Sunderland leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Sunderland typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sunderland, ~50% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sunderland compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sunderland leans more Democratic than 99 of 113 neighbors.
Sunderland runs about 23 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Why Sunderland 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 Sunderland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 65% of adults in Sunderland hold a bachelor's degree, about 36 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 51% of adults in Sunderland have never been married, above 98% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Sunderland, MA sits in the top tenth 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 Sunderland looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sunderland 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Sunderland have completed high school, above 88% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Factory Hollow, MA D+54
- South Deerfield, MA D+24
- Leverett, MA D+54
- North Leverett, MA D+50
- Wapping, MA D+22
- Whately, MA D+39
- Hatfield, MA D+33
- Amherst Center, MA D+72
- North Hatfield, MA D+37
- West Hatfield, MA D+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Brodhead, KY R+72
- Hillsboro, TN R+69
- Locust Valley, NY R+16
- Hartly, DE R+44
- Deephaven, MN D+24
- Clarksville, VA R+26
- Simms, LA R+81
- Marshalls Creek, PA Even
- Center Point, IA R+29
- Brownsville, KY R+67
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.