Kensington is a Democratic stronghold. About 78% of voters here vote Democratic and 22% Republican.
About 80% of adults in Kensington typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Kensington, ~63% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~19% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Kensington compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Kensington leans more Democratic than 38 of 43 neighbors.
Kensington runs about 37 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Kensington. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+64) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+48), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Kensington 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 Kensington, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 73% of adults in Kensington hold a bachelor's degree, about 44 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Kensington, San Diego, CA sits above the national average on this measure.
Why turnout in Kensington looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Kensington is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 99% of adults in Kensington have completed high school, above 90% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Normal Heights, San Diego, CA D+60
- Talmadge, San Diego, CA D+48
- East San Diego, San Diego, CA D+45
- City Heights East, San Diego, CA D+31
- City Heights West, San Diego, CA D+41
- Grantville, San Diego, CA D+36
- El Cerritos, San Diego, CA D+48
- North Park San Diego, San Diego, CA D+62
- College Area, San Diego, CA D+41
- University Heights, San Diego, CA D+63
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Kent Corner, Riverside, RI D+5
- Pimlico, Baltimore, MD D+85
- Top Road, Trenton, NJ D+36
- Lindsay Park, Milwaukee, WI D+69
- Geist, Indianapolis, IN Even
- West Market Square Historic District, Bangor, ME D+30
- Highland Park, Augusta, GA D+47
- Villages at Rancho El Dorado, Silver Bell, AZ R+7
- Pleasant Grove East, Chesapeake, VA R+34
- North Central Heritage, San Antonio, TX Even
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.