Carmel Highlands leans heavily Democratic by roughly 46 points: about 73% of voters vote Democratic and 27% Republican.
About 62% of adults in Carmel Highlands typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Carmel Highlands, ~45% vote Democratic, ~17% Republican, and ~38% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Carmel Highlands compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Carmel Highlands leans more Democratic than 21 of 24 neighbors.
Carmel Highlands runs about 27 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Carmel Highlands 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 Carmel Highlands, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 52% of adults in Carmel Highlands hold a bachelor's degree, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Carmel Highlands, CA sits in the top 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 Carmel Highlands looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Carmel Highlands is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 77%, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Carmel, CA D+35
- Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA D+44
- Del Monte Forest, CA D+34
- Monterey, CA D+40
- Del Rey Oaks, CA D+27
- Robles Del Rio, CA D+30
- Pacific Grove, CA D+55
- Sand City, CA D+33
- Seaside, CA D+36
- Carmel Valley Village, CA D+31
Cities with Similar Populations
- Rowanta, VA R+31
- Gober, GA R+69
- Dulles, VA R+11
- Dixie, VA R+7
- Brinktown, MO R+70
- Indian Point, MO R+45
- Orderville, UT R+72
- Rickreall, OR R+29
- Clearview, WV R+34
- East Glacier Park, MT D+54
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.