Watertown leans slightly Republican by roughly 8 points: about 46% of voters vote Democratic and 54% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Watertown typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watertown, ~27% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Watertown compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Watertown leans more Republican than 2 of 86 neighbors.
Watertown runs about 20 points more Republican than New York as a whole. New York leans Democratic overall, while Watertown is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Watertown. The northeast side is the most split-leaning (R+28) and the east side is the least split-leaning (Even), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Watertown 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 Watertown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Watertown votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 69%, far above the New York average of 36%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Watertown runs against the grain of New York, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Homeownership and voter turnout
Places with renter-heavy households tend to turn out at a lower rate; Watertown, NY sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Watertown looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 51% of households in Watertown rent, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Glen Park, NY R+39
- East Hounsfield, NY R+29
- Burrs Mills, NY R+37
- Brownville, NY R+33
- Calcium, NY R+19
- Rutland Center, NY R+36
- Paddy Hill, NY R+38
- East Rodman, NY R+42
- Fort Drum, NY R+3
- Black River, NY R+23
Cities with Similar Populations
- Eustis, FL R+26
- Ashland, KY R+32
- Warsaw, IN R+39
- Henderson, KY R+25
- Pittsford, NY D+30
- Willingboro, NJ D+77
- Laplace, LA D+25
- Barstow, CA R+13
- Pineville, LA R+44
- Erie, CO D+21
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from New York State Board 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.