New Kensington leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 72% of adults in New Kensington typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in New Kensington, ~33% vote Democratic, ~39% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How New Kensington compares
Among cities within 25 miles, New Kensington leans more Republican than 85 of 233 neighbors.
New Kensington runs about 6 points more Republican than Pennsylvania as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within New Kensington. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+31) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+29), a spread of about 59 points.
Why New Kensington 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 New Kensington, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
New Kensington votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 70%, far above the Pennsylvania average of 33%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; New Kensington, PA 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 New Kensington looks the way it does
Areas with high high-school completion turn out at higher rates. About 96% of adults in New Kensington have completed high school, about 6 points above the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lower Burrell, PA R+25
- Arnold, PA D+18
- Creighton, PA R+16
- Brackenridge, PA R+9
- Springdale, PA R+7
- Harwick, PA R+18
- Natrona Heights, PA R+13
- Tarentum, PA R+22
- Rural Ridge, PA R+6
- Alcoa Center, PA R+44
Cities with Similar Populations
- Morgan City, LA R+36
- Fort Drum, NY R+3
- Mastic, NY R+15
- Tenafly, NJ D+26
- San Anselmo, CA D+60
- Sarasota Springs, FL R+15
- Orange Park, FL R+23
- Bulverde, TX R+50
- McCordsville, IN R+11
- Ellenton, FL R+19
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of 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.