Railroad leans Republican by roughly 26 points: about 37% of voters vote Democratic and 63% Republican.
About 89% of adults in Railroad typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Railroad, ~33% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~11% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Railroad compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Railroad leans more Republican than 41 of 114 neighbors.
Railroad runs about 24 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Railroad. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+43) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+23), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Railroad 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 Railroad, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Railroad votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 49%, well above the Pennsylvania average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Railroad, PA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in Railroad looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Railroad 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Railroad have completed high school, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- New Freedom, PA R+25
- Shrewsbury, PA R+16
- Glen Rock, PA R+39
- Rockville, PA R+54
- Freeland, MD R+26
- Stewartstown, PA R+43
- Wiley, PA R+51
- Loganville, PA R+20
- Winterstown, PA R+56
- Seven Valleys, PA R+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Quakake, PA R+39
- Masters, MO R+66
- Queens, KY R+65
- Jerico, IA R+46
- Hackett, MN R+43
- Tilden, KY R+62
- Woodsville, NJ D+8
- Toyei, AZ D+60
- Swastika, NY R+22
- West Park, NY D+23
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.