Central Business District leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.
About 35% of adults in Central Business District typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central Business District, ~25% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~65% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central Business District compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central Business District leans more Democratic than 24 of 25 neighbors.
Central Business District runs about 17 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central Business District. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+47) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+30), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Central Business District 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 Central Business District, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 61% of adults in Central Business District have never been married, well above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 41%).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Central Business District, Worcester, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Central Business District looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 94% of households in Central Business District rent, about 69 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 33% of adults in Central Business District report food insecurity, above 86% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Central Business District sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Institute Park, Worcester, MA D+50
- Bell Hill, Worcester, MA D+36
- Green Island, Worcester, MA D+33
- Main Middle, Worcester, MA D+31
- Franklin Plantation, Worcester, MA D+34
- Union Hill, Worcester, MA D+29
- Vernon Hill, Worcester, MA D+30
- University Park, Worcester, MA D+36
- Indian Lake East, Worcester, MA D+36
- Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA D+35
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Lyon Village, Arlington, VA D+63
- Perimeter Center, Sandy Springs, GA D+33
- Emerald Estates, Bakersfield, CA R+42
- Arlington, Youngstown, OH D+44
- Seven Oaks at Grand Island, Bakersfield, CA R+22
- Woods Park, Lincoln, NE D+37
- Santa Rita, San Angelo, TX R+25
- Wyatt Street, Largo, FL D+8
- Heart of Missoula, Missoula, MT D+51
- Hohokam Village, Mesa, AZ D+9
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.