| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 1,607 | 9,392 | 11,077 | |
| 2020 | R | 1,692 | 9,063 | 10,869 | |
| 2016 | R | 1,581 | 8,247 | 10,100 | |
| 2012 | R | 2,395 | 7,439 | 9,992 | |
| 2008 | R | 2,725 | 6,980 | 9,875 | |
| 2004 | R | 3,324 | 6,479 | 9,967 | |
| 2000 | R | 3,552 | 5,535 | 9,335 | |
| 1996 | R | 3,449 | 4,086 | 8,573 | |
| 1992 | R | 3,979 | 4,515 | 9,690 | |
| 1988 | R | 3,616 | 4,986 | 8,785 | |
| 1984 | R | 3,904 | 5,804 | 9,821 | |
| 1980 | R | 4,314 | 4,744 | 9,387 | |
| 1976 | D | 4,496 | 4,313 | 9,494 | |
| 1972 | R | 2,026 | 10,025 | 12,275 | |
| 1968 | R | 3,144 | 5,345 | 9,984 | |
| 1964 | D | 4,205 | 4,155 | 8,363 | |
| 1960 | R | 3,789 | 4,936 | 8,744 | |
| 1956 | R | 3,595 | 5,116 | 8,754 | |
| 1952 | R | 2,990 | 4,703 | 7,693 | |
| 1948 | R | 2,676 | 3,520 | 6,272 | |
| 1944 | R | 2,888 | 3,089 | 5,983 | |
| 1940 | R | 2,474 | 2,982 | 5,464 | |
| 1936 | D | 2,122 | 2,046 | 4,168 | |
| 1932 | D | 2,137 | 1,673 | 3,841 | |
| 1928 | R | 2,355 | 2,916 | 5,271 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,177 | 2,666 | 4,912 | |
| 1920 | R | 1,671 | 2,449 | 4,127 | |
| 1916 | R | 1,319 | 1,743 | 3,077 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,311 | 557 | 2,962 | |
| 1908 | R | 1,145 | 1,781 | 2,929 | |
| 1904 | R | 1,164 | 1,773 | 2,956 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,813 | 1,659 | 3,475 | |
| 1896 | R | 1,793 | 2,206 | 4,014 | |
| 1892 | D | 1,746 | 1,433 | 3,531 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Tucked into Virginia's coalfield corner where three states meet, Scott County delivered a 70-point Republican presidential margin in 2024, reflecting the sharp rightward realignment that has reshaped Appalachian Virginia over the past two decades.
The Democratic margin in Scott County peaked at twenty-five points in 1912. By 1980 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was seventy points, the most Republican-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Scott County's median household income of $46,349 sits well below state and national norms, and 20% 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 Itawamba County and Linn County.