Worcester leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 72% of adults in the Worcester area typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the Worcester area, ~40% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~28% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Worcester compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Worcester leans more Democratic than 84 of 132 neighbors.
Worcester runs about 13 points more Republican than Massachusetts as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Worcester. The east side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the southwest side runs the most Republican (R+6), a spread of about 30 points.
Why Worcester 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 Worcester, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 58% of residents in the Worcester area live in densely developed areas, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Worcester sits in the top quarter (about 40%, above 87% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 35% of adults in the Worcester area have never been married, above 87% of cities.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Worcester, MA sits in the top quarter 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 Worcester looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Worcester 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Cherry Valley, MA R+6
- Auburn, MA D+6
- Shrewsbury, MA D+22
- Holden, MA D+12
- Millbury, MA Even
- Leicester, MA R+11
- North Grafton, MA D+11
- Boylston, MA D+11
- Morningdale, MA D+14
- Paxton, MA D+12
Cities with Similar Populations
- Allentown, PA Even
- El Paso, TX D+14
- Baton Rouge, LA R+6
- McAllen, TX R+2
- Oxnard, CA D+16
- Sarasota, FL R+16
- Columbia, SC D+6
- Albany, NY D+14
- Knoxville, TN R+32
- Bakersfield, CA R+12
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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.