Desert Hot Springs, CA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Desert Hot Springs

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Desert Hot Springs leans slightly Democratic by roughly 14 points: about 57% of voters vote Democratic and 43% Republican.

 

About 42% of adults in Desert Hot Springs typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Desert Hot Springs, ~24% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~58% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Desert Hot Springs compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Desert Hot Springs leans more Democratic than 23 of 28 neighbors.

Desert Hot Springs runs about 7 points more Republican than California as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Desert Hot Springs. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+20) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+9), a spread of about 11 points.

Why Desert Hot Springs 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 Desert Hot Springs, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 67% of residents in Desert Hot Springs live in densely developed areas, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 39% of adults in Desert Hot Springs have never been married, above 93% of cities.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Desert Hot Springs, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in Desert Hot Springs looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Desert Hot Springs is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 44% of households in Desert Hot Springs rent, compared to around 26% in nearby cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 28% of adults in Desert Hot Springs report food insecurity, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.