Chinatown leans heavily Democratic by roughly 36 points: about 68% of voters vote Democratic and 32% Republican.
About 29% of adults in Chinatown typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chinatown, ~20% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~71% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chinatown compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Chinatown leans more Democratic than 2 of 28 neighbors.
Chinatown runs about 16 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Chinatown. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+46) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+29), a spread of about 17 points.
Why Chinatown 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 Chinatown, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with many never-married adults vote Democratic. About 57% of adults in Chinatown have never been married, well above similar-sized neighborhoods (around 39%). Density combined with diversity predicts Democratic voting, and non-Hispanic white share in Chinatown is about 12%, about 61 points below the U.S. average of 72%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Chinatown looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. More than 99% of households in Chinatown rent, about 74 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and Chinatown sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 63% of adults in Chinatown have completed high school, below 98% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Civic Center Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, CA D+48
- Central City East, Los Angeles, CA D+41
- Wholesale District-Skid Row, Los Angeles, CA D+53
- Downtown Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA D+65
- New Downtown, Los Angeles, CA D+54
- Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, CA D+53
- Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA D+60
- Montecito Heights, Los Angeles, CA D+42
- Fashion District, Los Angeles, CA D+61
- South Park, Los Angeles, CA D+58
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Sexton Mountain, Beaverton, OR D+38
- Indian Hills-Stonewall Estates-Monticello, Lexington, KY D+5
- East Bench, Salt Lake City, UT D+38
- Greenland, Jacksonville, FL R+21
- High Point, Seattle, WA D+63
- Serrano Village, El Dorado Hills, CA R+6
- Interbay, Seattle, WA D+74
- Oakdale, Atlanta, GA D+24
- Allandale, Austin, TX D+54
- Ledroit Park, Washington, DC D+88
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.