Riverdale leans heavily Republican by roughly 48 points: about 26% of voters vote Democratic and 74% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Riverdale typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Riverdale, ~20% vote Democratic, ~59% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Riverdale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Riverdale leans more Republican than 44 of 56 neighbors.
Riverdale runs about 47 points more Republican than Michigan 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.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 11% of adults in Riverdale hold a bachelor's degree, about 15 points below the Michigan average of 26%. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Riverdale drive to work alone, above 81% of cities.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Riverdale, MI sits in the bottom 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
Homeowners vote more often than renters. About 91% of households in Riverdale own their home, about 8 points above the Michigan average of 83%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Strickland, MI R+49
- Elm Hall, MI R+49
- Elwell, MI R+49
- Vestaburg, MI R+51
- Cedar Lake, MI R+49
- Sumner, MI R+48
- Winn, MI R+42
- Alma, MI R+14
- Crystal, MI R+46
- Mcbrides, MI R+51
Cities with Similar Populations
- Keewatin, MN R+18
- Strong, AR R+14
- Prattsville, AR R+75
- Grady, AL R+29
- McCool, MS R+37
- Empire, MI D+14
- Iron City, GA R+41
- Wooton, KY R+74
- Pone, TX R+61
- Corolla, NC R+24
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Michigan Department 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.