Butte City is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 53% of adults in Butte City typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Butte City, ~10% vote Democratic, ~43% Republican, and ~47% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Butte City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Butte City leans more Republican than 30 of 31 neighbors.
Butte City runs about 82 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Butte City is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Butte City. The northwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+65) and the south side is the least Republican-leaning (R+32), a spread of about 33 points.
Why Butte City 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 Butte City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Butte City votes against the grain of California. California leans Democratic overall, while Butte City runs about 82 points more Republican. Rural areas vote Republican, and Butte City sits in the bottom quarter on density (about 3%, below 93% of cities).
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; Butte City, CA sits in the bottom quarter 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 Butte City looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 55% of households in Butte City rent, about 30 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 9% of homes in Butte City have more than one occupant per room, above 95% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 78% of adults in Butte City have completed high school, below 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Princeton, CA R+51
- Richvale, CA R+58
- Glenn, CA R+64
- Willows, CA R+33
- Ordbend, CA R+51
- Nelson, CA R+36
- Biggs, CA R+49
- Pennington, CA R+51
- Durham, CA R+23
- Gridley, CA R+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Dever, OR R+38
- New Market, MN R+32
- Rathbone, NY R+60
- Whitcomb, IN R+66
- Heathsville, NC D+26
- Scioto Furnace, OH R+63
- Brooklyn, PA R+46
- St. Clair, GA R+27
- Heilman, IN R+56
- Mazama, WA D+51
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.