Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Latest: 2024
Safe Democratic — shifted 8.0pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 5.0M residents — 7 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 65.5% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(20) | 12.4% |
▶Black / African American(16) | 7.2% |
▶Asian(6) | 8.8% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 1.7% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.8% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 36.9% | 73.5% |
| Other | 5.5% | 11.0% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 3.4% | 6.8% |
| Mainline Protestant | 3.2% | 6.4% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.9% | 1.8% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| Black Protestant | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| Non-religious | 49.8% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+28.1 |
| 2020 | Biden+36.1 |
| 2016 | Clinton+28.9 |
| 2012 | Obama+21.8 |
| 2008 | Obama+24.7 |
| 2004 | Kerry+23.5 |
| 2000 | Gore+26.3 |
| 1996 | Clinton+31.7 |
| 1992 | Clinton+17.0 |
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH is a metro area that has a population of 4,953,354. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+28.1. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 62.7% | 34.6% | D+28.1 | R+8.0 |
| 2020 | 67.0% | 30.9% | D+36.1 | D+7.2 |
| 2016 | 60.4% | 31.5% | D+28.9 | D+7.1 |
| 2012 | 60.2% | 38.3% | D+21.8 | R+2.9 |
| 2008 | 61.4% | 36.6% | D+24.7 | D+1.2 |
| 2004 | 61.1% | 37.6% | D+23.5 | R+2.7 |
| 2000 | 59.5% | 33.2% | D+26.3 | R+5.5 |
| 1996 | 61.0% | 29.2% | D+31.7 | D+14.7 |
| 1992 | 47.2% | 30.2% | D+17.0 | D+11.7 |
| 1988 | 51.9% | 46.6% | D+5.3 | D+8.8 |
| 1984 | 48.1% | 51.6% | R+3.5 | R+1.4 |
| 1980 | 40.7% | 42.8% | R+2.0 | R+14.8 |
| 1976 | 54.6% | 41.8% | D+12.8 | D+3.1 |
| 1972 | 54.6% | 44.9% | D+9.7 | R+20.2 |
| 1968 | 63.0% | 33.0% | D+29.9 | R+22.3 |
| 1964 | 75.9% | 23.7% | D+52.2 | D+33.4 |
| 1960 | 59.3% | 40.5% | D+18.9 | D+37.7 |
| 1956 | 40.4% | 59.3% | R+18.8 | R+9.5 |
| 1952 | 45.2% | 54.5% | R+9.3 | R+20.2 |
| 1948 | 54.2% | 43.4% | D+10.9 | — |
What defines Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
It has a predominantly white, college-educated electorate that has shifted sharply toward Democrats in the Trump era.
Constituent Counties
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Counties in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 1.6M | D+39.2 | 554,471 | 235,118 | 814,832 | 32.8% |
| Essex | 813K | D+20.2 | 236,624 | 155,336 | 401,851 | 16.2% |
| Suffolk | 785K | D+52.1 | 222,280 | 66,480 | 299,193 | 12.1% |
| Norfolk | 730K | D+28.5 | 242,712 | 132,497 | 386,447 | 15.6% |
| Plymouth | 535K | D+8.8 | 159,962 | 133,544 | 300,129 | 12.1% |
| Rockingham | 319K | R+2.4 | 97,611 | 102,539 | 202,922 | 8.2% |
| Strafford | 133K | D+12.0 | 42,373 | 33,162 | 76,688 | 3.1% |
7 countiesTotal votes: 2,482,062
Ask the Historian
Explore Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Democratic landslide with a 28.1% margin
- Split-ticket voting in 2024: Different parties won President and Governor
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 65.5% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(20) | 12.4% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 8.8% | 6.0% |
▶Black / African American(16) | 7.2% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 5.8% | 4.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(10) | 1.7% | 0.9% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
50.2%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +62.2pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36.9% | 73.5% | — | — | |
| 5.5% | 11.0% | — | — | |
| 3.4% | 6.8% | — | — | |
| 3.2% | 6.4% | — | — | |
| 0.9% | 1.8% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.5% | 0.9% | — | — |
| 0.3% | 0.5% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 49.8% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area? 4,953,354 residents across 7 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
52% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 19pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+25 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
5.0M
Share of U.S. population
1.48%
Voting-age population
77.4%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$116,521
Poverty rate
8.9%
College degree
52.0%
Homeownership
61.6%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
39.6 yrs
Age 18–29
17.2%
Age 65+
17.0%
Foreign born
20.0%
Non-English at home
26.0%
English only
74.0%
Turnout in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
64.7%
-3.2pp
3,833,951
1988–2024
How competitive is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?
Safe DAvg margin: D+31.0 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+24.7
2012
D+21.8
2016
D+28.9
2020
D+36.1
2024
D+28.1
14.3pp
0
D+27.9
Do voters in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Governor | D+28.1 | R+10.8 | 38.9pp |
| Senate vs Governor | D+25.4 | R+10.8 | 36.2pp |
| President vs Senate | D+28.1 | D+25.4 | 2.7pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 29.0pp
Located In
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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