South Orleans leans heavily Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 83% of adults in South Orleans typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Orleans, ~54% vote Democratic, ~29% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Orleans compares
Among cities within 25 miles, South Orleans leans more Democratic than 23 of 34 neighbors.
South Orleans runs about 6 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within South Orleans. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+37) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+19), a spread of about 18 points.
Why South Orleans 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 South Orleans, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 57% of adults in South Orleans hold a bachelor's degree, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and South Orleans sits in the top fifth on density (about 34%, above 82% of cities).
Cancer-screening access and voter turnout
Places with high colon-cancer-screening access tend to turn out at a higher rate; South Orleans, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Cancer screening does not drive turnout; it reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access.
Why turnout in South Orleans looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. South Orleans 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 77%, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in South Orleans have completed high school, above 98% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Orleans, MA D+38
- North Chatham, MA D+27
- East Harwich, MA D+16
- Eastham, MA D+31
- Brewster, MA D+29
- Chatham, MA D+31
- West Chatham, MA D+31
- South Chatham, MA D+33
- North Eastham, MA D+30
- Harwich, MA D+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Lynxville, WI R+29
- Dunfermline, IL R+39
- Phelps, MN R+36
- Eastside, OR R+23
- Hitchcock, SD R+70
- Makoti, ND R+58
- Stapleton, VA R+47
- Woody, IL R+61
- Anniston, MO R+69
- Zama, MS R+53
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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.