Elmwood is a Democratic stronghold. About 88% of voters here vote Democratic and 12% Republican.
About 47% of adults in Elmwood typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Elmwood, ~41% vote Democratic, ~6% Republican, and ~53% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Elmwood compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Elmwood leans more Democratic than 19 of 48 neighbors.
Elmwood runs about 57 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Elmwood. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+88) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+72), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Elmwood 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 Elmwood, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 79% of adults in Elmwood hold a bachelor's degree, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 79% of adults in Elmwood have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Elmwood, Berkeley, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Elmwood looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 80% of households in Elmwood rent, about 55 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 8% of homes in Elmwood have more than one occupant per room, above 87% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- South Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+79
- Claremont, Berkeley, CA D+81
- Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+76
- Fairview Park, Oakland, CA D+88
- North Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+82
- Bushrod, Oakland, CA D+85
- Rockridge, Oakland, CA D+85
- Central Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+84
- Shafter, Oakland, CA D+87
- SouthWest Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+79
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Deep Creek North, Chesapeake, VA D+18
- Woodlawn, Alexandria, VA D+47
- Back of the Yards, Chicago, IL D+46
- Morgan Park, Chicago, IL D+62
- Port Richmond, Staten Island, NY D+24
- Belair, Augusta, GA D+42
- 19th Ward, Rochester, NY D+78
- Kensington, Philadelphia, PA D+61
- Beach Haven, Jacksonville, FL R+16
- The Waterfront, Jersey City, NJ D+48
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.