akashic
1876–2024
New Bedford·Massachusetts

New Bedford moved 15.7 points toward the Republican candidate between 2020 and 2024.

20082024·5 elections
MA
New Bedford
HarrisD+8.1
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
Kamala HarrisDemocratic52.6%18,372
Donald TrumpRepublican44.5%15,552
OtherAll other candidates2.9%1,012
D+60
R+60
1 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over timeDemocratic-minus-Republican presidential margin from 2008 to 2024. Most recent: +8.1% in 2024.+8.1%DR20082024
Presidential margin over time
YearMargin (D minus R)
2008+49.5%
2012+53.6%
2016+31.6%
2020+23.8%
2024+8.1%
DemocraticRepublican
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
D
52.6%Harris18,372
44.5%Trump15,552
2.9%
+8.1%
34,936
D
61.0%Biden21,267
37.2%Trump12,964
1.9%incl. Jorgensen
+23.8%
34,877
D
62.8%Clinton20,812
31.1%Trump10,327
6.1%incl. Johnson
+31.6%
33,165
D
76.8%Obama26,225
23.2%Romney7,919
0.0%
+53.6%
34,144
D
73.9%Obama24,881
24.4%McCain8,201
1.7%
+49.5%
33,665

Demographics

Demographic profile

Demographic Profile

Key indicators compared across containing geographies

Demographic Profile. Key indicators compared across containing geographies. ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error. Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.
IndicatorNew BedfordCityMassachusettsStateUnited StatesNation
Race & Ethnicity
White56.1%68.7%61.0%
Black5.3%6.8%12.2%
Asian1.3%7.3%6.0%
Two or more races19.0%11.1%12.6%
Other race18.3%6.1%8.2%
Hispanic or Latino25.8%13.3%19.3%
Income & Age
Median household income$56,981$103,960$84,427
Poverty rate20.6%10.1%12.5%
Median age3740.339.1
Age 18–248.6%9.9%9.2%
Age 65 and older17.8%17.9%17.2%
Education & Language
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)30.8%47.3%35.6%
Speaks a non-English language at home21.7%25.1%22.3%
Other Indo-European11.3%6.1%2.0%
Spanish6.6%9.7%13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)1.6%1.9%0.7%
Ancestry
Largest ancestryPortuguese 22.5%Irish 18.6%German 12.5%
2nd-largest ancestryIrish 16.8%Italian 11.1%Mexican 11.3%
3rd-largest ancestryEnglish 10.1%English 9.7%English 9.5%
Religion
Catholic32.9%County context35.5%18.6%
Evangelical Protestant4.4%County context3.6%16.5%
Unaffiliated or unclaimed57.9%County context51.4%51.5%

ACS values are survey estimates and may include margins of error.

Religion data may be available only at county or larger geographies. Sub-county values are labeled when inherited, modeled, or contextual.

2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the origins and ancestries reported within it.
Reported ancestry · ACS B04006
Portuguese
22.5%
Irish
16.8%
English
10.1%
Italian
8.1%
French
7.5%
German
3.6%
French Canadian
3.6%
Polish
3.2%
Specific origin · ACS B03001
Puerto Rican
4.8%
Dominican
1.0%
Guatemalan
0.8%
Mexican
0.6%
Salvadoran
0.5%
Ecuadorian
0.5%
Honduran
0.4%
Colombian
0.3%
The ACS does not publish subgroup detail for people reporting two or more races.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and other single-race responses combined.
Reported ancestry · ACS B04006
African American identity is recorded by the ACS race question; the ancestry item enumerates specific African and Caribbean ancestries only.
Cape Verdean
3.1%
Haitian
1.0%
Jamaican
0.3%
African
0.2%
Detailed group · ACS B02015
Asian Indian
0.6%
Chinese
0.4%
Cambodian
0.4%
Vietnamese
0.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Race shares: B02001 · B03003. Subgroup detail: B03001 (Hispanic or Latino specific origin), B02015 (Asian groups), B02020 · B02016 (American Indian/Alaska Native tribes and Pacific Islander groups), B04006 (reported ancestry). Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so group shares can total more than 100%. All subgroup rows are shares of total population; ancestry is self-reported and multiple-response, so rows do not sum to the parent group's share.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
78.3%
speak English only
Other Indo-European11.3%
Spanish6.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)1.6%
Other Asian & Pacific Island0.6%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)0.3%
Arabic0.3%
Other languages0.3%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic0.2%
Vietnamese0.2%
German or other West Germanic0.1%
Korean0.1%
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Catholic
32.9%
Evangelical Protestant
4.4%
Mainline Protestant
2.1%
Muslim
1.1%
Other Christian
0.7%
Jewish
0.3%
Orthodox Christian
0.3%
Other faiths
0.1%
Black Protestant
0.1%
Buddhist
0.1%
Unaffiliated or not counted57.9%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. The unaffiliated-or-not-counted share is everyone not claimed as an adherent by any reporting body — uncounted congregations as well as the religiously unaffiliated.

New Bedford sits in New England. In 2024 it voted Democratic.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 53.6 points in 2012. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 15.7 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 8.1 points.

A population of 100,998, a 56% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $56,981 describe the city.

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.
New Bedford, Massachusetts. Akashic. https://akashic.app/city/2545000/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did New Bedford, Massachusetts vote in 2024?
In 2024, New Bedford, Massachusetts voted Democratic by 8.1 points (D+8.1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 34,936 votes cast, 18,372 went Democratic and 15,552 went Republican.
What is New Bedford, Massachusetts's political typology?
Akashic places New Bedford, Massachusetts in the "" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the city has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 0 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in New Bedford, Massachusetts?
New Bedford, Massachusetts has a population of 100,998 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in New Bedford, Massachusetts?
Median household income in New Bedford, Massachusetts is $56,981 — below the national median of $80,734. The Massachusetts state median is $103,960.
What is the political history of New Bedford, Massachusetts?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in New Bedford, Massachusetts from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 0 went Republican. The city's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.