Downtown Crossing is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Downtown Crossing typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Downtown Crossing, ~50% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Downtown Crossing compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Downtown Crossing leans more Democratic than 16 of 48 neighbors.
Downtown Crossing runs about 36 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Downtown Crossing. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+65) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+52), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Downtown Crossing 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 Downtown Crossing, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 79% of adults in Downtown Crossing hold a bachelor's degree, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in Downtown Crossing have never been married, above 82% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Downtown Crossing, Boston, 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 Downtown Crossing looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Downtown Crossing 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 74%, about 14 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Central, Boston, MA D+53
- Dock Square, Boston, MA D+53
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
- East Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+65
- South End, Boston, MA D+64
- Waterfront, Boston, MA D+45
- MIT, Cambridge, MA D+70
- Gove Street, Boston, MA D+50
- South Boston, Boston, MA D+48
- Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge, MA D+72
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Bushrod, Oakland, CA D+85
- Delhi, Santa Ana, CA D+33
- Bordeaux, Nashville, TN D+65
- Seward Park, Seattle, WA D+74
- Gove Street, Boston, MA D+50
- Snow Woods, Dearborn, MI Even
- College Park, Orlando, FL D+14
- Princeton Heights, St. Louis, MO D+42
- Mission Viejo, Aurora, CO D+15
- Mt Vernon, Mount Vernon, VA D+35
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.