Ruston leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Ruston typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ruston, ~57% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ruston compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Ruston leans more Democratic than 87 of 92 neighbors.
Ruston runs about 26 points more Democratic than Washington as a whole.
Why Ruston 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 Ruston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 94% of residents in Ruston live in densely developed areas, about 58 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Ruston sits in the top quarter (about 49%, above 93% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 31% of adults in Ruston have never been married, above 78% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Ruston, WA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Ruston looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ruston is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Ruston have completed high school, above 97% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Fircrest, WA D+34
- Artondale, WA D+8
- University Place, WA D+29
- Tacoma, WA D+33
- Gig Harbor, WA D+10
- Fox Island, WA D+6
- Federal Way, WA D+31
- Vashon, WA D+51
- Fife, WA D+14
- Lakewood, WA D+24
Cities with Similar Populations
- Red Lick, TX R+64
- Midpines, CA D+7
- Whitmore Village, HI D+14
- Martins Additions, MD D+72
- Stallion Springs, CA R+47
- Shaw, OR R+34
- McNeil, AR R+20
- Silverton, TX R+67
- Thrall, WA R+37
- Bethelridge, KY R+75
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Washington 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.