Closeness here is the winner's electoral votes minus those of the next-highest candidate. Only elections someone won with an Electoral College majority are ranked. Not ranked: the elections of 1789–1800, when every elector cast two votes, so the gap between the top two names is not a margin of victory; and the House-decided elections of 1800 and 1824, where no candidate won an Electoral College majority.

1. 11876Rutherford B. Hayes 185 of 369 EV1 EV
2. 22000George W. Bush 271 of 538 EV5 EV
3. 31916Woodrow Wilson 277 of 531 EV23 EV
4. 42004George W. Bush 286 of 538 EV35 EV
5. 51848Zachary Taylor 163 of 290 EV36 EV
6. 61884Grover Cleveland 219 of 401 EV37 EV
7. 71812James Madison 128 of 217 EV39 EV
8. 81976Jimmy Carter 297 of 538 EV57 EV
9. 91880James A. Garfield 214 of 369 EV59 EV
10. 101856James Buchanan 174 of 296 EV60 EV
11. 111844James K. Polk 170 of 275 EV65 EV
12. 121888Benjamin Harrison 233 of 401 EV65 EV
13. 132020Joe Biden 306 of 538 EV74 EV
14. 141808James Madison 122 of 175 EV75 EV
15. 152016Donald Trump 304 of 538 EV77 EV
16. 161960John F. Kennedy 303 of 537 EV84 EV
17. 172024Donald Trump 312 of 538 EV86 EV
18. 181828Andrew Jackson 178 of 261 EV95 EV
19. 191896William McKinley 271 of 447 EV95 EV
20. 201836Martin Van Buren 170 of 294 EV97 EV

Electoral votesNational Archives, Electoral College results: 1800, 1808, 1812, 1824, 1828, 1836, 1844, 1848, 1856, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1896, 1916, 1960, 1976, 2000, 2004, 2016, 2020, 2024 (public domain, read 2026-10-03). How these figures were compiled