Chinatown-San Francisco leans heavily Democratic by roughly 38 points: about 69% of voters vote Democratic and 31% Republican.
About 43% of adults in Chinatown-San Francisco typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Chinatown-San Francisco, ~30% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~57% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Chinatown-San Francisco compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Chinatown-San Francisco leans more Democratic than 1 of 31 neighbors.
Chinatown-San Francisco runs about 18 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Chinatown-San Francisco. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+54) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+31), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Chinatown-San Francisco 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-San Francisco, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Chinatown-San Francisco live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Chinatown-San Francisco, San Francisco, 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 Chinatown-San Francisco looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 90% of households in Chinatown-San Francisco rent, about 65 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 30% of adults in Chinatown-San Francisco report food insecurity, above 82% of neighborhoods. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Chinatown-San Francisco sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Union Square, San Francisco, CA D+59
- Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA D+62
- Russian Hill, San Francisco, CA D+68
- Financial District, San Francisco, CA D+53
- Downtown San Francisco, San Francisco, CA D+56
- North Beach, San Francisco, CA D+57
- South of Market, San Francisco, CA D+61
- Pacific Heights, San Francisco, CA D+69
- Cow Hollow, San Francisco, CA D+64
- Western Addition, San Francisco, CA D+73
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Financial District, San Francisco, CA D+53
- Hegewisch, Chicago, IL D+17
- Flamingo-Lummus, Miami Beach, FL D+17
- Holland, Minneapolis, MN D+67
- Morningside, Detroit, MI D+85
- Serramonte, Daly City, CA D+36
- Friendly, Fort Washington, MD D+78
- Bloomfield-Allen, Des Moines, IA D+4
- El Toro Marine Air Station, Irvine, CA D+18
- Harambee, Milwaukee, WI D+82
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.