02860 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 32 points: about 66% of voters vote Democratic and 34% 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 47% of adults in 02860 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02860, ~31% vote Democratic, ~16% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02860 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02860 leans more Democratic than 49 of 56 neighbors.
02860 runs about 19 points more Democratic than Rhode Island as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 02860. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+53) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+13), a spread of about 40 points.
Why 02860 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 02860, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 46% of adults in 02860 have never been married, modestly above similar-sized zip codes (around 34%).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; 02860, RI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 02860 looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 02860 is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 58% of households in 02860 rent, about 33 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in 02860 report food insecurity, above 91% 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.