| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 14,134 | 11,369 | 26,014 | |
| 2020 | D | 14,772 | 10,862 | 26,059 | |
| 2016 | D | 16,370 | 11,354 | 30,042 | |
| 2012 | D | 18,307 | 8,543 | 28,008 | |
| 2008 | D | 20,722 | 9,742 | 31,259 | |
| 2004 | D | 18,998 | 10,847 | 30,045 | |
| 2000 | D | 13,158 | 9,703 | 25,447 | |
| 1996 | D | 13,418 | 7,154 | 23,954 | |
| 1992 | D | 13,423 | 7,184 | 25,793 | |
| 1988 | D | 10,795 | 9,314 | 20,281 | |
| 1984 | R | 10,201 | 11,548 | 21,958 | |
| 1980 | D | 9,514 | 8,170 | 19,801 | |
| 1976 | D | 9,896 | 8,387 | 19,016 | |
| 1972 | D | 9,977 | 9,735 | 19,915 | |
| 1968 | R | 7,351 | 7,837 | 16,400 | |
| 1964 | D | 10,633 | 6,211 | 16,844 | |
| 1960 | R | 7,542 | 10,747 | 18,289 | |
| 1956 | R | 5,959 | 10,794 | 16,753 | |
| 1952 | R | 7,108 | 10,829 | 17,937 | |
| 1948 | R | 7,398 | 8,902 | 16,354 | |
| 1944 | R | 7,438 | 10,326 | 17,764 | |
| 1940 | D | 11,449 | 11,213 | 22,662 | |
| 1936 | D | 13,205 | 9,509 | 22,922 | |
| 1932 | R | 8,915 | 9,897 | 19,343 | |
| 1928 | R | 4,546 | 11,101 | 15,855 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,669 | 8,695 | 14,943 | |
| 1920 | R | 6,523 | 11,016 | 17,900 | |
| 1916 | R | 4,101 | 5,554 | 10,066 | |
| 1912 | R | 2,393 | 3,090 | 9,483 | |
| 1908 | R | 3,654 | 6,449 | 10,475 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,594 | 6,352 | 8,376 | |
| 1900 | R | 2,529 | 6,126 | 8,891 | |
| 1896 | R | 3,293 | 5,429 | 8,897 | |
| 1892 | R | 2,599 | 4,458 | 7,597 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Home to Ohio University, Athens County votes reliably Democratic in a region that has swung sharply Republican over the past two decades, with the 2024 presidential margin holding at D+10.7 despite statewide trends.
The Democratic margin in Athens County peaked at thirty-five points in 2008. By 1988 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was eleven points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Athens County's median household income of $56,001 sits well below state and national norms, and 22% 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 Lucas County and Brunswick County.