Holden leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 92% of adults in Holden typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Holden, ~52% vote Democratic, ~40% Republican, and ~8% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Holden compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Holden leans more Democratic than 87 of 131 neighbors.
Holden runs about 13 points more Republican than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Holden. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+17) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+5), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Holden leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Holden, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 56% of adults in Holden hold a bachelor's degree, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Holden sits in the top fifth on density (about 54%, above 88% of cities).
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Holden, MA sits in the top quarter 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 Holden looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Holden 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%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Holden have completed high school, above 81% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Jefferson, MA D+10
- West Boylston, MA D+13
- Sandy Beach, MA D+4
- Paxton, MA D+12
- Worcester, MA D+12
- Boylston, MA D+11
- Morningdale, MA D+14
- Rutland, MA R+8
- Cherry Valley, MA R+6
- Turkey Hill Shores, MA Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Burley, ID R+54
- Galena, OH R+15
- Kearney, MO R+33
- Whitehouse, TX R+59
- Buckley, WA R+26
- South Venice, FL R+26
- Verona, NJ D+15
- Fairview, NJ D+4
- DeForest, WI D+17
- Escanaba, MI R+11
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.