Bellemeade is a Democratic stronghold. About 91% of voters here vote Democratic and 9% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Bellemeade typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bellemeade, ~51% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bellemeade compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Bellemeade leans more Democratic than 14 of 15 neighbors.
Bellemeade runs about 77 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Why Bellemeade leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Bellemeade, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 60% of adults in Bellemeade have never been married, well above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 43%).
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Bellemeade, Richmond, VA does.
Why turnout in Bellemeade looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Bellemeade is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 42%, about 22 points below the Virginia average of 64%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 49% of adults in Bellemeade report food insecurity, above 98% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Bellemeade sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Swansboro, Richmond, VA D+78
- Jeff Davis, Richmond, VA D+58
- Old Town Manchester, Richmond, VA D+64
- Reedy Creek, Richmond, VA D+70
- Southwood, Richmond, VA D+37
- Shockoe Bottom, Richmond, VA D+65
- Fulton, Montrose Heights, VA D+77
- Church Hill, Richmond, VA D+74
- Monroe Ward, Richmond, VA D+56
- VCU, Richmond, VA D+71
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Edgemoor, St. Petersburg, FL Even
- Old Town, Lansing, MI D+47
- Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA D+42
- South Walker, Oklahoma City, OK D+10
- South Plaza, Kansas City, MO D+51
- Riverview Park, Tulsa, OK D+41
- Huckleberry Fields, Alafaya, FL Even
- Highland Park, Birmingham, AL D+36
- Aurora-Butteville-Barlow, Canby, OR D+14
- Woodland Edge, Little Rock, AR D+17
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.