Lakewood leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% 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 66% of adults in Lakewood typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Lakewood, ~37% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Lakewood compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Lakewood leans more Democratic than 8 of 27 neighbors.
Politically, Lakewood sits close to the rest of Rhode Island.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Lakewood. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+20) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+6), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Lakewood leans the way it does
Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in Lakewood. None of them point strongly toward either party.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Lakewood, Warwick, RI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Lakewood looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Lakewood is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 88% of households in Lakewood own their home, compared to around 58% in nearby neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Edgewood, Cranston, RI D+43
- South Elmwood, Providence, RI D+28
- Auburn, Cranston, RI D+18
- Washington Park, Providence, RI D+39
- Garden City, Cranston, RI D+10
- Reservoir, Providence, RI D+22
- Elmwood, Providence, RI D+39
- Kent Corner, Riverside, RI D+5
- Lower South Providence, Providence, RI D+39
- Wayland, Providence, RI D+40
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Three Chopt, Richmond, VA D+23
- Swansboro, Richmond, VA D+78
- Downtown North East, North East, PA R+12
- Linwood, Columbus, OH D+76
- Tech Terrace-U.N.I.T., Lubbock, TX D+18
- Southchase Village, Southchase, FL D+7
- Vale and Eastern Avenue, Schenectady, NY D+42
- Woodland Edge, Little Rock, AR D+17
- Downtown Tampa, Tampa, FL D+17
- Queens-Magnolia Terrace, Jackson, MS D+86
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.