1st Ward, Allentown, PA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in 1st Ward

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

1st Ward leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.

 

About 50% of adults in 1st Ward typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 1st Ward, ~32% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~50% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How 1st Ward compares

Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, 1st Ward leans more Democratic than 12 of 18 neighbors.

1st Ward runs about 31 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and 1st Ward sits clearly on the Democratic side.

Politics vary noticeably by block within 1st Ward. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+36) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+17), a spread of about 19 points.

Why 1st Ward 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 1st Ward, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

1st Ward votes against the grain of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, while 1st Ward runs about 31 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 54% of adults in 1st Ward have never been married, above 87% of neighborhoods.

Preventive-care access and voter turnout

Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; 1st Ward, Allentown, PA sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.

Why turnout in 1st Ward looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. 1st Ward 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 43%, about 21 points below the Pennsylvania average of 64%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 69% of households in 1st Ward rent, about 44 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and 1st Ward sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.