South Side leans Democratic by roughly 16 points: about 58% of voters vote Democratic and 42% Republican.
About 53% of adults in South Side typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in South Side, ~31% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~47% 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 3 of 7 neighbors.
South Side runs about 17 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and South Side sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by block within South Side. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+20) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+9), a spread of about 11 points.
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 17 points more Democratic.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; South Side, Scranton, PA sits below the national average 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 low high-school completion turn out at lower rates. About 79% of adults in South Side have completed high school, about 11 points below the U.S. average of 90%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Downtown, Scranton, PA D+28
- The Hill Section, Scranton, PA D+23
- Petersburg, Scranton, PA D+20
- West Side, Scranton, PA D+8
- Green Ridge, Scranton, PA D+17
- Providence, Scranton, PA D+10
- The Plot, Scranton, PA D+13
- Parsons, Wilkes-Barre, PA R+9
- North End, Wilkes-Barre, PA D+16
- Mayflower, Wilkes-Barre, PA D+12
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Portsmouth, Portland, OR D+61
- Orchard District, Bend, OR D+29
- Silver Terrace, San Francisco, CA D+36
- Little Italy, Manhattan, NY D+58
- Highland Garden, Hollywood, FL D+37
- South Side, Wilmington, NC D+57
- Faneuil, Brighton, MA D+62
- City Center West, Philadelphia, PA D+70
- Vista, Boise, ID D+18
- Twin Lakes, Federal Way, WA D+28
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.