Watts Flats leans heavily Republican by roughly 40 points: about 30% of voters vote Democratic and 70% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Watts Flats typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watts Flats, ~21% vote Democratic, ~48% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Watts Flats compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Watts Flats leans more Republican than 29 of 91 neighbors.
Watts Flats runs about 53 points more Republican than New York as a whole. New York leans Democratic overall, while Watts Flats is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Watts Flats. The west side is the most Republican-leaning (R+47) and the north side is the least Republican-leaning (R+34), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Watts Flats 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 Watts Flats, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with a high white share and below-average college attainment vote Republican. In Watts Flats, about 98% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 72%; about 17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points below the New York average of 34%. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 79% of households in Watts Flats are family households, above 87% of cities. Watts Flats runs against the grain of New York, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Watts Flats, NY sits below the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Watts Flats looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Watts Flats 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 63%, above 60% of cities. Homeowners vote more often than renters, and about 95% of households in Watts Flats own their home, about 20 points above the U.S. average of 75%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Lottsville, PA R+62
- Sugar Grove, PA R+55
- Panama, NY R+45
- Ashville, NY R+30
- Bear Lake, PA R+62
- Lakewood, NY R+13
- Pine Valley, PA R+58
- Chandlers Valley, PA R+56
- Celoron, NY R+10
- Stow, NY R+29
Cities with Similar Populations
- Wing, AL R+92
- Hawkins, WI R+41
- Springvale, NY R+38
- Rains, SC D+20
- Reynolds Station, KY R+67
- Hollingsworth, GA R+79
- Parker Strip, AZ R+60
- Woodhull, WI R+43
- Malone, TX R+69
- Burnsville, WV R+60
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.