Riverdale is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 48% of adults in Riverdale typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Riverdale, ~39% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Riverdale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Riverdale leans more Democratic than 152 of 214 neighbors.
Riverdale runs about 34 points more Democratic than Maryland as a whole.
Why Riverdale 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 Riverdale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 88% of residents in Riverdale live in densely developed areas, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 43% of adults in Riverdale have never been married, above 96% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Riverdale, MD 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 Riverdale looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Riverdale is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 20%, about 12 points above the Maryland average of 8%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in Riverdale report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- East Riverdale, MD D+56
- Landover Hills, MD D+60
- New Carrollton, MD D+70
- Riverdale Park, MD D+56
- Bladensburg, MD D+68
- Edmonston, MD D+67
- Cheverly, MD D+72
- Landover, MD D+78
- Lanham, MD D+68
- University Park, MD D+59
Cities with Similar Populations
- Appling, GA R+45
- Lone Jack, MO R+48
- Spout Springs, NC R+10
- New Bremen, OH R+63
- Lookout Mountain, GA R+43
- Stigler, OK R+63
- Cross Roads, TX R+14
- Meadowbrook, CA R+11
- Roosevelt Park, MI D+7
- Frenchtown, NJ R+8
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Maryland 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.