Ruraldale is a Republican stronghold. About 14% of voters here vote Democratic and 86% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Ruraldale typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ruraldale, ~10% vote Democratic, ~61% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ruraldale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ruraldale leans more Republican than 101 of 103 neighbors.
Ruraldale runs about 60 points more Republican than Ohio as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Ruraldale. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+73) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+61), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Ruraldale 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 Ruraldale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 7% of adults in Ruraldale hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points below the Ohio average of 23%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Ruraldale, OH sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Ruraldale looks the way it does
Turnout in Ruraldale 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
- Museville, OH R+73
- Blue Rock, OH R+67
- Meigs, OH R+61
- Rokeby Lock, OH R+61
- Philo, OH R+59
- Renrock, OH R+67
- Triadelphia, OH R+61
- McConnelsville, OH R+51
- Chandlersville, OH R+64
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wrights Corners, NY R+32
- King and Anderson, MS D+3
- Crabtree, AR R+62
- Shell Valley, ND D+64
- Riverside Colony, SD R+62
- Midway North, TX R+8
- Waite, ME R+15
- McKinley, IN R+64
- Bluffton, MO R+62
- Lorenzo, NE R+75
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Ohio 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.