East Boston leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 46% of adults in East Boston typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Boston, ~32% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Boston compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, East Boston leans more Democratic than 2 of 30 neighbors.
East Boston runs about 13 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within East Boston. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+55) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+9), a spread of about 45 points.
Why East Boston 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 East Boston, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 47% of adults in East Boston have never been married, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 29%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; East Boston, Boston, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in East Boston looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 9% of homes in East Boston have more than one occupant per room, above 89% of neighborhoods. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 63% of households in East Boston rent, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Day Square, Boston, MA D+43
- Gove Street, Boston, MA D+50
- Waterfront, Boston, MA D+45
- Dock Square, Boston, MA D+53
- Prattville, Chelsea, MA D+26
- Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA D+61
- Central, Boston, MA D+53
- East Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+65
- East Somerville, Somerville, MA D+59
- South Boston, Boston, MA D+48
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- North End, St. Paul, MN D+45
- Kyle Canyon, Las Vegas, NV Even
- East Broad, Black Lick, OH D+33
- North Dorchester, Boston, MA D+59
- North Central, Philadelphia, PA D+83
- Great Bridge, Chesapeake, VA R+11
- Valley Ranch, Irving, TX D+20
- North Park San Diego, San Diego, CA D+62
- Centennial, Portland, OR D+19
- Catholic University-Brookland, Washington, DC D+81
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.