| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 146 | 1,149 | 1,303 | |
| 2020 | R | 170 | 1,178 | 1,368 | |
| 2016 | R | 286 | 1,007 | 1,347 | |
| 2012 | R | 333 | 953 | 1,300 | |
| 2008 | R | 288 | 898 | 1,197 | |
| 2004 | R | 185 | 1,009 | 1,197 | |
| 2000 | R | 266 | 982 | 1,273 | |
| 1996 | R | 424 | 685 | 1,204 | |
| 1992 | R | 489 | 908 | 1,756 | |
| 1988 | R | 544 | 1,189 | 1,740 | |
| 1984 | R | 380 | 1,603 | 1,994 | |
| 1980 | R | 485 | 1,169 | 1,684 | |
| 1976 | R | 686 | 869 | 1,561 | |
| 1972 | R | 256 | 1,186 | 1,463 | |
| 1968 | R | 463 | 664 | 1,586 | |
| 1964 | D | 958 | 636 | 1,604 | |
| 1960 | D | 930 | 798 | 1,760 | |
| 1956 | R | 834 | 999 | 1,840 | |
| 1952 | R | 850 | 940 | 1,793 | |
| 1948 | D | 811 | 155 | 1,024 | |
| 1944 | D | 742 | 105 | 915 | |
| 1940 | D | 1,062 | 370 | 1,432 | |
| 1936 | D | 728 | 81 | 813 | |
| 1932 | D | 1,012 | 92 | 1,110 | |
| 1928 | R | 189 | 270 | 459 | |
| 1924 | D | 35 | 4 | 40 | |
| 1920 | D | 46 | 25 | 71 | |
| 1916 | D | 42 | 6 | 49 | |
| 1912 | D | 28 | 2 | 35 | |
| 1908 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1904 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1896 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1892 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Upton County sits atop the Permian Basin oil patch, and its tiny, energy-dependent electorate has delivered some of the widest presidential margins in the state, hitting R+77 in 2024.
The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Upton County peaked at eighty-three points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 1968 election delivered the county to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of thirteen points. By 2024, the margin had widened further.
The economic and demographic context is severe. Upton County's median household income of $49,167 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 Crane County and Lea County.