Portrait Of A Very Red Congressional District

The image above is of my own congressional district -- the 13th Congressional District of Texas. The Cook Partisan Voting Index lists this district as one of the two most Republican-leaning districts in the United States (tied with Alabama's 6th Congressional District at a +29). The district has been represented by a Republican for the last 18 years -- Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon). The GOP has such a strong grip on this district that the Democrats didn't even field a candidate in 2012.

It is a very large district, with only two cities of any substantial size -- Wichita Falls (2010  population 104,553) and Amarillo ( 2010 population 190,695). It covers 41 Texas counties and 40,000 square miles -- and is more than 350 miles in length. Here are a few other facts about the 13th District:

Population...............698,612

Male...............354.390 (50.7%)
Female...............344,222 (49.3%)

19 & under...............201,344 (28.8%)
20 to 34...............140,327 (20.1%)
35 to 54...............179,938 (25.8%)
55 to 64...............82,094 (11.8%)
65 & over...............94,969 (13.6%)

Median age...............35.8

Whites...............424,728 (60.8%)
Hispanic...............177,215 (25.4%)
Blacks...............38,535 (5.7%)
Native American...............5,459 (0.8%)
Asian...............11,982 (1.7%)
Other/Mixed...............40,693 (5.8%)

Born in Texas...............475,620 (68.1%)
Born in another state...............160,496 (23.0%)
Born in U.S. territory...............6,487 (0.9%)
Born in another country...............56,009 (8.0%)

Civilian labor force...............329,906
Employed...............308,973
Unemployed...............20,933 (6.4%)

Housing units...............299,861
Occupied...............252,387 (84.2%)
Vacant...............47,474 (15.8%)

Median household income...............$45,739
Mean (average) household income...............$59,705
Under $10k...............16,086 (6.4%)
$10k to $25k...............50,924 (20.2%)
$25k to $50k...............69,943 (27.7%)
$50k to $100k...............75,834 (30.1%)
Over $100k...............39,600 (15.7%)

No health insurance...............134,606
(20.2% of non-institutionalized population)

11.3% of all families live in poverty
18.3% of families w/children under 18 live in poverty
20.9% of families w/children under 5 live in poverty
31.7% of households headed by single female in poverty
41.4% of households headed by single female (w/kids under 18) in poverty
36.3% of households headed by single female (w/kids under 5) in poverty
15.1% of all people live in poverty
21.8% of all children under 18 live in poverty
12.7% of 18 to 64 year olds live in poverty
9.6% of those 65 and older live in poverty

82.8% of those over 25 have a high school degree or GED
19.6% of those over 25 have a 4-year college degree

If you would like to see a profile of your own congressional district, go to census.gov/mycd.