MIT is a Democratic stronghold. About 85% of voters here vote Democratic and 15% Republican.
About 29% of adults in MIT typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in MIT, ~25% vote Democratic, ~4% Republican, and ~71% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How MIT compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, MIT leans more Democratic than 32 of 52 neighbors.
MIT runs about 45 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Why MIT 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 MIT, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 97% of adults in MIT hold a bachelor's degree, about 68 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 92% of adults in MIT 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; MIT, Cambridge, MA sits in the top quarter 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 MIT looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. More than 99% of households in MIT rent, about 75 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and more than 99% of adults in MIT have completed high school, above 96% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Area IV, Cambridge, MA D+74
- Cambridgeport, Cambridge, MA D+77
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
- Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge, MA D+72
- Fenway-Kenmore, Boston, MA D+67
- East Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+65
- Mid-Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+77
- Riverside, Cambridge, MA D+78
- North Brookline, Brookline, MA D+69
- Union Square, Somerville, MA D+75
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
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.