| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 345 | 2,155 | 2,538 | |
| 2020 | R | 374 | 2,091 | 2,524 | |
| 2016 | R | 411 | 1,898 | 2,399 | |
| 2012 | R | 649 | 1,710 | 2,359 | |
| 2008 | R | 600 | 1,672 | 2,272 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,203 | 1,396 | 2,599 | |
| 2000 | R | 1,148 | 1,196 | 2,362 | |
| 1996 | D | 1,205 | 734 | 2,276 | |
| 1992 | D | 1,448 | 714 | 2,800 | |
| 1988 | D | 1,365 | 891 | 2,270 | |
| 1984 | D | 1,284 | 1,259 | 2,564 | |
| 1980 | D | 1,442 | 926 | 2,431 | |
| 1976 | D | 1,774 | 769 | 2,566 | |
| 1972 | R | 680 | 1,461 | 2,179 | |
| 1968 | D | 963 | 669 | 2,257 | |
| 1964 | D | 1,613 | 721 | 2,334 | |
| 1960 | D | 1,269 | 1,019 | 2,288 | |
| 1956 | D | 1,596 | 920 | 2,516 | |
| 1952 | D | 1,755 | 1,106 | 2,861 | |
| 1948 | D | 2,124 | 464 | 2,588 | |
| 1944 | D | 1,959 | 760 | 2,724 | |
| 1940 | D | 2,377 | 1,148 | 3,535 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,550 | 603 | 3,160 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,788 | 300 | 3,088 | |
| 1928 | D | 1,681 | 1,283 | 2,996 | |
| 1924 | D | 1,772 | 800 | 3,179 | |
| 1920 | D | 1,768 | 1,744 | 3,997 | |
| 1916 | D | 1,418 | 824 | 2,830 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,109 | 571 | 2,254 | |
| 1908 | D | 906 | 722 | 2,156 | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Coal County's 2024 presidential margin of R+71.3 reflects a rural southeastern Oklahoma electorate that has swung decisively Republican over the past two decades, with a population under 6,100 spread across timber and ranch land.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Coal County peaked at eighty-one 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 two points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Coal County's median household income of $50,423 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Allen Parish and Latimer County.
