87521 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 51% of adults in 87521 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 87521, ~33% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 87521 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 87521 leans more Democratic than 7 of 9 neighbors.
87521 runs about 24 points more Democratic than New Mexico as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 87521. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+50) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+11), a spread of about 38 points.
Why 87521 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 87521, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 39% of adults in 87521 have never been married, modestly above similar-sized zip codes (around 29%).
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 87521, NM sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 87521 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 87521 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 23% of adults in 87521 report food insecurity, above 86% 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.