02838 leans slightly Democratic by roughly 6 points: about 53% of voters vote Democratic and 47% 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 71% of adults in 02838 typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02838, ~38% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02838 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02838 leans more Democratic than 26 of 58 neighbors.
02838 runs about 7 points more Republican than Rhode Island as a whole.
Why 02838 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 02838, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 36% of adults in 02838 have never been married, modestly above similar-sized zip codes (around 26%).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; 02838, RI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in 02838 looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. 02838 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 74%, about 14 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.