02861 leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% 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 58% of adults in 02861 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02861, ~32% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02861 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02861 leans more Democratic than 38 of 55 neighbors.
Politically, 02861 sits close to the rest of Rhode Island.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 02861. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+19) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+6), a spread of about 14 points.
Why 02861 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 02861, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 38% of adults in 02861 have never been married, modestly above similar-sized zip codes (around 33%).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; 02861, RI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 02861 looks the way it does
Turnout in 02861 sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. 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.