Gatesville leans heavily Republican by roughly 42 points: about 29% of voters vote Democratic and 71% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Gatesville typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Gatesville, ~17% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Gatesville compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Gatesville leans more Republican than 4 of 32 neighbors.
Gatesville runs about 29 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Gatesville. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the northeast side is the least Republican-leaning (R+14), a spread of about 59 points.
Why Gatesville leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Gatesville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Gatesville drive to work alone, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 74%.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Gatesville, TX 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 Gatesville looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Gatesville 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 49%, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 38% of households in Gatesville rent, compared to around 20% in nearby cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 86% of adults in Gatesville have completed high school, below 76% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- South Mountain, TX R+73
- Ireland, TX R+62
- Mound, TX R+74
- Arnett, TX R+75
- Levita, TX R+79
- Leon Junction, TX R+74
- Turnersville, TX R+80
- Osage, TX R+75
- Oglesby, TX R+72
- Flat, TX R+74
Cities with Similar Populations
- Spring Lake, NC D+14
- Sun Valley, NV R+4
- Greenwood, MS D+51
- Gardner, MA D+3
- Toccoa, GA R+51
- Elkridge, MD D+45
- Chalmette, LA R+10
- McNair, VA D+46
- Petal, MS R+60
- Ferndale, MI D+53
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.