88081 leans slightly Republican by roughly 10 points: about 45% of voters vote Democratic and 55% Republican.
About 41% of adults in 88081 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 88081, ~19% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 88081 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 88081 leans more Republican than 7 of 10 neighbors.
88081 runs about 15 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while 88081 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 88081. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+69) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+4), a spread of about 65 points.
Why 88081 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 88081, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in 88081 hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the New Mexico average of 24%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 82% of households in 88081 are family households, above 95% of zip codes. 88081 runs against the grain of New Mexico, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; 88081, NM sits in the bottom quarter 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 88081 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 88081 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 50%, about 8 points below the New Mexico average of 58%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 37% of adults in 88081 report food insecurity, above 97% of zip codes. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 69% of adults in 88081 have completed high school, below 98% 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.