02831 leans slightly Republican by roughly 14 points: about 43% of voters vote Democratic and 57% 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 84% of adults in 02831 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02831, ~36% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02831 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02831 leans more Republican than 34 of 40 neighbors.
02831 runs about 29 points more Republican than Rhode Island as a whole. Rhode Island leans Democratic overall, while 02831 is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why 02831 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 02831, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
02831 votes against the grain of Rhode Island. Rhode Island leans Democratic overall, while 02831 runs about 29 points more Republican.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 02831, RI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in 02831 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 02831 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 95% of households in 02831 own their home, compared to around 78% in nearby zip codes. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in 02831 have completed high school, above 86% of zip codes. 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.