Waco is a true toss-up. About 52% of voters here vote Democratic and 48% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Waco typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waco, ~24% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waco compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Waco leans more Democratic than 50 of 53 neighbors.
Waco runs about 17 points more Democratic than Texas as a whole. Texas leans Republican overall, while Waco is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Waco. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+15) and the northwest side runs the most Republican (R+30), a spread of about 45 points.
Why Waco 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 Waco, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Waco votes against the grain of Texas. Texas leans Republican overall, while Waco runs about 17 points more Democratic.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Waco, TX sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Waco looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Waco 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 45%, about 8 points below the Texas average of 54%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 48% of households in Waco rent, compared to around 26% in nearby cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Beverly Hills, TX Even
- Bellmead, TX D+4
- Lacy-Lakeview, TX D+3
- Woodway, TX R+30
- Robinson, TX R+51
- Hewitt, TX R+26
- Elm Mott, TX R+57
- Lorena, TX R+52
- Ocee, TX R+65
- Hallsburg, TX R+68
Cities with Similar Populations
- Joliet, IL D+22
- Bend, OR D+16
- Pueblo, CO D+8
- Temecula, CA R+11
- Concord, CA D+33
- Delray Beach, FL D+11
- Spartanburg, SC R+4
- Asheville, NC D+39
- Arvada, CO D+15
- Fargo, ND D+3
All Local Stats
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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.