| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 763 | 5,002 | 5,804 | |
| 2020 | R | 833 | 4,839 | 5,717 | |
| 2016 | R | 830 | 4,522 | 5,524 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,396 | 3,743 | 5,263 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,795 | 3,407 | 5,363 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,907 | 3,693 | 5,653 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,820 | 3,121 | 5,065 | |
| 1996 | D | 2,081 | 1,988 | 4,658 | |
| 1992 | D | 2,300 | 1,814 | 4,860 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,961 | 2,647 | 4,620 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,883 | 2,927 | 4,810 | |
| 1980 | R | 2,156 | 2,524 | 4,765 | |
| 1976 | D | 2,577 | 1,640 | 4,245 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,361 | 2,810 | 4,171 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,440 | 1,973 | 4,090 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,688 | 1,684 | 4,372 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,717 | 2,811 | 4,528 | |
| 1956 | R | 2,149 | 2,189 | 4,338 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,194 | 2,444 | 4,650 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,304 | 1,533 | 3,858 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,923 | 1,841 | 3,779 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,419 | 2,291 | 4,725 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,466 | 1,911 | 4,397 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,600 | 1,139 | 3,834 | |
| 1928 | R | 1,395 | 2,226 | 3,631 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,863 | 1,428 | 3,424 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,735 | 1,752 | 3,676 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,325 | 1,053 | 2,496 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,249 | 651 | 2,441 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,309 | 946 | 2,310 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,089 | 781 | 1,995 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,439 | 822 | 2,333 | |
| 1896 | D | 1,442 | 749 | 2,195 | |
| 1892 | D | 812 | 446 | 1,464 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Ripley County, tucked into the Ozark hills along the Arkansas border, recorded a 73-point Republican presidential margin in 2024—among the widest in the state—reflecting a rural, majority-white population with deep roots in small-scale agriculture and timber.
The Democratic margin in Ripley County peaked at thirty-eight points in 1932. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was seventy-three points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Ripley County's median household income of $42,037 sits well below state and national norms, and 25% 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 Vernon County and St. Clair County.