Texas 16th Congressional District, Texas: Populist district. In 2024, voted D+15%. Democratic peak: D+73 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+15MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 271,3992024 5-year
- Median household income
- $59,8062024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 29.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 82.7%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+73 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+21 in 1972MIT Election Lab
D
ESCOBAR, Veronica
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: O'ROURKE, Beto (2017–2019), O'ROURKE, Beto (2015–2017), O'ROURKE, Beto (2013–2015), REYES, Silvestre (2011–2013)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 16, TXOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 44,618 | 32,764 | 78,543 | ||
| D | 55,517 | 26,284 | 83,284 | ||
| D | 46,079 | 17,302 | 67,297 | ||
| D | 35,204 | 17,812 | 53,827 | ||
| D | 38,031 | 19,256 | 57,732 | ||
| D | 29,653 | 22,834 | 52,851 | ||
| D | 26,133 | 17,944 | 45,206 | ||
| D | 26,169 | 13,481 | 41,986 | ||
| D | 21,105 | 14,718 | 42,127 | ||
| D | 19,518 | 17,321 | 37,021 | ||
| R | 16,181 | 20,606 | 36,912 | ||
| R | 12,493 | 16,605 | 31,020 | ||
| D | 14,174 | 13,308 | 27,884 | ||
| R | 10,109 | 15,578 | 25,897 | ||
| D | 10,179 | 9,458 | 21,230 | ||
| D | 10,924 | 6,448 | 17,431 | ||
| D | 8,112 | 6,717 | 14,860 | ||
| R | 4,724 | 5,776 | 10,560 | ||
| R | 4,549 | 6,235 | 10,799 | ||
| D | 4,781 | 1,728 | 6,685 | ||
| D | 3,561 | 646 | 4,899 | ||
| D | 3,857 | 1,173 | 5,038 | ||
| D | 3,715 | 553 | 4,304 | ||
| D | 3,533 | 885 | 4,486 | ||
| D | 1,906 | 1,886 | 3,791 | ||
| D | 2,393 | 380 | 2,818 | ||
| D | 1,291 | 1,269 | 2,583 | ||
| D | 1,123 | 552 | 1,720 | ||
| D | 908 | 91 | 1,296 | ||
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Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | R | 44.6% | 53.1% | 11,291,854 |
| 2020 | R | 43.9% | 53.5% | 11,144,040 |
| 2018 | R | 48.3% | 50.9% | 8,371,655 |
| 2014 | R | 34.4% | 61.6% | 4,648,358 |
| 2012 | R | 40.6% | 56.5% | 7,864,822 |
| 2008 | R | 42.8% | 54.8% | 7,912,075 |
| 2006 | R | 36.0% | 61.7% | 4,314,663 |
| 2002 | R | 43.3% | 55.3% | 4,514,012 |
| 2000 | R | 32.3% | 65.1% | 6,267,964 |
| 1996 | R | 43.9% | 54.8% | 5,527,441 |
| 1994 | R | 38.3% | 60.8% | 4,279,940 |
| 1990 | R | 37.4% | 60.2% | 3,822,157 |
| 1988 | D | 59.2% | 40.0% | 5,323,606 |
| 1984 | R | 41.4% | 58.5% | 5,314,178 |
| 1982 | D | 58.6% | 40.5% | 3,103,167 |
| 1978 | R | 49.3% | 49.8% | 2,312,540 |
| 1976 | D | 56.8% | 42.2% | 3,874,230 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
3.6%
Irish
2.2%
American
2.2%
English
2.0%
Italian
1.1%
French
0.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 33.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$59,806
Congressional District 16 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 16$59,806
Texas$78,476
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
18.7%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1824.6%
Working age (18–64)15.9%
Seniors (65+)26.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
32.0%
speak English only
Spanish66.1%
Other Indo-European0.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.8%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 37.6% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Centered on El Paso, this majority-Hispanic district has voted Democratic by double digits in every recent presidential cycle, reflecting a border-region electorate where Latino turnout and cross-border economic ties shape voter priorities.
The Democratic margin in Texas 16th Congressional District peaked at seventy-three points in 1936. By 1988 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was fifteen points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $59,806 sits well below state and national norms, and 19% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 16, Texas. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/4816/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 16, Texas vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 16, Texas voted Democratic by 15.1 points (D+15), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 78,543 votes cast, 44,618 went Democratic and 32,764 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 16, Texas's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 16, Texas as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 24 times, Republican 5 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 16, Texas last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 16, Texas voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Congressional District 16, Texas?
Congressional District 16, Texas has a population of 271,399 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 16, Texas?
Median household income in Congressional District 16, Texas is $59,806 — below the national median of $80,734. The Texas state median is $78,476.
What is the political history of Congressional District 16, Texas?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 16, Texas from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 24 went Democratic and 5 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.