81243 leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% Republican.
About 72% of adults in 81243 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 81243, ~38% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 81243 compares
81243 runs about 5 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole.
Why 81243 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 81243, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 56% of adults in 81243 hold a bachelor's degree, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a low never-married share and a rural land-use pattern tend to turn out at a higher rate, as 81243, CO does.
Why turnout in 81243 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 81243 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 91% of households in 81243 own their home, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 75%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in 81243 have completed high school, above 90% 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 Colorado Secretary of State, Elections, 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.