Roxbury is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 44% of adults in Roxbury typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Roxbury, ~37% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Roxbury compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Roxbury leans more Democratic than 22 of 43 neighbors.
Roxbury runs about 40 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Roxbury. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+58), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Roxbury 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 Roxbury, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Roxbury live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 61% of adults in Roxbury have never been married, above 93% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Roxbury, 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 Roxbury looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 76% of households in Roxbury rent, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 31% of adults in Roxbury report food insecurity, above 84% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Roxbury sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Nubian Square, Boston, MA D+65
- Mount Bowdoin, Boston, MA D+65
- Fenway-Kenmore, Boston, MA D+67
- South End, Boston, MA D+64
- North Dorchester, Boston, MA D+59
- Brookline Village, Brookline, MA D+74
- Brookline Village Commercial District, Brookline, MA D+76
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
- Forest Hills, Jamaica Plain, MA D+68
- Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA D+70
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Rancho Penasquitos, San Diego, CA D+21
- Greater Hilltop, Columbus, OH D+16
- Hamilton Heights, Manhattan, NY D+63
- Sunnyside, Queens, NY D+36
- Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY D+59
- Covina-Valley, Covina, CA D+18
- Northeast, Virginia Beach, VA D+5
- Estrella, Phoenix, AZ D+27
- Germantown, Philadelphia, PA D+87
- Cedar Crest, Dallas, TX D+68
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.