North Highlands leans slightly Democratic by roughly 8 points: about 54% of voters vote Democratic and 46% Republican.
About 46% of adults in North Highlands typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in North Highlands, ~25% vote Democratic, ~21% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How North Highlands compares
Among cities within 25 miles, North Highlands leans more Democratic than 41 of 58 neighbors.
North Highlands runs about 13 points more Republican than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within North Highlands. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+15) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (Even), a spread of about 14 points.
Why North Highlands 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 North Highlands, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in North Highlands live in densely developed areas, about 63 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in North Highlands have never been married, above 93% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; North Highlands, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in North Highlands looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 51% of households in North Highlands rent, about 26 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and North Highlands sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 24% of adults in North Highlands report food insecurity, above 89% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Foothill Farms, CA D+2
- McClellan Park, CA D+6
- Antelope, CA R+2
- Carmichael, CA D+11
- Rio Linda, CA R+16
- Citrus Heights, CA R+3
- Elverta, CA R+33
- Arden-Arcade, CA D+25
- Fair Oaks, CA D+6
- Roseville, CA R+5
Cities with Similar Populations
- Montgomery, TX R+54
- Carmichael, CA D+11
- Webster, NY D+4
- Texarkana, TX R+17
- Plainfield, NJ D+57
- Apache Junction, AZ R+28
- Winter Park, FL D+4
- Covington, LA R+39
- Aspen Hill, MD D+48
- West Sacramento, CA D+22
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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.