Roosevelt Island is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 51% of adults in Roosevelt Island typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roosevelt Island, ~40% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roosevelt Island compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Roosevelt Island leans more Democratic than 18 of 44 neighbors.
Roosevelt Island runs about 44 points more Democratic than New York as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Roosevelt Island. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+49), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Roosevelt Island leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Roosevelt Island, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 73% of adults in Roosevelt Island hold a bachelor's degree, about 44 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Roosevelt Island, Manhattan, NY sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Roosevelt Island looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 84% of households in Roosevelt Island rent, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Roosevelt Island sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 10% of homes in Roosevelt Island have more than one occupant per room, above 91% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Upper East Side, Manhattan, NY D+56
- North Sutton Area, Manhattan, NY D+55
- Long Island City, Queens, NY D+58
- Carnegie Hill, Manhattan, NY D+60
- Midtown, Manhattan, NY D+58
- Astoria, Queens, NY D+41
- Murray Hill, Manhattan, NY D+58
- Yorkville, Manhattan, NY D+59
- Sunnyside, Queens, NY D+36
- Theater District, Manhattan, NY D+63
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Mount Pleasant, Providence, RI D+35
- Vineyard-Los Angeles, Glendale, CA D+18
- Palm Heights, San Antonio, TX D+33
- Vista Creek, Perris, CA D+22
- Silver Spring, Milwaukee, WI D+74
- West Adams, Los Angeles, CA D+61
- East Forest Park, Springfield, MA D+22
- Steele Creek, Charlotte, NC D+44
- Center Hill, Atlanta, GA D+87
- Elmwood, Providence, RI D+39
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.