Central Southwest is a Democratic stronghold. About 76% of voters here vote Democratic and 24% Republican.
About 42% of adults in Central Southwest typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central Southwest, ~32% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central Southwest compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central Southwest leans more Democratic than 5 of 7 neighbors.
Central Southwest runs about 65 points more Democratic than Texas as a whole. Texas leans Republican overall, while Central Southwest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central Southwest. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 36 points.
Why Central Southwest leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Central Southwest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Central Southwest votes against the grain of Texas. Texas leans Republican overall, while Central Southwest runs about 65 points more Democratic.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a high uninsured rate tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Central Southwest, Houston, TX does.
Why turnout in Central Southwest looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Central Southwest 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 44%, about 9 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 70% of adults in Central Southwest have completed high school, below 94% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Westbury, Houston, TX D+43
- Fort Bend Houston, Missouri City, TX D+68
- Fondren Gardens, Houston, TX D+44
- Willow Meadows-Willowbend Area, Houston, TX D+36
- South Main, Houston, TX D+60
- Meyerland, Houston, TX D+29
- Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland, TX D+33
- Brays Oaks, Houston, TX D+42
- Medical, Houston, TX D+41
- West University, Houston, TX D+14
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Beacon Hill, Seattle, WA D+60
- Sugar House, Salt Lake City, UT D+53
- University District, Seattle, WA D+67
- Oakland Gardens, Queens, NY Even
- Bustleton, Philadelphia, PA R+3
- Columbia Heights, Washington, DC D+83
- City Heights East, San Diego, CA D+31
- Glendale, Queens, NY R+8
- Brighton Park, Chicago, IL D+32
- East Side, Long Beach, CA D+52
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.