Imperial is a Republican stronghold. About 23% of voters here vote Democratic and 77% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Imperial typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Imperial, ~14% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Imperial compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Imperial leans more Republican than 2 of 5 neighbors.
Imperial runs about 40 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Why Imperial 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 Imperial, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 5% of adults in Imperial hold a bachelor's degree, about 21 points below the Texas average of 26%. Rural areas vote Republican, and Imperial sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 3%, below 93% of cities).
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Imperial, TX sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Imperial looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Imperial is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 27%, about 9 points above the Texas average of 19%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Imperial sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Grandfalls, TX R+73
- Crane, TX R+48
- Coyanosa, TX R+52
- Monahans, TX R+54
- Thorntonville, TX R+73
- Wickett, TX R+73
- Penwell, TX R+67
- Fort Stockton, TX R+25
- McCamey, TX R+50
- Pyote, TX R+37
Cities with Similar Populations
- Acosta, PA R+64
- Edom, TX R+77
- Emeigh, PA R+62
- Sabine Pass, TX R+72
- Ophir, NC R+69
- Milford Junction, IN R+65
- Stockham, NE R+69
- East Jamestown, TN R+65
- Bordelonville, LA R+81
- Greenfield, NM R+54
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.