Nevada City leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 83% of adults in Nevada City typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nevada City, ~51% vote Democratic, ~32% Republican, and ~17% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nevada City compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Nevada City leans more Democratic than 49 of 51 neighbors.
Politically, Nevada City sits close to the rest of California.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Nevada City. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+28) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+6), a spread of about 23 points.
Why Nevada City 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 Nevada City, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 46% of adults in Nevada City hold a bachelor's degree, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Nevada City, 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 Nevada City looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Nevada City 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
- North Columbia, CA D+32
- Grass Valley, CA D+5
- Sweetland, CA D+14
- Rough And Ready, CA R+7
- North San Juan, CA D+7
- Alta Sierra, CA Even
- Penn Valley, CA R+7
- Dutch Flat, CA R+32
- Gold Run, CA R+34
Cities with Similar Populations
- Rockmart, GA R+52
- Florence, MS R+61
- Centerton, AR R+31
- Alpena, MI R+16
- San Carlos Park, FL R+22
- Pikeville, KY R+49
- Union, MO R+44
- Brooklyn, MD D+59
- Avenel, NJ D+21
- Clanton, AL R+64
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.