Cortez Hill is a Democratic stronghold. About 75% of voters here vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 52% of adults in Cortez Hill typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Cortez Hill, ~39% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Cortez Hill compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Cortez Hill leans more Democratic than 28 of 35 neighbors.
Cortez Hill runs about 30 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Cortez Hill. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+61) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+42), a spread of about 20 points.
Why Cortez Hill 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 Cortez Hill, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 63% of adults in Cortez Hill hold a bachelor's degree, about 35 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 48% of adults in Cortez Hill have never been married, above 79% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Cortez Hill, San Diego, 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 Cortez Hill looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 79% of households in Cortez Hill rent, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Little Italy, San Diego, CA D+40
- Core, San Diego, CA D+43
- Columbia San Diego, San Diego, CA D+37
- Park West, San Diego, CA D+54
- Marina, San Diego, CA D+45
- East Village, San Diego, CA D+44
- Sherman Heights, San Diego, CA D+45
- Balboa Park, San Diego, CA D+58
- Middletown, San Diego, CA D+47
- Hillcrest, San Diego, CA D+61
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
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.