02809 leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Rhode Island did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 69% of adults in 02809 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02809, ~37% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02809 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02809 leans more Democratic than 21 of 47 neighbors.
02809 runs about 5 points more Republican than Rhode Island as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 02809. The south side runs the most Democratic (D+26) and the east side runs the most Republican (R+16), a spread of about 43 points.
Why 02809 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 02809, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 49% of adults in 02809 hold a bachelor's degree, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 39% of adults in 02809 have never been married, above 86% of zip codes.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; 02809, RI sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 02809 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 02809 is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Rhode Island Board of Elections, 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. RI did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.