Riley is a Republican stronghold. About 18% of voters here vote Democratic and 82% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Riley typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Riley, ~12% vote Democratic, ~56% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Riley compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Riley leans more Republican than 45 of 84 neighbors.
Riley runs about 34 points more Republican than Kentucky as a whole.
Why Riley 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 Riley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 88% of residents in Riley drive to work alone, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 74%. A high white share with below-average college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Riley fits that profile on both counts.
Population density and Republican lean
Places with low population density tend to lean Republican; Riley, KY sits below the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Riley looks the way it does
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 90% of households in Riley own their home, about 13 points above the Kentucky average of 78%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Gravel Switch, KY R+64
- Bradfordsville, KY R+65
- Texas, KY R+64
- Jessietown, KY R+59
- Jacktown, KY R+68
- Jimtown, KY R+50
- Lebanon, KY R+38
- Mitchellsburg, KY R+64
- Parksville, KY R+65
- Perryville, KY R+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Fort Coffee, OK R+25
- Piseco, NY R+45
- Hubbard, MS D+21
- Nineveh Junction, NY R+39
- Wintergreen, VA R+10
- Coxville, TN R+63
- Lakeland Shores, MN R+2
- Haralson, GA R+52
- Wellsville, MI R+44
- Smyrna, MI R+42
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Kentucky 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.