Riverdale Park is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Riverdale Park typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Riverdale Park, ~34% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Riverdale Park compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Riverdale Park leans more Democratic than 133 of 215 neighbors.
Riverdale Park runs about 27 points more Democratic than Maryland as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Riverdale Park. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+66) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+46), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Riverdale Park 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 Park, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 95% of residents in Riverdale Park live in densely developed areas, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in Riverdale Park have never been married, above 97% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Riverdale Park, MD sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Riverdale Park looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Riverdale Park 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 24%, about 16 points above the Maryland average of 8%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 60% of households in Riverdale Park rent, compared to around 39% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 30% of adults in Riverdale Park report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Edmonston, MD D+67
- East Riverdale, MD D+56
- University Park, MD D+59
- Hyattsville, MD D+57
- Bladensburg, MD D+68
- Riverdale, MD D+63
- North Brentwood, MD D+70
- Cottage City, MD D+68
- Brentwood, MD D+68
- Colmar Manor, MD D+65
Cities with Similar Populations
- Blakely, GA D+5
- Cumberland Center, ME D+22
- Belvidere, NJ R+27
- Shrewsbury, MO D+32
- Carrizo Springs, TX R+5
- North Scituate, MA D+21
- Melrose, FL R+56
- Wisconsin Dells, WI R+21
- Marriottsville, MD D+5
- Carmi, IL R+52
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.