78017 leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% Republican.
About 48% of adults in 78017 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 78017, ~21% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 78017 compares
Politically, 78017 sits close to the rest of Texas.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 78017. The west side is the most split-leaning (R+33) and the east side is the least split-leaning (R+2), a spread of about 30 points.
Why 78017 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 78017, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 12% of adults in 78017 hold a bachelor's degree, about 14 points below the Texas average of 26%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 79% of households in 78017 are family households, above 91% of zip codes.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 78017, TX sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in 78017 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 78017 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 6 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 73% of adults in 78017 have completed high school, below 96% of zip codes. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and 78017 sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.