| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 273,995 | 85,454 | 365,929 | |
| 2020 | D | 260,121 | 78,794 | 344,728 | |
| 2016 | D | 217,697 | 71,275 | 309,354 | |
| 2012 | D | 216,071 | 83,644 | 304,181 | |
| 2008 | D | 205,984 | 73,065 | 282,939 | |
| 2004 | D | 181,052 | 90,369 | 274,249 | |
| 2000 | D | 142,317 | 75,790 | 232,739 | |
| 1996 | D | 109,347 | 59,487 | 192,302 | |
| 1992 | D | 114,724 | 61,957 | 210,122 | |
| 1988 | D | 105,414 | 69,143 | 175,934 | |
| 1984 | D | 94,659 | 74,823 | 170,685 | |
| 1980 | D | 85,609 | 57,545 | 168,405 | |
| 1976 | D | 82,321 | 63,466 | 152,552 | |
| 1972 | D | 79,567 | 56,020 | 137,026 | |
| 1968 | D | 59,951 | 39,917 | 104,061 | |
| 1964 | D | 68,118 | 27,124 | 95,426 | |
| 1960 | D | 47,045 | 43,245 | 90,502 | |
| 1956 | R | 36,891 | 38,955 | 76,213 | |
| 1952 | R | 37,987 | 38,724 | 76,927 | |
| 1948 | D | 35,486 | 22,934 | 60,664 | |
| 1944 | D | 37,076 | 23,021 | 60,651 | |
| 1940 | D | 40,331 | 21,845 | 62,787 | |
| 1936 | D | 35,856 | 15,233 | 52,908 | |
| 1932 | D | 26,841 | 19,083 | 47,823 | |
| 1928 | R | 19,126 | 23,680 | 43,170 | |
| 1924 | R | 2,081 | 12,280 | 39,208 | |
| 1920 | R | 4,879 | 22,842 | 29,488 | |
| 1916 | D | 9,859 | 6,931 | 17,273 | |
| 1912 | D | 9,017 | 5,244 | 16,250 | |
| 1908 | R | 7,818 | 9,441 | 18,009 | |
| 1904 | R | 5,679 | 11,041 | 17,386 | |
| 1900 | R | 6,129 | 9,396 | 16,087 | |
| 1896 | R | 6,521 | 9,080 | 16,186 | |
| 1892 | D | 6,833 | 6,445 | 14,346 | |
| 1888 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1884 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — | |
| 1876 | — | — | — | — |
Home to Madison and the University of Wisconsin, Dane County delivered a 51.5-point Democratic margin in 2024 — the widest of any Wisconsin county — driven by high educational attainment and a dense concentration of students, state workers, and professionals.
The Democratic margin in Dane County has been steady. It reached its modern peak at fifty-three points in 2020; the 2024 margin was fifty-two points, still in line with the county's long pattern.
Dane County's political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $89,975, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center. The county's voting pattern resembles other major urban centers most closely — Denver County and Multnomah County.