akashic
1876–2024
Motley County, Texas
Motley County·Texas

Motley County changed its political identity.

One of Texas's least-populous counties, with margins to match its isolation

18762024·38 elections
Motley County, Texas · Renelibrary · Wikimedia Commons
Latest
R+89
in 2024
Archetype
Realigner
since the recent cycles
Population
1,183
2024 ACS
Most similar
Donley County
TX · similarity 1.00
6 precincts · 650 votes cast
Trump · R+89
Margin
Turnout
Harris +50
Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
2024R
−88.8%
35612650
2020R
−85.6%
46604652
2016R
−85.5%
40566615
2012R
−80.5%
55538600
2008R
−76.6%
67522594
2004R
−65.9%
113564684
2000R
−61.7%
118514642
1996R
−35.7%
164380605
1992R
−23.2%
256446819
1988R
−24.1%
262429692
1984R
−30.6%
282533819
1980R
−25.0%
341573929
1976D
+9.8%
522428961
1972R
−47.1%
230657906
1968R
−1.6%
3974151,107
1964D
+35.3%
6783241,004
1960R
−4.4%
439480932
1956D
+10.8%
511411926
1952R
−13.6%
5136751,190
1948D
+77.6%
77475901
1944D
+68.1%
744107935
1940D
+80.1%
9071001,007
1936D
+86.1%
86764933
1932D
+92.5%
90034936
1928R
−12.6%
349450799
1924D
+74.5%
45362525
1920D
+78.0%
34540391
1916D
+89.3%
3939430
1912D
+74.9%
1938247
1908
No data
1904
No data
1900
No data
1896
No data
1892
No data
1888
No data
1884
No data
1880
No data
1876
No data
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
American
100.0%
African American
4.2%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
Sample size too small to break out by ancestry reliably.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
0.0%
speak English only
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Other Christian
38.6%
Methodist
9.5%
Baptist
9.1%
Catholic & Orthodox
7.1%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 35.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

Motley County sits deep in the Rolling Plains with roughly 1,400 residents, and its 2024 presidential margin of R+88.8 reflects the lopsided partisanship typical of sparsely settled West Texas ranching communities.

The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Motley County peaked at ninety-three points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1980 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of twenty-five points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.

The economic and demographic context is severe. Motley County's median household income of $61,154 is among the lowest of any county in the United States; 16% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Donley County and Borden County.