Athens is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Athens typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Athens, ~43% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Athens compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Athens leans more Democratic than 7 of 9 neighbors.
Athens runs about 43 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Athens. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+76) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+50), a spread of about 26 points.
Why Athens leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Athens, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Athens live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 49% of adults in Athens have never been married, above 80% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Athens, West Athens, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.
Why turnout in Athens looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 30% of adults in Athens report food insecurity, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 77% of adults in Athens have completed high school, below 89% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Morningside Park, Inglewood, CA D+75
- West Rancho Domingues, Compton, CA D+61
- Alondra Park, Lawndale, CA D+29
- Watts, Los Angeles, CA D+49
- Southeast Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA D+49
- North Torrance, Torrance, CA D+20
- Hyde Park, Los Angeles, CA D+70
- South Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA D+57
- Harbor Gateway, Torrance, CA D+35
- Windsor Hills, View Park-Windsor Hills, CA D+84
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Fairview Shores, Orlando, FL D+20
- Providence Crossing, Charlotte, NC D+3
- fairwood, Spokane, WA R+5
- Boyd Acres, Bend, OR D+5
- Polish Village, Parma, OH R+4
- Ohio City-West Side, Cleveland, OH D+59
- Western Hills Yarborough, Shreveport, LA D+33
- Pacific-Riverside, San Bernardino, CA D+21
- University Area, Anchorage, AK D+29
- Shearer Hills-Ridgeview, San Antonio, TX D+20
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.