Oakland, CA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Oakland

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Oakland is a Democratic stronghold. About 84% of voters here vote Democratic and 16% Republican.

 

About 52% of adults in Oakland typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Oakland, ~44% vote Democratic, ~8% Republican, and ~48% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Oakland compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Oakland leans more Democratic than 88 of 93 neighbors.

Oakland runs about 48 points more Democratic than California as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Oakland. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+80) and the south side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+56), a spread of about 24 points.

Why Oakland 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 Oakland, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 98% of residents in Oakland live in densely developed areas, about 62 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Oakland sits in the top quarter (about 45%, above 91% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in Oakland have never been married, above 97% of cities.

Population density and Democratic lean

Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Oakland, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.

Why turnout in Oakland looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 56% of households in Oakland rent, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 21% of adults in Oakland report food insecurity, above 83% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in Oakland have completed high school, below 85% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.