East Texas hub where rural heritage meets a shifting economic base
Palestine anchors Anderson County in deep East Texas, where timber, rail history, and a large state prison complex shape both the local economy and a population that skews more diverse than surrounding rural counties.
| Group | Palestine, TX | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 60.0% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(7) | 21.4% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(10) | 15.7% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 1.5% | 4.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(4) | 0.8% | 0.9% |
▶Asian(5) | 0.6% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(1) | 0.1% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -53.5pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.6% | 65.2% | — | — | |
| 8.6% | 16.2% | — | — | |
| 4.3% | 8.0% | — | — | |
| 3.8% | 7.2% | — | — | |
| 1.8% | 3.4% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 1.5% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 46.9% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Palestine, TX metro area? 227,895 residents across 4 counties.
12% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 21pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+28 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+61.8 | R+58.0 | 3.8pp |