Nob Hill is a Democratic stronghold. About 81% of voters here vote Democratic and 19% Republican.
About 60% of adults in Nob Hill typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Nob Hill, ~49% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~40% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Nob Hill compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Nob Hill leans more Democratic than 15 of 35 neighbors.
Nob Hill runs about 42 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Nob Hill. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+65) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+55), a spread of about 10 points.
Why Nob Hill 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 Nob Hill, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Nob Hill live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Nob Hill sits in the top quarter (about 63%, above 84% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 54% of adults in Nob Hill have never been married, above 88% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Nob Hill, San Francisco, 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 Nob Hill looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 84% of households in Nob Hill rent, about 59 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, and Nob Hill sits in the top 15% on a violent-crime measure. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Union Square, San Francisco, CA D+59
- Russian Hill, San Francisco, CA D+68
- Chinatown-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA D+38
- Downtown San Francisco, San Francisco, CA D+56
- Pacific Heights, San Francisco, CA D+69
- Cow Hollow, San Francisco, CA D+64
- Western Addition, San Francisco, CA D+73
- Marina-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA D+63
- Financial District, San Francisco, CA D+53
- South of Market, San Francisco, CA D+61
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Flour Bluff, Corpus Christi, TX R+31
- Mountain View, El Monte, CA D+28
- Rosedale, Bakersfield, CA R+53
- Rose Hill, Alexandria, VA D+42
- Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA D+82
- Manoa, Honolulu, HI D+44
- San Luis Rey, Oceanside, CA D+11
- Mililani Mauka-Launani Valley, Mililani, HI D+16
- Bay Terraces, San Diego, CA D+20
- Central Arlington, Arlington, TX D+25
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.