81653 leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 80% of adults in 81653 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 81653, ~28% vote Democratic, ~52% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 81653 compares
81653 sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable zip codes nearby.
81653 runs about 41 points more Republican than Colorado as a whole. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while 81653 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 81653. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+68) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+5), a spread of about 63 points.
Why 81653 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 81653, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
81653 votes against the grain of Colorado. Colorado leans Democratic overall, while 81653 runs about 41 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and 81653 sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 1%, below 98% of zip codes). A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 77% of households in 81653 are family households, above 86% of zip codes.
Paved land cover and Republican lean
Places with little paved surface tend to lean Republican; 81653, CO sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in 81653 looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 96% of households in 81653 own their home, about 21 points above the Colorado average of 75%. 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.