Riverhead, NY Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Riverhead

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Riverhead is a true toss-up. About 48% of voters here vote Democratic and 52% Republican.

 

About 56% of adults in Riverhead typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Riverhead, ~27% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Riverhead compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Riverhead leans more Republican than 37 of 80 neighbors.

Riverhead runs about 16 points more Republican than New York as a whole. New York leans Democratic overall, while Riverhead is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Riverhead. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+8) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+19), a spread of about 27 points.

Why Riverhead 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 Riverhead, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Riverhead votes against the grain of New York. New York leans Democratic overall, while Riverhead runs about 16 points more Republican.

High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout

Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Riverhead, NY does.

Why turnout in Riverhead looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Riverhead is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 32% of households in Riverhead rent, above 87% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 22% of adults in Riverhead report food insecurity, above 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

All Local Stats

Home Services

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York 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.