Paterson, NJ Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Paterson

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Paterson leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.

 

About 37% of adults in Paterson typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Paterson, ~24% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Paterson compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Paterson leans more Democratic than 235 of 286 neighbors.

Paterson runs about 22 points more Democratic than New Jersey as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Paterson. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+45) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+11), a spread of about 34 points.

Why Paterson 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 Paterson, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Paterson live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 49% of adults in Paterson have never been married, above 98% of cities.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Paterson, NJ 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 Paterson looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Paterson is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 48%, about 20 points below the New Jersey average of 67%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 73% of households in Paterson rent, compared to around 33% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 41% of adults in Paterson report food insecurity, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

Sources and methodology

Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New Jersey Division 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.