state house districtMassachusetts 17th State House District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004D+30.5
2008D+25.7
2012D+19.8
2016D+0.9
2020R+1.2
2024R+11.5
net swing · 2004→2024R+42.0D+30.5 → R+11.5
vs. U.S. · 2024R+10.1R+11.5 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 71.8% of 33,330 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
10,270
13,032
639
23,941
33,330
71.8%
2020
11,166
11,444
437
23,047
32,591†
70.7%
2016
9,922
9,740
1,164
20,826
31,828†
65.4%
2012
10,913
7,261
280
18,454
31,078†
59.4%
2008
12,433
7,269
409
20,111
30,243†
66.5%
2004
12,527
6,632
190
19,349
29,407†
65.8%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupMA HD 8MassachusettsUnited States
Portuguese26.4%2.3%—
Irish19.7%18.6%9.4%
English11.9%9.7%9.5%
Italian9.5%11.1%4.8%
French8.8%4.7%1.6%
German4.2%5.4%12.5%
French Canadian4.2%——
Polish3.8%3.4%2.2%
Puerto Rican2.4%4.6%1.8%
Dominican0.5%2.7%0.7%
Guatemalan0.4%0.8%0.5%
Mexican0.3%0.8%11.3%
Salvadoran0.3%1.1%0.7%
Ecuadorian0.3%0.3%—
Honduran0.2%—0.3%
Colombian0.2%0.6%0.4%
Cape Verdean1.2%0.9%—
Haitian0.4%1.1%0.3%
Asian Indian0.3%1.9%1.4%
Chinese0.2%2.5%1.3%
Cambodian0.2%0.4%—
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
MA HD 8
Massachusetts
United States
Median age
45.7
40.3
39.1
Age 18–24
8.6%
9.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
17.8%
17.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
MA HD 8
Massachusetts
United States
Median household income
$92,885
$103,960
$84,427
Poverty rate
8.5%
10.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
30.8%
47.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
MA HD 8
Massachusetts
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
21.7%
25.1%
22.3%
Spanish
6.6%
9.7%
13.6%
French (incl. Cajun & Haitian)
1.6%
1.9%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
11.3%
6.1%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
MA HD 8
Massachusetts
United States
Catholic
—
35.5%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
3.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
51.4%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Massachusetts 17th State House District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+30.5%
2008
+25.7%
2012
+19.8%
2016
+0.9%
2020
−1.2%
2024
−11.5%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
42.9%Harris10,270
54.4%Trump13,032
2.7%
R+11.5
R+10.3
R+10.1
23,941
R
48.4%Biden11,166
49.7%Trump11,444
1.9%
R+1.2
R+2.1
R+5.7
23,047
D
47.6%Clinton9,922
46.8%Trump9,740
5.6%
D+0.9
R+18.9
R+1.2
20,826
D
59.1%Obama10,913
39.3%Romney7,261
1.5%
D+19.8
R+5.9
D+15.9
18,454
D
61.8%Obama12,433
36.1%McCain7,269
2.0%
D+25.7
R+4.8
D+18.4
20,111
D
64.7%Kerry12,527
34.3%Bush6,632
1.0%
D+30.5
—
D+32.9
19,349
current representation
Current officeholders
DSteven OuelletteState House · 8th Bristol
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
The 8th Bristol District delivers presidential margins exceeding 39 points for Democrats, reflecting a dense, urban-skewing constituency in one of the commonwealth's more reliably one-sided corners of the state legislative map.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 30.5 points in 2004 and a Republican high of 11.5 points in 2024. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 10.3 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 11.5 points.
A population of 41,848, a 88% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $92,885 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of 5th Bristol District and 9th Bristol District.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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.
Massachusetts 17th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/25017/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Massachusetts 17th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Massachusetts 17th State House District voted Republican by 11.5 points (R+11.5), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 23,941 votes cast, 10,270 went Democratic and 13,032 went Republican.
When did Massachusetts 17th State House District last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Massachusetts 17th State House District voted Democratic was 2016.
How many people live in Massachusetts 17th State House District?
Massachusetts 17th State House District has a population of 41,848 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Massachusetts 17th State House District?
Median household income in Massachusetts 17th State House District is $92,885 — above the national median of $80,734. The Massachusetts state median is $87,796.
What is the political history of Massachusetts 17th State House District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Massachusetts 17th State House District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 2 went Republican.
