Bensley leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Bensley typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Bensley, ~27% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Bensley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Bensley leans more Democratic than 68 of 83 neighbors.
Bensley runs about 17 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Bensley. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+35) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+11), a spread of about 24 points.
Why Bensley leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Bensley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 88% of residents in Bensley live in densely developed areas, about 52 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 53% of adults in Bensley have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Bensley, VA 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 Bensley looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Bensley 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 48%, about 16 points below the Virginia average of 64%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 55% of households in Bensley rent, compared to around 31% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Bensley report food insecurity, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Meadowbrook, VA D+45
- Bellwood, VA D+26
- Henrico, VA D+48
- Varina, VA D+13
- Deerfield Estates, VA R+3
- Montrose Heights, VA D+52
- Manchester, VA D+29
- Montrose, VA D+68
- Richmond, VA D+19
- Chester, VA D+14
Cities with Similar Populations
- Leakesville, MS R+38
- Redwood Valley, CA R+4
- Arlington Heights, PA D+8
- Flourtown, PA D+32
- East Greenville, PA R+19
- Alfred, ME R+22
- Lawson, MO R+53
- Bartonville, IL R+16
- Connell, WA R+47
- Waverly, OH R+60
All Local Stats
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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.