78579 leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 45% of adults in 78579 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 78579, ~20% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~55% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 78579 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 78579 leans more Republican than 12 of 14 neighbors.
78579 runs about 4 points more Democratic than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 78579. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+31) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 28 points.
Why 78579 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 78579, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many family households vote Republican. About 88% of households in 78579 are family households, about 21 points above the U.S. average of 67%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 78579, 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 78579 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 78579 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 41%, about 12 points below the Texas average of 54%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 41% of households in 78579 rent, compared to around 24% in nearby zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 54% of adults in 78579 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.