| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 364 | 2,488 | 2,862 | |
| 2020 | R | 418 | 2,451 | 2,897 | |
| 2016 | R | 436 | 2,324 | 2,850 | |
| 2012 | R | 754 | 1,978 | 2,799 | |
| 2008 | R | 984 | 1,840 | 2,898 | |
| 2004 | R | 964 | 1,797 | 2,779 | |
| 2000 | R | 997 | 1,730 | 2,808 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,172 | 1,180 | 2,677 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,169 | 1,101 | 2,686 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,087 | 1,429 | 2,528 | |
| 1984 | R | 916 | 1,402 | 2,318 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,087 | 1,218 | 2,368 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,154 | 842 | 2,007 | |
| 1972 | R | 565 | 1,257 | 1,822 | |
| 1968 | R | 738 | 861 | 1,888 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,232 | 761 | 1,993 | |
| 1960 | R | 683 | 1,049 | 1,732 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,067 | 1,033 | 2,100 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,123 | 1,100 | 2,223 | |
| 1948 | D | 1,255 | 964 | 2,237 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,207 | 1,033 | 2,252 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,499 | 1,195 | 2,697 | |
| 1936 | D | 1,590 | 1,073 | 2,689 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,522 | 750 | 2,309 | |
| 1928 | R | 963 | 989 | 1,962 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,051 | 772 | 1,903 | |
| 1920 | R | 930 | 1,057 | 2,047 | |
| 1916 | D | 586 | 469 | 1,130 | |
| 1912 | D | 458 | 256 | 926 | |
| 1908 | D | 591 | 507 | 1,162 | |
| 1904 | D | 556 | 510 | 1,106 | |
| 1900 | D | 755 | 629 | 1,390 | |
| 1896 | D | 611 | 483 | 1,107 | |
| 1892 | D | 617 | 377 | 1,011 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Carter County's Ozark hill country and sparse population of under 6,000 produced an R+74.2 presidential margin in 2024, placing it among the most one-sided results in the state.
The Democratic margin in Carter County peaked at thirty-three points in 1932. By 1996 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was seventy-four 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 $50,000 sits well below state and national norms, and 21% 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 Ripley County and Harrison County.
