Waterfront leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 63% of adults in Waterfront typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Waterfront, ~45% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~37% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Waterfront compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Waterfront leans more Democratic than 5 of 41 neighbors.
Waterfront runs about 20 points more Democratic than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Waterfront. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+63) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+34), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Waterfront 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 Waterfront, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 61% of adults in Waterfront hold a bachelor's degree, about 32 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Waterfront, Boston, MA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Waterfront looks the way it does
Turnout in Waterfront sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Gove Street, Boston, MA D+50
- Dock Square, Boston, MA D+53
- Day Square, Boston, MA D+43
- East Boston, Boston, MA D+38
- Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA D+61
- Central, Boston, MA D+53
- East Cambridge, Cambridge, MA D+65
- East Somerville, Somerville, MA D+59
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
- Wellington-Harrington, Cambridge, MA D+72
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Columbia, Bellingham, WA D+72
- Friends of Friedrich Wilderness Park, San Antonio, TX Even
- Sussex Place, Alafaya, FL D+26
- Sears Park Area, Abilene, TX R+7
- Tallulah-North Shore, Jacksonville, FL D+50
- Alta Loma, Peoria, AZ R+3
- Wallhaven, Akron, OH D+46
- Jeff-Vander-Lou, St. Louis, MO D+84
- Biscayne, Jacksonville, FL D+59
- Wilson, Oxnard, CA D+39
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.