| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 968 | 2,614 | 3,639 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,016 | 2,616 | 3,730 | |
| 2016 | R | 837 | 2,399 | 3,494 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,195 | 2,166 | 3,446 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,520 | 2,103 | 3,697 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,352 | 2,600 | 4,011 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,361 | 2,351 | 3,847 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,520 | 1,979 | 4,025 | |
| 1992 | R | 1,506 | 1,783 | 4,491 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,819 | 2,471 | 4,323 | |
| 1984 | R | 1,367 | 3,116 | 4,523 | |
| 1980 | R | 1,125 | 3,090 | 4,572 | |
| 1976 | R | 2,068 | 2,628 | 4,789 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,476 | 3,008 | 4,484 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,572 | 2,793 | 4,637 | |
| 1964 | D | 2,804 | 2,275 | 5,079 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,895 | 4,047 | 5,942 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,722 | 4,267 | 5,989 | |
| 1952 | R | 1,550 | 4,941 | 6,491 | |
| 1948 | R | 2,208 | 3,352 | 5,560 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,187 | 4,257 | 6,444 | |
| 1940 | R | 2,759 | 4,980 | 7,739 | |
| 1936 | D | 4,526 | 3,048 | 7,624 | |
| 1932 | D | 4,819 | 2,453 | 7,402 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,193 | 4,359 | 6,609 | |
| 1924 | R | 1,824 | 2,752 | 5,719 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,408 | 3,488 | 5,134 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,841 | 1,813 | 3,870 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,396 | 655 | 3,525 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,787 | 1,941 | 3,844 | |
| 1904 | R | 659 | 2,067 | 3,102 | |
| 1900 | R | 1,587 | 1,862 | 3,507 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,517 | 1,661 | 3,240 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,038 | 318 | 2,458 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Jefferson County's 2024 presidential margin of R+45.3 reflects a broader pattern of consolidation in Nebraska's agricultural southeast, where small-town economies and aging demographics have tracked closely with statewide rural voting shifts over the past decade.
The Democratic margin in Jefferson County peaked at thirty-two points in 1932. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-five points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Jefferson County's median household income of $59,044 sits well below state and national norms, and 10% 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 Richardson County and Bottineau County.