Rio Rico leans slightly Democratic by roughly 10 points: about 55% of voters vote Democratic and 45% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Rio Rico typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rio Rico, ~38% vote Democratic, ~31% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rio Rico compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rio Rico leans more Democratic than 8 of 9 neighbors.
Rio Rico runs about 16 points more Democratic than Arizona as a whole. Arizona leans Republican overall, while Rio Rico is one of the few Democratic-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Rio Rico. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+14) and the north side runs the most Republican (Even), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Rio Rico 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 Rio Rico, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting. Non-Hispanic white share in Rio Rico is about 12%, about 60 points below the U.S. average of 72%. Rio Rico runs against the grain of Arizona, a Democratic-leaning pocket in a Republican-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Rio Rico, AZ sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Rio Rico looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Rio Rico is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 50%, about 10 points below the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Tumacacori, AZ D+4
- Nogales, AZ D+29
- Carmen, AZ D+3
- Tubac, AZ R+4
- Patagonia, AZ R+14
- Washington Camp, AZ R+4
- Amado, AZ R+4
- Arivaca, AZ R+26
- Sonoita, AZ R+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Liberty Hill, TX R+35
- Blairsville, GA R+58
- Sonora, CA R+17
- Kapaa, HI D+20
- Murphy, TX R+8
- Belleview, FL R+41
- Shorewood, IL R+6
- Coldwater, MI R+28
- Lawrenceburg, KY R+49
- Hannibal, MO R+37
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arizona Secretary of State, 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.