Arcata is a Democratic stronghold. About 76% of voters here vote Democratic and 24% Republican.
About 59% of adults in Arcata typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Arcata, ~45% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Arcata compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Arcata leans more Democratic than 25 of 26 neighbors.
Arcata runs about 32 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Arcata. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+64) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+33), a spread of about 32 points.
Why Arcata leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Arcata, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 54% of residents in Arcata live in densely developed areas, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Arcata sits in the top quarter (about 44%, above 90% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 61% of adults in Arcata have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Arcata, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Arcata looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 63% of households in Arcata rent, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bayside, CA D+52
- Mckinleyville, CA D+24
- Indianola, CA D+47
- Manila, CA D+34
- Blue Lake, CA D+34
- Fieldbrook, CA D+40
- Cutten, CA D+58
- Myrtletown, CA D+28
- Samoa, CA D+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Camden, SC R+18
- Cleveland, GA R+59
- East Liverpool, OH R+40
- Floral Park, NY R+8
- Lexington Park, MD D+21
- West Richland, WA R+30
- Lealman, FL R+4
- Merrimack, NH D+5
- Gloversville, NY R+22
- West Pensacola, FL D+19
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from California Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.