 | 691 | |
| 1892 | D | 390 | 6 | 448 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Wayne County sits in Mississippi's timber belt, where a predominantly rural, majority-white electorate has shifted decisively toward Republican presidential candidates over the past two decades, with 2024 margins exceeding 30 points.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Wayne County peaked at ninety-seven points in 1940; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of five points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Wayne County's median household income of $37,619 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 23% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Lincoln County and Covington County.