Manhattan Beach leans Democratic by roughly 28 points: about 64% of voters vote Democratic and 36% Republican.
About 85% of adults in Manhattan Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Manhattan Beach, ~54% vote Democratic, ~30% Republican, and ~16% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Manhattan Beach compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Manhattan Beach leans more Democratic than 61 of 106 neighbors.
Manhattan Beach runs about 8 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Manhattan Beach. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+41) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+18), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Manhattan Beach 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 Manhattan Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 95% of residents in Manhattan Beach live in densely developed areas, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Manhattan Beach sits in the top quarter (about 78%, in the top fraction of cities).
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Manhattan Beach, 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 Manhattan Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Manhattan Beach 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 79%, about 19 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Manhattan Beach have completed high school, above 96% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Hermosa Beach, CA D+37
- El Segundo, CA D+37
- Del Aire, CA D+28
- Lawndale, CA D+27
- Redondo Beach, CA D+30
- Hawthorne, CA D+44
- Lennox, CA D+37
- Torrance, CA D+22
- Playa Del Rey, CA D+44
- Gardena, CA D+39
Cities with Similar Populations
- Central Islip, NY D+27
- Greenville, TX R+37
- Odenton, MD D+36
- Sanger, CA R+9
- Natick, MA D+41
- Port Angeles, WA D+9
- Arnold, MO R+31
- Oak Creek, WI R+3
- Hudsonville, MI R+32
- La Presa, CA D+18
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.