Cayucos leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.
About 79% of adults in Cayucos typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cayucos, ~45% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~21% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cayucos compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Cayucos leans more Democratic than 15 of 21 neighbors.
Cayucos runs about 6 points more Republican than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Cayucos. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+19) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (Even), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Cayucos 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 Cayucos, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 44% of adults in Cayucos hold a bachelor's degree, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Cayucos, 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 Cayucos looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Cayucos 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 73%, about 13 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 96% of adults in Cayucos have completed high school, above 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Morro Bay, CA D+16
- Harmony, CA D+5
- Los Osos, CA D+21
- Klau, CA R+19
- Atascadero, CA R+7
- Templeton, CA R+18
- Cambria, CA D+25
- San Luis Obispo, CA D+39
- El Paso de Robles, CA R+2
- Garden Farms, CA R+22
Cities with Similar Populations
- Babson Park, FL R+51
- Newton, TX R+32
- Clarksboro, NJ R+10
- Coats Crossroads, NC R+32
- Haynesville, LA Even
- Whitehall, MT R+54
- Bristolville, OH R+50
- Ashville, NY R+30
- Freer, TX R+28
- Crescent, PA R+13
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.