East Somerville is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 49% of adults in East Somerville typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in East Somerville, ~39% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~51% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How East Somerville compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, East Somerville leans more Democratic than 12 of 47 neighbors.
East Somerville runs about 35 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within East Somerville. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+65) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+50), a spread of about 15 points.
Why East Somerville 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 Somerville, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in East Somerville live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 58% of adults in East Somerville have never been married, above 92% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; East Somerville, Somerville, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in East Somerville looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 67% of households in East Somerville rent, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in East Somerville have more than one occupant per room, above 81% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Ten Hills, Somerville, MA D+52
- Winter Hill, Somerville, MA D+65
- Union Square, Somerville, MA D+75
- Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge, MA D+72
- East Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+65
- Spring Hill, Somerville, MA D+75
- Area IV, Cambridge, MA D+74
- Mid-Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+77
- Aggasiz-Harvard, Cambridge, MA D+78
- Ball Square, Somerville, MA D+70
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Slater Park, Charlotte, NC D+76
- Miller Creek, Missoula, MT D+3
- Brookside Glen, Chicago, IL D+47
- Castlewood Park, Lexington, KY D+16
- Avalon Park Village, Alafaya, FL Even
- Hartley, Lincoln, NE D+36
- Westcott, Syracuse, NY D+68
- Ventura, Orlando, FL D+11
- Timber Ridge, San Antonio, TX D+15
- Jacobsville, Evansville, IN Even
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.