Downtown Riverside leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 49% of adults in Downtown Riverside typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown Riverside, ~29% vote Democratic, ~20% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downtown Riverside compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Downtown Riverside leans more Democratic than 12 of 14 neighbors.
Politically, Downtown Riverside sits close to the rest of California.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown Riverside. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+29) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+12), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Downtown Riverside 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 Downtown Riverside, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 51% of adults in Downtown Riverside have never been married, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 29%.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with low colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Downtown Riverside, Riverside, CA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Downtown Riverside looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 69% of households in Downtown Riverside rent, about 44 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 10% of homes in Downtown Riverside have more than one occupant per room, above 91% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Eastside, Riverside, CA D+31
- Wood Streets, Riverside, CA D+17
- Northside, Riverside, CA D+17
- Hunter Industrial Park, Riverside, CA D+19
- Grand, Riverside, CA D+4
- Victoria, Riverside, CA D+3
- University, Riverside, CA D+29
- Magnolia Center, Riverside, CA D+8
- Canyon Crest, Riverside, CA D+10
- Casablanca, Riverside, CA D+17
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Haller Lake, Seattle, WA D+60
- Cedar-Riverside, Minneapolis, MN D+66
- Lakewood, Sunnyvale, CA D+30
- Central, Minneapolis, MN D+67
- Otter Creek Crystal, Little Rock, AR D+52
- Upper Baseline, Little Rock, AR D+61
- Holiday Hill, Jacksonville, FL D+18
- Institute Park, Worcester, MA D+50
- Downtown Glendale, Glendale, AZ D+16
- Forest Hills, Tampa, FL R+8
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from California Secretary of State, 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.