Chinatown leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 40% of adults in Chinatown typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chinatown, ~28% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~60% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chinatown compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Chinatown leans more Democratic than 5 of 47 neighbors.
Chinatown runs about 28 points more Democratic than New York as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Chinatown. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+54) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+40), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Chinatown 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 Chinatown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Chinatown live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Chinatown, Manhattan, NY sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Chinatown looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 85% of households in Chinatown rent, about 60 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 11% of homes in Chinatown have more than one occupant per room, above 92% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Little Italy, Manhattan, NY D+58
- Lower East Side, Manhattan, NY D+47
- Tribeca, Manhattan, NY D+64
- Soho, Manhattan, NY D+70
- Financial District, Manhattan, NY D+58
- Battery Park, Manhattan, NY D+52
- East Village, Manhattan, NY D+65
- Greenwich Village, Manhattan, NY D+71
- Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY D+76
- Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY D+75
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Liberty Wells, Salt Lake City, UT D+64
- Piper Glen Estates, Charlotte, NC D+5
- Ortega Hills, Jacksonville, FL D+11
- Walnut Village, Irvine, CA D+12
- Layton Park, Milwaukee, WI D+31
- Five Points South, Birmingham, AL D+44
- Quintana Community, San Antonio, TX D+35
- Colonial Gardens, Chicago, IL D+20
- Lyon Street, Santa Ana, CA D+31
- Riverside, Jacksonville, FL D+27
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York State Board 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.