81522 leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 57% of adults in 81522 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 81522, ~18% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 81522 compares
81522 runs about 50 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while 81522 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why 81522 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 81522, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas vote Republican. Fewer than 1% of residents in 81522 live in densely developed areas, about 35 points below the Colorado average of 35%. 81522 runs against the grain of Colorado, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; 81522, CO sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 81522 looks the way it does
Turnout in 81522 sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. 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.