Rice leans heavily Republican by roughly 30 points: about 35% of voters vote Democratic and 65% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Rice typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rice, ~18% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rice compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rice leans more Republican than 4 of 70 neighbors.
Rice runs about 17 points more Republican than Texas as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rice. The northeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+44) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+26), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Rice 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 Rice, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 13% of adults in Rice hold a bachelor's degree, about 13 points below the Texas average of 26%.
Park access and Republican lean
Places with low park coverage tend to lean Republican; Rice, TX sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Park access does not change how people vote; it tends to track denser, higher-income areas.
Why turnout in Rice looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Rice is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 24%, about 5 points above the Texas average of 19%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 79% of adults in Rice have completed high school, below 92% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Alma, TX R+48
- Chatfield, TX R+42
- Roane, TX R+32
- Emhouse, TX R+46
- Ensign, TX R+67
- Byrd, TX R+61
- Ennis, TX R+28
- Corsicana, TX R+16
- Powell, TX R+51
- Bardwell, TX R+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lima, NY R+15
- Southern Shops, SC Even
- Lincoln, ND R+50
- Tornillo, TX Even
- Pittsfield, ME R+29
- Provincetown, MA D+69
- Indian Rocks Beach, FL R+21
- Gaston, OR R+14
- New Ringgold, PA R+48
- Double Springs, AL R+84
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Texas Secretary of State, Elections Division, 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.