Willacy County leans slightly Republican by roughly 6 points: about 47% of voters vote Democratic and 53% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Willacy County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Willacy County, ~22% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Willacy County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Willacy County leans more Republican than 2 of 3 neighbors.
Willacy County runs about 7 points more Democratic than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Willacy County. The north side runs the most Democratic (D+4) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+42), a spread of about 47 points.
Why Willacy County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Willacy County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 14% of adults in Willacy County hold a bachelor's degree, about 12 points below the Texas average of 26%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 82% of residents in Willacy County drive to work alone, above 81% of counties. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 75% of households in Willacy County are family households, above 95% of counties.
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 Willacy County, TX does.
Why turnout in Willacy County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Willacy County 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 41%, about 13 points below the Texas average of 54%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 70% of adults in Willacy County have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Hidalgo County, TX R+2
- Cameron County, TX R+2
- Kenedy County, TX R+44
- Brooks County, TX D+7
- Starr County, TX R+7
- Kleberg County, TX R+6
- Jim Hogg County, TX R+2
- Nueces County, TX R+4
- Jim Wells County, TX R+14
- Duval County, TX R+10
Counties with Similar Populations
- Labette County, KS R+42
- St. James Parish, LA D+3
- Crisp County, GA R+7
- Calhoun County, TX R+37
- Morgan County, GA R+45
- DeKalb County, TN R+63
- Bourbon County, KY R+37
- Winneshiek County, IA R+13
- Hempstead County, AR R+18
- Yell County, AR R+59
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.