Central leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.
About 31% of adults in Central typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central, ~20% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~69% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Central leans more Democratic than 3 of 4 neighbors.
Central runs about 10 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Central. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+39) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+23), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Central 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, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Central 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 55% of adults in Central have never been married, above 88% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Central, Fresno, 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 Central looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Central is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 37%, about 25 points below the California average of 62%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 88% of households in Central rent, compared to around 41% in nearby neighborhoods. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 45% of adults in Central report food insecurity, above 97% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Edison, Fresno, CA D+37
- Fresno-High, Fresno, CA D+23
- Roosevelt, Fresno, CA D+18
- McLane, Fresno, CA D+10
- Hoover, Fresno, CA D+12
- West, Fresno, CA D+5
- Bullard, Fresno, CA D+4
- Southeast Growth Area, Fresno, CA R+34
- Woodward Park, Fresno, CA R+7
- North Growth Area, Fresno, CA R+28
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Los Altos, Long Beach, CA D+24
- Fremont, Seattle, WA D+79
- West Pullman, Chicago, IL D+82
- Mercury Central, Hampton, VA D+47
- Springfield-Belmont, Newark, NJ D+77
- North Plymouth, Plymouth, MA D+16
- Spring Garden, Philadelphia, PA D+71
- Magnolia Center, Riverside, CA D+8
- Stadium-Armory, Washington, DC D+85
- Ponderosa Park, Sunnyvale, CA D+34
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.