87461 leans Democratic by roughly 26 points: about 63% of voters vote Democratic and 37% Republican.
About 66% of adults in 87461 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 87461, ~41% vote Democratic, ~24% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 87461 compares
87461 runs about 20 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Why 87461 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 87461, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 57% of adults in 87461 have never been married, far above similar-sized zip codes (around 23%).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; 87461, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 87461 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 87461 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 43%, about 15 points below the New Mexico average of 58%. 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.