Tufts is a Democratic stronghold. About 86% of voters here vote Democratic and 14% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Tufts typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Tufts, ~40% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Tufts compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Tufts leans more Democratic than 33 of 47 neighbors.
Tufts runs about 46 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Why Tufts 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 Tufts, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 89% of adults in Tufts hold a bachelor's degree, about 60 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Tufts sits in the top fifth on density (more than 99%, above 89% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 79% of adults in Tufts have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Tufts, Somerville, MA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Tufts looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 73% of households in Tufts rent, about 48 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and Tufts sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Ball Square, Somerville, MA D+70
- West Somerville, Somerville, MA D+63
- North Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+71
- Spring Hill, Somerville, MA D+75
- Avon Hill, Cambridge, MA D+79
- Neighborhood Nine, Cambridge, MA D+78
- Winter Hill, Somerville, MA D+65
- Ten Hills, Somerville, MA D+52
- Arlington Center, Arlington, MA D+71
- Aggasiz-Harvard, Cambridge, MA D+78
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Redwood Heights, Oakland, CA D+74
- Foothills, Lakewood, CO D+26
- Central Oak Park, Sacramento, CA D+57
- Ellsworth Springs, Vancouver, WA D+25
- Fourth Ward, Charlotte, NC D+44
- Walnut Hills-Dayton, Dayton, OH D+9
- Rio Grande, Albuquerque, NM D+40
- Sunwood Central, Santa Ana, CA D+24
- Fourth Street Historic District, Massillon, OH R+6
- San Miguel, Sunnyvale, CA D+35
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.