Monterey leans heavily Democratic by roughly 40 points: about 70% of voters vote Democratic and 30% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Monterey typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Monterey, ~48% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Monterey compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Monterey leans more Democratic than 22 of 26 neighbors.
Monterey runs about 20 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Monterey. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+52) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+25), a spread of about 28 points.
Why Monterey 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 Monterey, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 88% of residents in Monterey live in densely developed areas, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Monterey sits in the top quarter (about 53%, above 95% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 31% of adults in Monterey have never been married, above 78% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Monterey, 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 Monterey looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Monterey 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 69%, about 9 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Sand City, CA D+33
- Del Rey Oaks, CA D+27
- Pacific Grove, CA D+55
- Del Monte Forest, CA D+34
- Seaside, CA D+36
- Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA D+44
- Carmel, CA D+35
- Carmel Highlands, CA D+47
- Marina, CA D+32
- Robles Del Rio, CA D+30
Cities with Similar Populations
- Palm Springs, FL R+5
- Dunnellon, FL R+50
- Del Valle, TX D+20
- Oxford, MI R+21
- Brenham, TX R+31
- Commack, NY R+18
- Verona, WI D+45
- Zeeland, MI R+27
- Harvest, AL R+14
- Maitland, FL D+6
All Local Stats
Home Services
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.