Massachusetts 5th Congressional District, Massachusetts: Urban anchor district. In 2024, voted D+41%. Democratic peak: D+57 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+41MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Urban anchorAkashic typology
- Population
- 533,9012024 5-year
- Median household income
- $123,7732024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 62.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 7.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 12.0%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+57 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+39 in 1896MIT Election Lab
D
CLARK, Katherine M.
−1 liberal+1 conservative
Predecessors: MARKEY, Edward John (2013–2015), TSONGAS, Nicola S. (Niki) (2011–2013), TSONGAS, Nicola S. (Niki) (2009–2011), TSONGAS, Nicola S. (Niki) (2007–2009)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 5, 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 | 174,681 | 70,796 | 253,476 | ||
| D | 197,651 | 67,533 | 272,874 | ||
| D | 168,903 | 64,508 | 254,161 | ||
| D | 153,317 | 78,325 | 236,248 | ||
| D | 149,142 | 72,294 | 226,222 | ||
| D | 139,801 | 69,816 | 212,713 | ||
| D | 126,525 | 58,194 | 201,177 | ||
| D | 123,637 | 49,985 | 191,136 | ||
| D | 107,690 | 57,759 | 209,799 | ||
| D | 113,769 | 86,517 | 203,562 | ||
| D | 105,377 | 96,052 | 202,088 | ||
| D | 85,942 | 77,316 | 195,941 | ||
| D | 113,040 | 79,097 | 199,569 | ||
| D | 112,587 | 81,973 | 195,584 | ||
| D | 124,140 | 55,934 | 187,311 | ||
| D | 149,488 | 40,735 | 190,932 | ||
| D | 126,868 | 76,020 | 203,358 | ||
| R | 82,196 | 111,595 | 194,420 | ||
| R | 94,058 | 104,450 | 199,172 | ||
| D | 100,252 | 73,852 | 178,436 | ||
| D | 86,356 | 80,375 | 167,019 | ||
| D | 89,642 | 81,935 | 172,445 | ||
| D | 79,441 | 65,064 | 156,389 | ||
| D | 72,030 | 60,042 | 135,059 | ||
| D | 72,556 | 62,656 | 135,844 | ||
| R | 27,317 | 56,367 | 96,223 | ||
| R | 25,078 | 55,240 | 83,238 | ||
| R | 21,151 | 21,501 | 43,637 | ||
| D | 15,721 | 11,179 | 39,866 | ||
| R | 14,035 | 21,469 | 37,763 | ||
| R | 15,518 | 20,320 | 37,177 | ||
| R | 14,077 | 18,398 | 33,607 | ||
| R | 9,372 | 22,091 | 32,910 | ||
| R | 15,042 | 15,229 | 30,989 | ||
| — | — | — | — | ||
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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
17.3%
Italian
11.3%
English
8.8%
German
5.9%
American
3.0%
Polish
2.9%
French
2.9%
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: 37.9 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
$123,773
Congressional District 5 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 5$123,773
Massachusetts$103,960
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.4%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1810.3%
Working age (18–64)8.9%
Seniors (65+)13.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
69.1%
speak English only
Other Indo-European12.0%
Spanish9.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander7.7%
Other languages2.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 45.0% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Massachusetts's 5th returned a D+43.9 presidential margin in 2024, placing it among the most heavily Democratic congressional districts in the country. The district anchors the inner suburbs west of Boston, including Newton and Framingham.
The Democratic margin in Massachusetts 5th Congressional District has been steady. It reached its modern peak at fifty-seven points in 1964; the 2024 margin was forty-one points, still in line with the district's long pattern.
Its political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 63% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $123,773, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center.
Compare two places, side by side
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Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 5, Massachusetts. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/2505/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 5, Massachusetts vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 5, Massachusetts voted Democratic by 41.0 points (D+41), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 253,476 votes cast, 174,681 went Democratic and 70,796 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 5, Massachusetts's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 5, Massachusetts as a "Urban anchor" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 24 times, Republican 10 times, and other 0 times.
When did Congressional District 5, Massachusetts last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 5, Massachusetts voted Republican was 1956.
How many people live in Congressional District 5, Massachusetts?
Congressional District 5, Massachusetts has a population of 533,901 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 5, Massachusetts?
Median household income in Congressional District 5, Massachusetts is $123,773 — above the national median of $80,734. The Massachusetts state median is $103,960.
What is the political history of Congressional District 5, Massachusetts?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 5, Massachusetts from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 24 went Democratic and 10 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Urban anchor" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.