87038 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican.
About 37% of adults in 87038 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 87038, ~27% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 87038 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 87038 leans more Democratic than 2 of 6 neighbors.
87038 runs about 40 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Why 87038 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 87038, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 47% of adults in 87038 have never been married, well above similar-sized zip codes (around 27%).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 87038, NM sits in the bottom quarter 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 87038 looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 36% of adults in 87038 report food insecurity, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and 87038 sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and more than 99% of adults in 87038 have completed high school, in the top 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 New Mexico Secretary of State, Bureau of 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.