Ridgecrest leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Ridgecrest typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ridgecrest, ~47% vote Democratic, ~37% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ridgecrest compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ridgecrest leans more Democratic than 52 of 59 neighbors.
Ridgecrest runs about 14 points more Democratic than North Carolina as a whole. North Carolina leans Republican overall, while Ridgecrest is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ridgecrest. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+22) and the east side runs the most Republican (R+50), a spread of about 72 points.
Why Ridgecrest 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 Ridgecrest, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 48% of adults in Ridgecrest hold a bachelor's degree, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in Ridgecrest have never been married, above 97% of cities. Ridgecrest runs against the grain of North Carolina, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Ridgecrest, NC 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 Ridgecrest looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ridgecrest 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Black Mountain, NC D+18
- Montreat, NC D+17
- Graphite, NC R+10
- Swannanoa, NC D+5
- Summerhaven, NC D+8
- Moffitt Hill, NC R+50
- Old Fort, NC R+51
- Gerton, NC R+15
- Fairview, NC D+4
- Greenlee, NC R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lockesburg, AR R+70
- Clayton, MI R+48
- Clarks, LA R+74
- Millmont, PA R+66
- Vina, AL R+85
- Maysville, OK R+67
- Wardensville, WV R+60
- Metlakatla, AK Even
- Sugar Grove, PA R+55
- Savanna, OK R+65
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from North Carolina State Board 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.