78542 leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 39% of adults in 78542 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 78542, ~18% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~61% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 78542 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 78542 leans more Republican than 15 of 18 neighbors.
78542 runs about 8 points more Democratic than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 78542. The west side runs the most Democratic (Even) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+11), a spread of about 13 points.
Why 78542 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 78542, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in 78542 hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Texas average of 26%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 82% of households in 78542 are family households, above 95% of zip codes.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as 78542, TX does.
Why turnout in 78542 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 78542 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 39%, about 14 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 65% of adults in 78542 have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of zip codes. 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.