Fenway-Kenmore is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 40% of adults in Fenway-Kenmore typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Fenway-Kenmore, ~33% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~60% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Fenway-Kenmore compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Fenway-Kenmore leans more Democratic than 28 of 51 neighbors.
Fenway-Kenmore runs about 42 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Fenway-Kenmore. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+59), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Fenway-Kenmore 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 Fenway-Kenmore, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 77% of adults in Fenway-Kenmore hold a bachelor's degree, about 48 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 84% of adults in Fenway-Kenmore have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Fenway-Kenmore, 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 Fenway-Kenmore looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 88% of households in Fenway-Kenmore rent, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Fenway-Kenmore sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- MIT, Cambridge, MA D+70
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
- South End, Boston, MA D+64
- Nubian Square, Boston, MA D+65
- North Brookline, Brookline, MA D+69
- Cambridgeport, Cambridge, MA D+77
- Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA D+70
- Brookline Village Commercial District, Brookline, MA D+76
- Brookline Village, Brookline, MA D+74
- Roxbury, Boston, MA D+65
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- South Dorchester, Boston, MA D+57
- Mission, San Francisco, CA D+72
- Woodhaven, Queens, NY D+9
- New Brighton, Staten Island, NY D+36
- Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, NY R+20
- Greater Memorial, Houston, TX R+14
- Auburndale, Queens, NY R+2
- Watts, Los Angeles, CA D+49
- Capitol Hill, Washington, DC D+77
- Northeast, Anaheim, CA D+16
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.