Riverside, CA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Riverside

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

Riverside is a true toss-up. About 51% of voters here vote Democratic and 49% Republican.

 

About 52% of adults in the Riverside area typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Riverside area, ~26% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Riverside compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Riverside sits roughly in the middle of the political spectrum, with 50 neighbors leaning further in the place's direction and 24 leaning the other way.

Riverside runs about 19 points more Republican than California as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Riverside. The southeast side runs the most Democratic (D+9) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+25), a spread of about 33 points.

Why Riverside leans the way it does

Density, race composition, education, and family structure all sit close to their national averages in the Riverside area. The lean here lands roughly where demographic data alone would predict.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Riverside, CA 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 Riverside looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Riverside 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 34% of households in the Riverside area rent, above 89% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 23% of adults in the Riverside area report food insecurity, above 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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Sources and methodology

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