Thornton leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 95% of adults in Thornton typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Thornton, ~53% vote Democratic, ~42% Republican, and ~5% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Thornton compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Thornton leans more Democratic than 102 of 208 neighbors.
Thornton runs about 13 points more Democratic than Pennsylvania as a whole. Pennsylvania is roughly evenly split, and Thornton sits clearly on the Democratic side.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Thornton. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+34) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+10), a spread of about 44 points.
Why Thornton 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 Thornton, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 59% of residents in Thornton live in densely developed areas, about 23 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Thornton sits in the top quarter (about 54%, above 95% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 38% of adults in Thornton have never been married, above 91% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Thornton, PA 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 Thornton looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Thornton 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and more than 99% of households in Thornton own their home, compared to around 81% in nearby cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Glen Mills, PA D+4
- Cheyney, PA R+3
- Chester Heights, PA D+13
- Westtown, PA D+8
- Chadds Ford, PA D+9
- Garnet Valley, PA Even
- Lima, PA D+10
- West Chester, PA D+20
- Aston, PA R+5
- Pocopson, PA D+11
Cities with Similar Populations
- Garrison, NY D+18
- Colfax, WI R+27
- Calumet, MI R+12
- Abbeville, AL R+27
- Hopewell, NJ D+33
- Cedar Knolls, NJ R+8
- Baker, FL R+70
- Larksville, PA R+19
- Bloomfield, NY R+16
- Starr, SC R+68
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.