Salem leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 66% of adults in Salem typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Salem, ~46% vote Democratic, ~20% Republican, and ~34% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Salem compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Salem leans more Democratic than 79 of 115 neighbors.
Salem runs about 16 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Salem. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+62) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+23), a spread of about 39 points.
Why Salem 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 Salem, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 82% of residents in Salem live in densely developed areas, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Salem sits in the top quarter (about 48%, above 92% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 45% of adults in Salem have never been married, above 96% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Salem, MA 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 Salem looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Salem 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Marblehead, MA D+40
- Swampscott, MA D+31
- Peabody, MA D+4
- Beverly, MA D+29
- Lynn, MA D+23
- Danvers, MA D+12
- Wenham, MA D+26
- Nahant, MA D+27
- Saugus, MA Even
- Lynnfield, MA D+5
Cities with Similar Populations
- Gadsden, AL R+19
- Hilo, HI D+24
- Navarre, FL R+44
- San Juan Capistrano, CA R+4
- Newbury Park, CA D+13
- Oakley, CA D+2
- Washington, PA R+18
- North Tonawanda, NY R+15
- West Columbia, SC R+13
- Egg Harbor Township, NJ R+4
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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.