Athol leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 72% of adults in Athol typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Athol, ~33% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Athol compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Athol leans more Republican than 69 of 107 neighbors.
Athol runs about 33 points more Republican than Massachusetts as a whole. Massachusetts leans Democratic overall, while Athol is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Athol. The southeast side is the most split-leaning (R+19) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Athol 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 Athol, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Athol votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 35%, modestly below the Massachusetts average of 50%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Athol runs against the grain of Massachusetts, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Athol, MA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Athol looks the way it does
Turnout in Athol 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
- Packard Heights, MA R+9
- North Orange, MA R+20
- Orange, MA R+18
- Phillipston Four Corners, MA R+24
- South Athol, MA D+6
- Phillipston, MA R+15
- Royalston, MA R+12
- Petersham, MA D+15
- Baldwinville, MA R+17
- Warwick, MA D+5
Cities with Similar Populations
- Prince George, VA D+7
- Holbrook, MA D+12
- Montpelier, VT D+42
- Morro Bay, CA D+16
- Lutherville-Timonium, MD D+21
- South Dartmouth, MA D+8
- Newaygo, MI R+40
- Annapolis Neck, MD D+27
- Venus, TX R+42
- St. Clair, MI R+33
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, 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.