Percentage of u.s. farmers that voted for trump again
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
Available reporting shows farmers and farming-dependent counties overwhelmingly backed Donald Trump in 2024: Investigate Midwest and multiple outlets report an average of about 77.7–78% support in the country’s most farming-dependent counties, an increase of roughly two points from 2020 [1] [2] [3]. Polls and region-specific surveys show more variation: an Agri‑Pulse/Stratovation poll of 605 producers found 39% saying they would most likely vote for Trump in late 2023 [4].
1. Farming counties vs. individual farmers — two different measures
Most headlines citing a ~78% Trump vote refer to “farming-dependent counties,” defined using USDA criteria, not a direct headcount of individual farmers; Investigate Midwest reports those counties gave Trump an average of 77.7% in 2024 [1]. Several outlets repeat that figure when describing “America’s farmers,” but county-level margins can overstate uniformity among individual producers because counties include non-farm residents and vary in farm composition [1] [2].
2. Where the ~78% number comes from — Investigate Midwest and follow‑on coverage
Investigate Midwest’s analysis is the anchor for the widely cited figure: it calculates that America’s most farming-dependent counties “overwhelmingly backed” Trump by an average of 77.7% in 2024 and notes that this was up nearly two points from 2020 [1]. National outlets and regional farm press picked up that analysis, repeating the near‑78% figure in summaries of the farm vote [2] [3].
3. Polling shows more nuance — some farmers are less monolithic
A different approach — direct polling of farmers and ranchers — shows lower, more mixed support. An Agri‑Pulse/Stratovation survey of 605 farmers found 39% said they were most likely to vote for Trump (with other candidates and undecideds making up the rest), demonstrating that survey design, question wording and sample frame produce substantially different results than county‑level vote margins [4].
4. Why the discrepancy matters — who is counted and why it shifts the story
County vote margins measure ballots cast within geographies identified as farming‑dependent, which include farm families but also many nonfarm voters; those margins showed huge majorities for Trump [1]. Polls of “farmers” sample self‑identified producers and can capture ideological diversity, younger/newer producers, and regional differences — explaining why a direct poll can show far lower raw support [4] [5].
5. Context: trends and motivations reported in coverage
Reporting and analysis suggest farmers’ support for Trump increased between 2016–2024 (Investigate Midwest and The Nation cite increases to roughly 78% in 2024) and that many farmers see Trump as a bulwark against environmental regulation despite policy actions that can harm farm incomes [1] [3] [6]. Investigative and feature pieces explain that economic pain — including program cuts like USAID purchases and other policy shifts — has already affected some producers even as they remained loyal at the ballot box [2] [6].
6. Regional and demographic splits — not a single “farm vote”
Sources note regional variation (for example, Tulare County, CA, and other agricultural pockets behaved differently) and emphasize that not all farmers voted the same way; some producers opposed Trump while many in farming‑dependent counties supported him by large margins [6] [7]. The Agri‑Pulse poll further underscores internal differences by party identification among respondents [4].
7. What reporters disagree about — interpretation and implication
Investigate Midwest and allied reports present the raw county margins as evidence of overwhelming farmer support [1]. Critics and some analysts caution against equating county margins with individual farmer opinion, pointing to poll results and the “small share” of highly engaged producers as a distinct political subpopulation [5] [4]. The difference reveals competing narratives: one emphasizes electoral outcomes in farm country, the other emphasizes diversity of individual producer views.
8. Limitations and what the available sources do not say
Available sources do not provide a nationally representative, post‑election poll that directly states “X% of all U.S. farmers voted for Trump” in 2024; the widely cited ~78% comes from farming‑dependent county vote averages rather than a census of individual farmer ballots [1] [4]. Detailed breakdowns by farm size, race, crop versus livestock, or exact producer counts tied to ballots are not provided in the cited material [5].
9. Bottom line for readers
If you mean “what share of voters in farming‑dependent counties voted for Trump,” the best available reporting places that near 77.7–78% in 2024 [1] [2] [3]. If you mean “what percentage of individual U.S. farmers personally voted for Trump,” available sources do not provide a single, definitive national number — direct polls show more mixed results and framing matters [4] [5].