Dorchester Heights is a Democratic stronghold. About 75% of voters here vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Dorchester Heights typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Dorchester Heights, ~51% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Dorchester Heights compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Dorchester Heights leans more Democratic than 7 of 37 neighbors.
Dorchester Heights runs about 26 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Dorchester Heights. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+55) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+45), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Dorchester Heights 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 Dorchester Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Dorchester Heights live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Dorchester Heights sits in the top quarter (about 76%, above 95% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 63% of adults in Dorchester Heights have never been married, above 95% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Dorchester Heights, Boston, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Dorchester Heights looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Dorchester Heights 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 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- South Boston, Boston, MA D+48
- North Dorchester, Boston, MA D+59
- South End, Boston, MA D+64
- Central, Boston, MA D+53
- Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA D+61
- Nubian Square, Boston, MA D+65
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
- Dock Square, Boston, MA D+53
- Gove Street, Boston, MA D+50
- Roxbury, Boston, MA D+65
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Southwest Raleigh, Raleigh, NC D+47
- Olympia Heights, Miami, FL R+40
- Loma Portal, San Diego, CA D+38
- Lake Murray, San Diego, CA D+20
- Northwest Omaha, Omaha, NE D+10
- Greenbrier West, Chesapeake, VA D+25
- University, Riverside, CA D+29
- Washington Heights, Chicago, IL D+85
- Northampton, Hampton, VA D+35
- Hermosa, Chicago, IL D+44
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.