Needham leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican.
About 91% of adults in Needham typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Needham, ~66% vote Democratic, ~25% Republican, and ~9% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Needham compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Needham leans more Democratic than 141 of 169 neighbors.
Needham runs about 21 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Needham. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+56) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+42), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Needham 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 Needham, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 82% of adults in Needham hold a bachelor's degree, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Needham sits in the top fifth on density (about 89%, above 96% of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Needham, 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 Needham looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Needham 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 80%, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Needham have completed high school, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Newton Upper Falls, MA D+59
- Newton Highlands, MA D+62
- Waban, MA D+57
- Wellesley, MA D+50
- Newton Lower Falls, MA D+54
- Newton Center, MA D+60
- West Roxbury, MA D+40
- Dover, MA D+38
- Auburndale, MA D+59
- Chestnut Hill, MA D+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hiram, GA Even
- Burlingame, CA D+52
- Orchard Park, NY R+4
- Orcutt, CA R+8
- New City, NY Even
- Norwood, MA D+23
- Immokalee, FL D+7
- Van Buren, AR R+47
- Cornelius, NC D+3
- Butte, MT Even
All Local Stats
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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.