Laurel is a Democratic stronghold. About 85% of voters here vote Democratic and 15% Republican.
About 46% of adults in Laurel typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Laurel, ~39% vote Democratic, ~7% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Laurel compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Laurel leans more Democratic than 39 of 65 neighbors.
Laurel runs about 50 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Laurel. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+76) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+65), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Laurel 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 Laurel, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Laurel live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Laurel, Oakland, CA sits in the top quarter 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 Laurel looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 11% of homes in Laurel have more than one occupant per room, above 93% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Upper Laurel, Oakland, CA D+77
- Allendale, Oakland, CA D+63
- Redwood Heights, Oakland, CA D+74
- Upper Dimond, Oakland, CA D+78
- Dimond, Oakland, CA D+67
- Fruitvale Station, Oakland, CA D+52
- Melrose, Oakland, CA D+59
- Seminary, Oakland, CA D+77
- Lynn-Highland Park, Oakland, CA D+62
- Glenview, Oakland, CA D+79
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Clapp Park, Lubbock, TX D+6
- West Eugene, Eugene, OR D+53
- Mercer Heights, Mercer Island, WA D+48
- Oakhurst, Charlotte, NC D+35
- Cobbs Hill, Rochester, NY D+59
- Brookwood, Mobile, AL D+35
- Palmer Heights, Easton, PA R+6
- Roosevelt Gardens Area, Norfolk, VA R+8
- Tri-Court, Lincoln, NE D+5
- Highlands-Kirkland, Kirkland, WA D+45
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.