Central Santa Cruz is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Central Santa Cruz typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Central Santa Cruz, ~47% vote Democratic, ~10% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Central Santa Cruz compares
Central Santa Cruz sits in a sparsely populated area with few comparable neighborhoods nearby.
Central Santa Cruz runs about 45 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Central Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 56% of adults in Central Santa Cruz have never been married, modestly above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 49%).
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Central Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA sits in the top quarter 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 Santa Cruz looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 70% of households in Central Santa Cruz rent, about 45 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 8% of homes in Central Santa Cruz have more than one occupant per room, above 87% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Westside, Santa Cruz, CA D+73
- Live Oak, Santa Cruz, CA D+50
- Almaden Valley, San Jose, CA D+27
- Cambrian Park, San Jose, CA D+28
- Blossom Valley, San Jose, CA D+25
- Santa Teresa, San Jose, CA D+26
- West San Jose, San Jose, CA D+31
- Willow Glen, San Jose, CA D+37
- Rancho Rinconada, Cupertino, CA D+33
- Edenvale-Seven Trees, San Jose, CA D+28
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Expo Park, Aurora, CO D+33
- Brighton Heights, Pittsburgh, PA D+43
- Kenton, Portland, OR D+74
- Lawrence Park, Bronxville, NY D+22
- University Park, Worcester, MA D+36
- Arlington Hills, Jacksonville, FL D+14
- Darnall, San Diego, CA D+31
- Belmont Shore, Long Beach, CA D+48
- Prescott, Oakland, CA D+79
- Read Blvd East, New Orleans, LA D+80
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.