| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 41,119 | 38,829 | 81,153 | |
| 2020 | D | 40,055 | 36,372 | 77,493 | |
| 2016 | D | 37,088 | 35,274 | 77,307 | |
| 2012 | D | 34,176 | 34,001 | 69,886 | |
| 2008 | D | 41,950 | 32,992 | 75,763 | |
| 2004 | R | 30,733 | 33,133 | 64,374 | |
| 2000 | R | 21,409 | 26,172 | 49,575 | |
| 1996 | D | 21,145 | 20,935 | 46,826 | |
| 1992 | D | 21,177 | 20,478 | 51,225 | |
| 1988 | R | 18,357 | 23,875 | 42,527 | |
| 1984 | R | 16,194 | 27,802 | 44,236 | |
| 1980 | R | 15,987 | 20,605 | 42,631 | |
| 1976 | R | 17,867 | 21,177 | 40,437 | |
| 1972 | R | 13,194 | 20,683 | 34,197 | |
| 1968 | R | 11,163 | 15,865 | 28,527 | |
| 1964 | D | 16,556 | 9,481 | 26,195 | |
| 1960 | R | 8,601 | 18,357 | 27,004 | |
| 1956 | R | 7,483 | 15,412 | 22,940 | |
| 1952 | R | 7,391 | 14,700 | 22,168 | |
| 1948 | R | 6,515 | 10,416 | 16,931 | |
| 1944 | R | 8,064 | 10,048 | 18,242 | |
| 1940 | R | 9,869 | 10,665 | 20,610 | |
| 1936 | D | 11,734 | 9,869 | 21,814 | |
| 1932 | R | 7,053 | 8,264 | 15,726 | |
| 1928 | R | 3,431 | 12,005 | 15,557 | |
| 1924 | R | 4,443 | 7,723 | 13,062 | |
| 1920 | R | 4,783 | 7,615 | 13,171 | |
| 1916 | R | 4,120 | 4,392 | 8,781 | |
| 1912 | D | 3,445 | 1,507 | 7,926 | |
| 1908 | R | 3,998 | 4,927 | 9,276 | |
| 1904 | R | 4,015 | 5,291 | 9,589 | |
| 1900 | R | 4,339 | 4,684 | 9,249 | |
| 1896 | R | 4,546 | 4,880 | 9,774 | |
| 1892 | D | 4,624 | 3,698 | 8,656 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Home to Penn State's main campus, Centre County has shifted from reliably Republican to narrowly competitive, with the student and faculty population in State College anchoring Democratic margins that the surrounding rural townships still work to offset.
The Democratic margin in Centre County has rarely exceeded twenty-seven points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded fifty-five points. 2024 delivered the county to the Democratic candidate by three points.
Centre County's demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most counties. A 84% non-Hispanic-white share, a 16% poverty rate, and a median household income of $74,291 — all within the broad national range. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of DeKalb County and Washoe County.