Roslindale is a Democratic stronghold. About 80% of voters here vote Democratic and 20% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Roslindale typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roslindale, ~52% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roslindale compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Roslindale leans more Democratic than 142 of 154 neighbors.
Roslindale runs about 36 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Roslindale. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+65) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+51), a spread of about 14 points.
Why Roslindale 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 Roslindale, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Roslindale live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Roslindale sits in the top quarter (about 54%, above 95% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 38% of adults in Roslindale have never been married, above 91% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Roslindale, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Roslindale looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Roslindale 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 68%, about 8 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- West Roxbury, MA D+40
- Hyde Park, MA D+59
- Mattapan, MA D+74
- Jamaica Plain, MA D+71
- Chestnut Hill, MA D+60
- Milton, MA D+45
- Dedham, MA D+27
- Brookline, MA D+72
- Newton Center, MA D+60
- Brighton, MA D+61
Cities with Similar Populations
- Marshalltown, IA R+9
- Selma, CA Even
- Scaggsville, MD D+44
- Tualatin, OR D+32
- Kankakee, IL D+23
- Geneva, IL D+12
- Gloucester, MA D+16
- Lansing, IL D+49
- Schererville, IN R+5
- Maryland Heights, MO D+27
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.