79851 is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 36% of adults in 79851 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 79851, ~7% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~64% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 79851 compares
79851 runs about 47 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 79851. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+61) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+30), a spread of about 31 points.
Why 79851 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 79851, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 6% of adults in 79851 hold a bachelor's degree, about 19 points below the Texas average of 26%. Rural areas vote Republican, and 79851 sits in the bottom quarter on density (fewer than 1%, in the bottom fraction of zip codes).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 79851, 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 79851 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 79851 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 36%, about 17 points below the Texas average of 54%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 39% of households in 79851 rent, compared to around 19% in nearby zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 50% of adults in 79851 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.