Central Berkeley is a Democratic stronghold. About 92% of voters here vote Democratic and 8% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Central Berkeley typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central Berkeley, ~60% vote Democratic, ~5% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central Berkeley compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central Berkeley leans more Democratic than 35 of 41 neighbors.
Central Berkeley runs about 64 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Central Berkeley 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 Central Berkeley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Central Berkeley live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Central Berkeley sits in the top quarter (about 75%, above 94% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 50% of adults in Central Berkeley have never been married, above 82% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Central Berkeley, Berkeley, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Central Berkeley looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Central Berkeley 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%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+76
- SouthWest Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+79
- Westbrae, Berkeley, CA D+87
- Santa Fe, Emeryville, CA D+81
- South Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+79
- North Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+82
- Northwest Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+82
- Elmwood, Berkeley, CA D+77
- Berkeley Hills, Berkeley, CA D+83
- Paradise Park, Emeryville, CA D+80
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Oceanfront, Miami Beach, FL R+7
- Richmond Hill, Augusta, GA D+56
- Creston-Kenilworth, Portland, OR D+82
- Milwood, Kalamazoo, MI D+28
- Hillsdale, Portland, OR D+74
- West Bethlehem, Bethlehem, PA D+25
- Collister, Boise, ID D+21
- Edgerton, Rochester, NY D+56
- Hidden Cove-Indian Creek, San Antonio, TX D+23
- Regent, Madison, WI D+75
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.