North Dorchester is a Democratic stronghold. About 79% of voters here vote Democratic and 21% Republican.
About 49% of adults in North Dorchester typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in North Dorchester, ~38% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How North Dorchester compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, North Dorchester leans more Democratic than 12 of 36 neighbors.
North Dorchester runs about 34 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within North Dorchester. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+63) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+53), a spread of about 10 points.
Why North Dorchester 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 North Dorchester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 59% of adults in North Dorchester have never been married, modestly above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 45%).
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; North Dorchester, Boston, MA sits in the top tenth 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 North Dorchester looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 65% of households in North Dorchester rent, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and North Dorchester sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Fields Corner, Boston, MA D+49
- Mount Bowdoin, Boston, MA D+65
- Nubian Square, Boston, MA D+65
- Dorchester Heights, Boston, MA D+51
- South Boston, Boston, MA D+48
- Roxbury, Boston, MA D+65
- South Dorchester, Boston, MA D+57
- South End, Boston, MA D+64
- Neponset, Boston, MA D+37
- Dorchester Center, Boston, MA D+71
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- North Central, Philadelphia, PA D+83
- North End, St. Paul, MN D+45
- Valley Ranch, Irving, TX D+20
- East Boston, Boston, MA D+38
- North Park San Diego, San Diego, CA D+62
- Kyle Canyon, Las Vegas, NV Even
- East Broad, Black Lick, OH D+33
- Mountain's Edge, Las Vegas, NV Even
- Constable Hook, Bayonne, NJ D+6
- Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA D+67
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.