| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 5,115 | 14,401 | 19,750 | |
| 2020 | R | 5,098 | 14,083 | 19,466 | |
| 2016 | R | 4,025 | 11,635 | 16,464 | |
| 2012 | R | 5,297 | 9,545 | 15,154 | |
| 2008 | R | 6,465 | 9,224 | 15,947 | |
| 2004 | R | 6,294 | 10,941 | 17,426 | |
| 2000 | R | 5,510 | 9,661 | 15,806 | |
| 1996 | R | 5,509 | 6,838 | 14,869 | |
| 1992 | R | 5,331 | 6,965 | 16,400 | |
| 1988 | R | 5,300 | 9,323 | 14,747 | |
| 1984 | R | 4,818 | 10,963 | 15,839 | |
| 1980 | R | 5,064 | 9,229 | 15,166 | |
| 1976 | R | 6,424 | 10,305 | 16,926 | |
| 1972 | R | 4,513 | 11,958 | 16,673 | |
| 1968 | R | 6,326 | 10,506 | 17,607 | |
| 1964 | D | 10,950 | 7,948 | 19,007 | |
| 1960 | R | 7,767 | 13,699 | 21,532 | |
| 1956 | R | 5,152 | 14,725 | 19,950 | |
| 1952 | R | 5,373 | 15,256 | 20,776 | |
| 1948 | R | 4,785 | 10,218 | 15,272 | |
| 1944 | R | 6,492 | 11,988 | 18,601 | |
| 1940 | R | 6,991 | 14,822 | 21,932 | |
| 1936 | R | 9,733 | 11,837 | 22,181 | |
| 1932 | R | 4,661 | 9,970 | 15,335 | |
| 1928 | R | 4,964 | 14,012 | 19,066 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,376 | 9,072 | 13,149 | |
| 1920 | R | 2,505 | 7,830 | 11,406 | |
| 1916 | R | 3,161 | 4,300 | 8,299 | |
| 1912 | D | 2,362 | 1,345 | 8,001 | |
| 1908 | R | 2,867 | 5,073 | 8,745 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,636 | 5,719 | 8,475 | |
| 1900 | R | 3,427 | 6,319 | 10,293 | |
| 1896 | R | 3,074 | 5,077 | 8,520 | |
| 1892 | R | 2,843 | 3,594 | 7,187 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
McKean County, tucked in Pennsylvania's northern tier along the New York border, has shifted dramatically rightward over the past two decades. Its 2024 presidential margin of R+47.2 reflects a predominantly white, working-class electorate with deep roots in oil-country heritage.
The Democratic margin in McKean County peaked at sixteen points in 1964. By 1968 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was forty-seven points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. McKean County's median household income of $62,905 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% 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 Sullivan County and Morgan County.