Rural Retreat is a Republican stronghold. About 20% of voters here vote Democratic and 80% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Rural Retreat typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Rural Retreat, ~15% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~24% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Rural Retreat compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Rural Retreat leans more Republican than 22 of 81 neighbors.
Rural Retreat runs about 66 points more Republican than Virginia as a whole. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Rural Retreat is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Rural Retreat 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 Rural Retreat, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural Retreat votes against the grain of Virginia. Virginia leans Democratic overall, while Rural Retreat runs about 66 points more Republican. Car-dependent areas vote Republican, and about 85% of residents in Rural Retreat drive to work alone, above 81% of cities.
Frequent mental distress and voter turnout
Places with a low frequent-mental-distress rate tend to turn out at a higher rate; Rural Retreat, VA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Reported mental distress does not drive turnout; it reflects economic and health conditions tied to voting.
Why turnout in Rural Retreat looks the way it does
Turnout in Rural Retreat sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Staley Crossroads, VA R+60
- Groseclose, VA R+62
- Cedar Springs, VA R+65
- Crockett, VA R+61
- Atkins, VA R+60
- Nebo, VA R+66
- Speedwell, VA R+62
- Turkey Fork, VA R+62
- Ceres, VA R+69
- Favonia, VA R+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Eleva, WI R+23
- Spring Lake, NJ R+13
- Lytton Springs, TX R+7
- Biglerville, PA R+46
- Fremont, NC R+36
- Chase City, VA Even
- Hill Afb, UT R+19
- Richmond, VT D+32
- Coleman, MI R+43
- Laporte, CO D+2
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Virginia Department 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.