Massachusetts 1st Congressional District, Massachusetts: Populist district. In 2024, voted D+18%. Democratic peak: D+51 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+18MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 863,4512024 5-year
- Median household income
- $78,5702024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 71.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 6.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 18.9%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+51 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+44 in 1896MIT Election Lab
D
NEAL, Richard Edmund
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: OLVER, John Walter (2011–2013), OLVER, John Walter (2009–2011), OLVER, John Walter (2007–2009), OLVER, John Walter (2005–2007)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 1, MAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 239,236 | 163,067 | 413,310 | ||
| D | 266,302 | 153,089 | 433,508 | ||
| D | 229,908 | 140,108 | 407,213 | ||
| D | 247,431 | 133,036 | 388,468 | ||
| D | 246,563 | 128,945 | 385,280 | ||
| D | 231,789 | 129,477 | 365,785 | ||
| D | 196,306 | 109,936 | 335,578 | ||
| D | 204,013 | 88,048 | 331,491 | ||
| D | 173,718 | 99,350 | 362,325 | ||
| D | 188,422 | 143,599 | 334,900 | ||
| R | 160,400 | 171,624 | 333,333 | ||
| D | 150,040 | 136,722 | 340,513 | ||
| D | 204,919 | 132,616 | 348,203 | ||
| D | 176,355 | 157,536 | 336,049 | ||
| D | 199,563 | 106,995 | 323,616 | ||
| D | 243,337 | 79,023 | 323,832 | ||
| D | 212,250 | 134,468 | 347,744 | ||
| R | 138,362 | 195,555 | 335,281 | ||
| R | 156,876 | 181,877 | 339,800 | ||
| D | 162,895 | 130,401 | 298,393 | ||
| D | 158,450 | 117,558 | 276,708 | ||
| D | 159,387 | 120,849 | 281,708 | ||
| D | 141,548 | 100,323 | 255,612 | ||
| D | 111,399 | 104,743 | 224,968 | ||
| D | 110,871 | 108,224 | 220,411 | ||
| R | 39,271 | 94,516 | 153,313 | ||
| R | 40,242 | 91,546 | 135,224 | ||
| R | 33,556 | 38,191 | 73,941 | ||
| R | 22,288 | 25,534 | 65,545 | ||
| R | 20,797 | 34,021 | 60,495 | ||
| R | 20,021 | 34,948 | 58,070 | ||
| R | 20,841 | 32,870 | 55,791 | ||
| R | 13,881 | 37,125 | 53,252 | ||
| R | 24,458 | 27,377 | 53,554 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 58.1% | 38.9% | 3,512,930 |
| 2020 | D | 64.5% | 32.2% | 3,658,005 |
| 2018 | D | 60.3% | 36.2% | 2,707,090 |
| 2014 | D | 59.0% | 36.2% | 2,186,789 |
| 2012 | D | 53.3% | 45.8% | 3,184,196 |
| 2008 | D | 63.6% | 29.8% | 3,102,995 |
| 2006 | D | 66.9% | 29.5% | 2,243,835 |
| 2002 | D | 72.3% | 0.0% | 2,220,301 |
| 2000 | D | 69.1% | 12.2% | 2,734,048 |
| 1996 | D | 52.2% | 44.7% | 2,555,942 |
| 1994 | D | 58.1% | 41.0% | 2,179,945 |
| 1990 | D | 54.5% | 41.0% | 2,424,579 |
| 1988 | D | 65.0% | 33.9% | 2,606,225 |
| 1984 | D | 55.1% | 44.9% | 2,530,471 |
| 1982 | D | 60.8% | 38.3% | 2,050,769 |
| 1978 | D | 55.1% | 44.8% | 1,985,700 |
| 1976 | D | 69.3% | 29.0% | 2,491,255 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Irish
15.3%
Italian
10.0%
English
8.8%
French
8.0%
Polish
7.1%
American
5.8%
German
5.7%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 40.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$78,570
Congressional District 1 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 1$78,570
Massachusetts$103,960
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.8%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1818.5%
Working age (18–64)12.6%
Seniors (65+)13.5%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
79.2%
speak English only
Spanish12.2%
Other Indo-European5.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.9%
Other languages1.3%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 56.8% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Massachusetts's 1st stretches across the Berkshires and the Connecticut River Valley, blending college towns like Amherst with post-industrial cities like Springfield. It has returned Democratic presidential margins above 15 points in recent cycles.
The Democratic margin in Massachusetts 1st Congressional District peaked at fifty-one points in 1964. By 1988 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was eighteen points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $78,570 sits well below state and national norms, and 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 1, Massachusetts. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/2501/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 1, Massachusetts vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 1, Massachusetts voted Democratic by 18.4 points (D+18), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 413,310 votes cast, 239,236 went Democratic and 163,067 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 1, Massachusetts's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 1, Massachusetts as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 22 times, Republican 12 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 1, Massachusetts last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 1, Massachusetts voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Congressional District 1, Massachusetts?
Congressional District 1, Massachusetts has a population of 863,451 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 1, Massachusetts?
Median household income in Congressional District 1, Massachusetts is $78,570 — below the national median of $80,734. The Massachusetts state median is $103,960.
What is the political history of Congressional District 1, Massachusetts?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 1, Massachusetts from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 22 went Democratic and 12 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.