Southwood leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 35% of adults in Southwood typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Southwood, ~24% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~65% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Southwood compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Southwood is the least Democratic-leaning.
Southwood runs about 31 points more Democratic than Virginia as a whole.
Why Southwood 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 Southwood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 70% of adults in Southwood have never been married, far above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 40%).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Southwood, Richmond, VA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Southwood looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Southwood is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 45%, about 19 points below the Virginia average of 64%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 97% of households in Southwood rent, compared to around 69% in nearby neighborhoods. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 47% of adults in Southwood report food insecurity, above 98% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Wellington, Manassas, VA D+13
- Fairwood and Robandee, Kansas City, MO D+55
- Holly Hills, St. Louis, MO D+40
- Braun Station West, San Antonio, TX R+4
- Jefferson, Culver City, CA D+59
- Downtown Nashville, Nashville, TN D+50
- Park, Redford, MI D+79
- Franklin Falls, Franklin, NH R+4
- Highlands, Wilmington, DE D+50
- Willow Creek, Kansas City, MO D+55
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.