Charles leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% 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 51% of adults in Charles typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Charles, ~34% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Charles compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Charles leans more Democratic than 14 of 33 neighbors.
Charles runs about 19 points more Democratic than Rhode Island as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Charles. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+39) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+23), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Charles 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 Charles, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 47% of adults in Charles have never been married, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 29%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Charles, Providence, RI sits in the top quarter 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 Charles looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 29% of adults in Charles report food insecurity, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 85% of adults in Charles have completed high school, below 76% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Wanskuck, Providence, RI D+40
- Hope, Providence, RI D+78
- Mount Hope, Providence, RI D+74
- Marieville, Providence, RI D+12
- Smith Hill, Providence, RI D+47
- Elmhurst, Providence, RI D+31
- Fairlawn, Pawtucket, RI D+22
- Woodlawn, Pawtucket, RI D+40
- Blackstone, Providence, RI D+74
- College Hill, Providence, RI D+78
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Behrman, New Orleans, LA D+79
- Miramar, San Diego, CA R+20
- Mission-Foothill, Hayward, CA D+43
- Heritage Hills, Austin, TX D+47
- Cheesman Park, Denver, CO D+72
- Lakemont, Bellevue, WA D+41
- Marina, San Diego, CA D+45
- Kingfield, Minneapolis, MN D+82
- Coves North, Kansas City, MO D+9
- East Grove, Escondido, CA D+5
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.