Watertown, South Dakota
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 2004 | −24.2% |
| 2008 | −6.4% |
| 2012 | −16.8% |
| 2016 | −36.2% |
| 2020 | −36.1% |
| 2024 | −37.7% |
| Year | Won | Democratic | Republican | Other | Margin | Swing | vs U.S. | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 30.0%Harris3,199 | 67.7%Trump7,218 | 2.3% | R+37.7 | R+1.6 | R+36.2 | 10,664 | |
| R | 30.5%Biden3,146 | 66.6%Trump6,861 | 2.9% | R+36.1 | D+0.1 | R+40.5 | 10,302 | |
| R | 28.6%Clinton2,577 | 64.8%Trump5,833 | 6.6% | R+36.2 | R+19.4 | R+38.3 | 9,001 | |
| R | 40.6%Obama3,672 | 57.4%Romney5,192 | 2.1% | R+16.8 | R+10.4 | R+20.6 | 9,053 | |
| R | 45.8%Obama4,434 | 52.2%McCain5,051 | 2.0% | R+6.4 | D+17.8 | R+13.6 | 9,679 | |
| R | 37.4%Kerry3,759 | 61.5%Bush6,191 | 1.1% | R+24.2 | — | R+21.7 | 10,062 |
Watertown's economy ties together agriculture, manufacturing, and regional retail for a wide swath of northeastern South Dakota, and Codington County has delivered Republican presidential margins above 30 points in recent cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 37.7 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 1.6 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 37.7 points.
A population of 23,044, a 90% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $69,600 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Alexandria and Jamestown.
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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Watertown, South Dakota. Akashic. https://akashic.app/city/4669300/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.