| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,885 | 8,096 | 10,051 | |
| 2020 | R | 2,200 | 8,135 | 10,419 | |
| 2016 | R | 2,360 | 8,026 | 10,578 | |
| 2012 | R | 3,636 | 6,850 | 10,651 | |
| 2008 | R | 4,540 | 7,044 | 11,764 | |
| 2004 | R | 4,901 | 6,720 | 11,677 | |
| 2000 | R | 4,947 | 5,426 | 10,525 | |
| 1996 | D | 5,428 | 3,766 | 10,173 | |
| 1992 | D | 6,277 | 4,024 | 11,479 | |
| 1988 | D | 5,281 | 5,026 | 10,320 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,967 | 6,092 | 11,059 | |
| 1980 | D | 6,120 | 5,253 | 11,530 | |
| 1976 | D | 7,107 | 3,314 | 10,443 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,776 | 5,926 | 8,702 | |
| 1968 | D | 5,063 | 4,366 | 12,332 | |
| 1964 | D | 8,467 | 3,465 | 11,932 | |
| 1960 | R | 6,568 | 6,708 | 13,276 | |
| 1956 | D | 8,698 | 4,943 | 13,641 | |
| 1952 | D | 9,515 | 5,400 | 14,924 | |
| 1948 | D | 10,979 | 2,466 | 13,461 | |
| 1944 | D | 8,431 | 4,274 | 12,732 | |
| 1940 | D | 11,132 | 5,516 | 16,680 | |
| 1936 | D | 10,233 | 3,775 | 14,066 | |
| 1932 | D | 9,141 | 1,977 | 11,211 | |
| 1928 | D | 4,879 | 3,602 | 8,501 | |
| 1924 | D | 4,357 | 3,436 | 8,052 | |
| 1920 | D | 5,199 | 4,455 | 9,963 | |
| 1916 | D | 3,723 | 1,924 | 6,033 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,723 | 987 | 5,248 | |
| 1908 | D | 2,734 | 1,638 | 4,658 | |
| 1904 | D | 2,229 | 1,461 | 3,798 | |
| 1900 | D | 2,711 | 1,276 | 4,060 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,975 | 961 | 3,942 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,167 | 659 | 2,996 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Dunklin County anchors Missouri's Bootheel, a cotton-farming region more culturally tied to the Deep South than the Midwest. Its 2024 presidential margin of R+61.8 reflects a rural demographic shift that has accelerated steadily over two decades.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Dunklin County peaked at sixty-four points in 1932; 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 five points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Dunklin County's median household income of $47,849 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 22% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Marshall County and Clinton County.