Davis is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 51% of adults in Davis typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Davis, ~42% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~49% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Davis compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Davis is the most Democratic-leaning.
Davis runs about 46 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Davis. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+41), a spread of about 30 points.
Why Davis leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Davis, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 75% of adults in Davis hold a bachelor's degree, about 46 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and Davis sits in the top fifth on density (about 88%, above 96% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 63% of adults in Davis have never been married, in the top fraction of cities.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Davis, 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 Davis looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 67% of households in Davis rent, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in Davis have more than one occupant per room, above 90% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- El Macero, CA D+53
- Woodland, CA D+22
- Dixon, CA R+5
- Yolano, CA R+26
- Winters, CA D+6
- Yolo, CA R+16
- West Sacramento, CA D+22
- Madison, CA R+6
- Clarksburg, CA R+9
- Binghamton, CA R+29
Cities with Similar Populations
- Spanaway, WA R+3
- Campbell, CA D+31
- Rockwall, TX R+31
- Portage, MI D+14
- Bluffton, SC R+16
- Kendale Lakes, FL R+39
- Spring Valley, NY Even
- Edina, MN D+38
- Lincoln, CA R+17
- Middleburg, FL R+46
All Local Stats
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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.