Empire leans heavily Republican by roughly 38 points: about 31% of voters vote Democratic and 69% Republican.
About 37% of adults in Empire typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Empire, ~11% vote Democratic, ~26% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Empire compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Empire leans more Republican than 21 of 35 neighbors.
Empire runs about 58 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Empire is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Why Empire 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 Empire, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with low college attainment vote Republican. About 9% of adults in Empire hold a bachelor's degree, about 26 points below the California average of 35%. Dense places usually vote Democratic, but Empire runs against that pattern. Empire runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Empire, CA sits in the bottom quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Empire looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Empire 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 47% of households in Empire rent, about 22 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 28% of adults in Empire report food insecurity, above 94% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hughson, CA R+33
- Ceres, CA R+5
- Modesto, CA Even
- Keyes, CA R+16
- Riverbank, CA R+12
- Waterford, CA R+30
- Turlock, CA R+13
- Denair, CA R+43
- Oakdale, CA R+28
- Hickman, CA R+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Bernie, MO R+62
- Frederic, WI R+34
- Chattahoochee Hills, GA R+5
- Pine Prairie, TX R+53
- Runnells, IA R+33
- New Cordell, OK R+73
- Turbotville, PA R+52
- Lesage, WV R+51
- Moretown, VT D+23
- Itasca, TX R+55
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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.