South Side leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 52% of adults in South Side typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Side, ~35% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How South Side compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, South Side leans more Democratic than 5 of 6 neighbors.
South Side runs about 35 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and South Side sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Why South Side 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 South Side, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
South Side votes against the grain of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, while South Side runs about 35 points more Democratic. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in South Side have never been married, above 82% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; South Side, Bethlehem, PA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in South Side looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. South Side 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 46%, about 17 points below the Pennsylvania average of 64%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 69% of households in South Side rent, compared to around 47% in nearby neighborhoods. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 79% of adults in South Side have completed high school, below 86% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Sayre Park, Bethlehem, PA D+36
- West Bethlehem, Bethlehem, PA D+25
- middletown, Bethlehem, PA Even
- Rittersville, Allentown, PA D+10
- Overlook Park, Allentown, PA D+26
- 1st Ward, Allentown, PA D+30
- 6th Ward, Allentown, PA D+14
- Mountainville, Allentown, PA D+12
- Jordan Heights, Allentown, PA D+36
- salisbury, Allentown, PA R+2
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- The Museum District, Richmond, VA D+65
- North Valley, Syracuse, NY D+63
- South River City, Austin, TX D+56
- Regency, Jacksonville, FL D+16
- East Richmond, Richmond, CA D+66
- Clarke Square, Milwaukee, WI D+46
- Memorial Parkway, Katy, TX R+11
- Alki, Seattle, WA D+68
- Inverness, Hoover, AL R+26
- Old River Terrace, Channelview, TX R+21
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau 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.