Chester leans slightly Republican by roughly 12 points: about 44% of voters vote Democratic and 56% Republican.
About 71% of adults in Chester typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chester, ~31% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~29% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Chester leans more Republican than 95 of 106 neighbors.
Chester runs about 37 points more Republican than Massachusetts as a whole. Massachusetts leans Democratic overall, while Chester is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Chester. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+21) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+16), a spread of about 37 points.
Why Chester 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 Chester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Chester votes against the grain of Massachusetts. Massachusetts leans Democratic overall, while Chester runs about 37 points more Republican. Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. Non-Hispanic white share in Chester is about 95%, well above similar-sized cities (around 79%).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Chester, MA sits in the top 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 Chester looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Chester 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- North Blandford, MA Even
- Middlefield, MA D+26
- Huntington, MA R+13
- Becket, MA D+21
- Goss Heights, MA R+14
- North Otis, MA D+18
- Blandford, MA R+12
- Worthington, MA D+26
- East Otis, MA D+6
- West Chesterfield, MA D+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Trezevant, TN R+62
- Walnut Springs, TX R+61
- Boca Grande, FL R+20
- Warsaw, TX R+65
- Birmingham, OH R+39
- Laird Hill, TX R+61
- Martins Mill, TX R+76
- Kendall, WI R+37
- Robeline, LA R+76
- Alda, NE R+57
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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.