Penrose is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Penrose typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Penrose, ~53% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Penrose compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Penrose leans more Democratic than 26 of 57 neighbors.
Penrose runs about 52 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Why Penrose 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 Penrose, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Penrose live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Penrose sits in the top quarter (about 63%, above 84% of neighborhoods).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Penrose, Arlington, 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 Penrose looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Penrose 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Columbia Heghts, Arlington, VA D+61
- Lyon Park, Arlington, VA D+56
- Douglas Park, Arlington, VA D+53
- Nauck, Arlington, VA D+67
- Arlington Ridge, Arlington, VA D+60
- Ashton Heights, Arlington, VA D+62
- Clarendon, Arlington, VA D+60
- Barcroft, Arlington, VA D+48
- Buckingham, Arlington, VA D+52
- Long Branch Creek, Arlington, VA D+59
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Abram-Perezville, Mission, TX R+6
- University Park-Gainsville, Gainesville, FL D+41
- Rodgers Forge, Towson, MD D+47
- Northgate Sacramento, Sacramento, CA D+32
- Downtown, St. Louis, MO D+67
- Dayton-Campbell Historic District, Hamilton, OH R+11
- Honey Creek Manor, Milwaukee, WI D+9
- East Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX D+62
- Downtown Fayetteville, Fayetteville, NC D+63
- Delaware-West Ferry, Buffalo, NY D+67
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.