02881 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% 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 02881 typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02881, ~34% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02881 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02881 leans more Democratic than 25 of 26 neighbors.
02881 runs about 28 points more Democratic than Rhode Island as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 02881. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+49) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+16), a spread of about 34 points.
Why 02881 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 02881, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 71% of adults in 02881 hold a bachelor's degree, about 43 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 81% of adults in 02881 have never been married, in the top fraction of zip codes.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; 02881, RI sits in the top tenth 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 02881 looks the way it does
Areas with low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 98% of adults in 02881 have completed high school, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and 02881 sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. 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.