| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 11,424 | 22,586 | 34,107 | |
| 2020 | R | 11,879 | 22,155 | 34,760 | |
| 2016 | R | 9,497 | 19,692 | 31,161 | |
| 2012 | R | 12,649 | 16,569 | 29,767 | |
| 2008 | R | 14,307 | 17,770 | 32,617 | |
| 2004 | R | 13,514 | 20,051 | 34,266 | |
| 2000 | R | 13,816 | 18,382 | 33,733 | |
| 1996 | D | 13,029 | 12,971 | 31,643 | |
| 1992 | R | 10,150 | 13,944 | 35,092 | |
| 1988 | R | 12,447 | 19,691 | 32,428 | |
| 1984 | R | 10,194 | 24,162 | 34,468 | |
| 1980 | R | 12,917 | 17,222 | 32,709 | |
| 1976 | R | 13,768 | 19,469 | 33,422 | |
| 1972 | R | 10,909 | 21,906 | 32,927 | |
| 1968 | R | 12,733 | 16,594 | 31,148 | |
| 1964 | D | 21,994 | 10,907 | 32,933 | |
| 1960 | R | 14,797 | 21,749 | 36,573 | |
| 1956 | R | 9,613 | 25,282 | 34,895 | |
| 1952 | R | 11,333 | 24,808 | 36,195 | |
| 1948 | R | 11,289 | 18,246 | 30,393 | |
| 1944 | R | 11,787 | 19,907 | 31,795 | |
| 1940 | R | 11,924 | 22,987 | 35,055 | |
| 1936 | R | 11,901 | 20,484 | 32,984 | |
| 1932 | R | 11,467 | 18,071 | 30,786 | |
| 1928 | R | 10,229 | 22,135 | 33,001 | |
| 1924 | R | 5,369 | 17,307 | 27,066 | |
| 1920 | R | 6,693 | 16,083 | 24,029 | |
| 1916 | R | 6,565 | 8,825 | 16,197 | |
| 1912 | D | 4,886 | 4,820 | 14,363 | |
| 1908 | R | 6,096 | 9,320 | 16,371 | |
| 1904 | R | 4,923 | 10,182 | 15,919 | |
| 1900 | R | 6,224 | 9,948 | 16,713 | |
| 1896 | R | 6,088 | 9,337 | 15,889 | |
| 1892 | R | 5,753 | 7,973 | 15,105 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Cattaraugus sits in the Southern Tier's forested hill country, where a predominantly white, working-class population has shifted from a competitive swing county in the early 2000s to one of New York's most lopsided presidential margins by 2024.
The Democratic margin in Cattaraugus County peaked at thirty-four points in 1964. By 2000 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-three points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Cattaraugus County's median household income of $59,540 sits well below state and national norms, and 19% 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 Champaign County and Sanilac County.
