Oil Center is a Republican stronghold. About 13% of voters here vote Democratic and 87% Republican.
About 57% of adults in Oil Center typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oil Center, ~8% vote Democratic, ~49% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Oil Center compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Oil Center leans more Republican than 4 of 6 neighbors.
Oil Center runs about 80 points more Republican than New Mexico as a whole. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Oil Center is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Oil Center 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 Oil Center, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Oil Center votes against the grain of New Mexico. New Mexico leans Democratic overall, while Oil Center runs about 80 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Oil Center sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 4%, below 84% of cities). Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Oil Center sits in the bottom quarter (about 13%, below 85% of cities).
Population density, never-married share, and Republican lean
Places that combine low population density and a never-married-heavy adult population tend to lean Republican, as Oil Center, NM does.
Why turnout in Oil Center looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Oil Center 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 21%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 10%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in Oil Center report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Eunice, NM R+61
- Monument, NM R+76
- Knowles, NM R+78
- Nadine, NM R+56
- Jal, NM R+56
- Hobbs, NM R+43
- North Hobbs, NM R+66
- Humble City, NM R+72
- Lovington, NM R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Cordelia, CA Even
- Artesia Wells, TX R+47
- Coldwater, KY R+60
- DeLena, OR R+34
- Isney, AL R+37
- Motters, MD R+55
- Number Four, NY R+25
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.