Rice leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 73% of adults in Rice typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rice, ~32% vote Democratic, ~41% Republican, and ~27% 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 8 of 55 neighbors.
Rice runs about 18 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Rice is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rice. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+2) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+29), a spread of about 31 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.
Rice votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Rice runs about 18 points more Republican.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Rice, VA sits in the top quarter 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 Rice looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Rice 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 63%, above 57% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Gills, VA R+30
- Stoddert, VA R+23
- Farmville, VA D+14
- Burkeville, VA Even
- Green Bay, VA R+19
- Paineville, VA R+38
- Hampden-Sydney, VA D+18
- Worsham, VA R+11
- Crewe, VA R+18
- Jetersville, VA R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Krebs, OK R+55
- Orrstown, PA R+65
- Hampton, FL R+72
- Burlington, ND R+64
- Boyceville, WI R+37
- Mapleton, ME R+32
- Bovey, MN R+28
- Burns Flat, OK R+68
- Benton, MS R+37
- McBean, GA R+33
All Local Stats
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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.