Richmond, VA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Richmond

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Richmond leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.

 

About 80% of adults in the Richmond area typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Richmond area, ~48% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~20% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Richmond compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Richmond leans more Democratic than 71 of 86 neighbors.

Richmond runs about 14 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Richmond. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+38) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+19), a spread of about 56 points.

Why Richmond 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 Richmond, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 68% of residents in the Richmond area live in densely developed areas, about 32 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Richmond sits in the top quarter (about 41%, above 88% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in the Richmond area have never been married, above 87% of cities.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Richmond, 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 Richmond looks the way it does

Turnout in the Richmond area sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.