| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 942 | 4,024 | 5,082 | |
| 2020 | R | 939 | 3,731 | 4,802 | |
| 2016 | R | 696 | 3,357 | 4,351 | |
| 2012 | R | 1,002 | 3,073 | 4,208 | |
| 2008 | R | 1,306 | 2,821 | 4,256 | |
| 2004 | R | 1,009 | 3,166 | 4,271 | |
| 2000 | D | 2,760 | 840 | 3,689 | |
| 1996 | R | 1,132 | 1,947 | 3,657 | |
| 1992 | R | 973 | 1,674 | 3,700 | |
| 1988 | R | 1,256 | 2,291 | 3,582 | |
| 1984 | R | 784 | 2,865 | 3,667 | |
| 1980 | R | 843 | 2,850 | 3,898 | |
| 1976 | R | 1,366 | 2,055 | 3,472 | |
| 1972 | R | 1,085 | 2,452 | 3,563 | |
| 1968 | R | 1,017 | 2,090 | 3,303 | |
| 1964 | R | 1,863 | 1,877 | 3,740 | |
| 1960 | R | 1,318 | 2,496 | 3,814 | |
| 1956 | R | 1,028 | 2,231 | 3,259 | |
| 1952 | R | 837 | 2,689 | 3,526 | |
| 1948 | R | 1,065 | 1,726 | 2,842 | |
| 1944 | R | 928 | 1,824 | 2,752 | |
| 1940 | R | 1,384 | 2,164 | 3,548 | |
| 1936 | R | 1,519 | 1,525 | 3,145 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,684 | 1,594 | 3,337 | |
| 1928 | R | 840 | 1,988 | 2,866 | |
| 1924 | R | 277 | 1,199 | 2,157 | |
| 1920 | R | 672 | 1,722 | 3,159 | |
| 1916 | R | 537 | 930 | 1,612 | |
| 1912 | D | 601 | 0 | 1,463 | |
| 1908 | R | 915 | 1,636 | 2,717 | |
| 1904 | R | 330 | 793 | 1,178 | |
| 1900 | R | 420 | 492 | 925 | |
| 1896 | D | 286 | 222 | 510 | |
| 1892 | R | 28 | 154 | 384 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Butte County's sparse, ranch-heavy landscape anchors a voting pattern that has favored Republican presidential candidates by landslide margins for decades, with 2024's R+60.6 result among the widest in the state.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Butte County peaked at fifty-two points in 2000; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2004 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of fifty-one points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Butte County's median household income of $75,652 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Meade County and Custer County.