| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 25,737 | 15,787 | 42,314 | |
| 2020 | D | 26,773 | 15,607 | 43,323 | |
| 2016 | D | 22,286 | 14,789 | 39,466 | |
| 2012 | D | 24,134 | 14,991 | 40,155 | |
| 2008 | D | 24,934 | 15,394 | 40,772 | |
| 2004 | D | 18,862 | 16,661 | 36,000 | |
| 2000 | D | 17,920 | 14,630 | 33,442 | |
| 1996 | D | 17,282 | 12,283 | 32,016 | |
| 1992 | D | 17,724 | 13,443 | 35,181 | |
| 1988 | D | 17,185 | 15,389 | 32,813 | |
| 1984 | R | 17,300 | 19,008 | 36,492 | |
| 1980 | D | 18,139 | 15,164 | 34,946 | |
| 1976 | D | 20,696 | 14,738 | 35,949 | |
| 1972 | R | 9,498 | 18,541 | 28,671 | |
| 1968 | R | 9,281 | 15,368 | 30,008 | |
| 1964 | D | 15,314 | 13,164 | 28,496 | |
| 1960 | R | 9,175 | 15,229 | 24,453 | |
| 1956 | R | 6,751 | 16,708 | 24,082 | |
| 1952 | R | 8,042 | 15,673 | 23,747 | |
| 1948 | R | 5,343 | 6,542 | 13,200 | |
| 1944 | D | 7,322 | 5,095 | 12,451 | |
| 1940 | D | 6,942 | 3,553 | 10,542 | |
| 1936 | D | 7,087 | 3,363 | 10,504 | |
| 1932 | D | 6,215 | 3,195 | 9,540 | |
| 1928 | R | 4,018 | 6,471 | 10,489 | |
| 1924 | D | 3,930 | 1,747 | 6,435 | |
| 1920 | D | 4,715 | 2,329 | 7,144 | |
| 1916 | D | 2,246 | 610 | 2,950 | |
| 1912 | D | 1,913 | 268 | 2,743 | |
| 1908 | D | 1,408 | 593 | 2,006 | |
| 1904 | D | 1,268 | 506 | 1,819 | |
| 1900 | D | 1,761 | 1,120 | 2,986 | |
| 1896 | D | 2,005 | 1,697 | 3,793 | |
| 1892 | D | 2,707 | 1,870 | 4,683 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Roanoke City has shifted steadily toward Democratic margins over the past decade, with its 2024 presidential gap of D+23.6 reflecting the broader urban consolidation pattern seen across mid-sized Virginia cities anchored by healthcare and rail employment.
The Democratic margin in Roanoke city peaked at sixty points in 1912. By 1988 the county had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was twenty-four points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the county's modern history.
The economic context is the key. Roanoke city's median household income of $55,378 sits well below state and national norms, and 18% 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 Sharkey County and Norfolk city.