Los Osos leans Democratic by roughly 22 points: about 61% of voters vote Democratic and 39% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Los Osos typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Los Osos, ~47% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Los Osos compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Los Osos leans more Democratic than 19 of 21 neighbors.
Politically, Los Osos sits close to the rest of California.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Los Osos. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+30) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+15), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Los Osos 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 Los Osos, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 67% of residents in Los Osos live in densely developed areas, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Los Osos sits in the top quarter (about 53%, above 95% of cities).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Los Osos, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Los Osos looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Los Osos 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 70%, about 10 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Los Osos have completed high school, above 87% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Morro Bay, CA D+16
- Cayucos, CA D+14
- Avila Beach, CA D+19
- San Luis Obispo, CA D+39
- Shell Beach, CA D+16
- Atascadero, CA R+7
- Harmony, CA D+5
- Pismo Beach, CA D+14
- Garden Farms, CA R+22
- Templeton, CA R+18
Cities with Similar Populations
- Worthington, MN R+13
- Glenshaw, PA Even
- Burnsville, NC R+43
- Plaquemine, LA R+17
- Fraser, MI R+10
- Wilbraham, MA Even
- Woodward, OK R+58
- Boone, IA R+18
- Summerfield, MD D+85
- Townsend, DE Even
All Local Stats
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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.