Occidental is a Democratic stronghold. About 76% of voters here vote Democratic and 24% Republican.
About 64% of adults in Occidental typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Occidental, ~49% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Occidental compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Occidental leans more Democratic than 33 of 40 neighbors.
Occidental runs about 33 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Occidental. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+58) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+46), a spread of about 12 points.
Why Occidental 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 Occidental, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 55% of adults in Occidental hold a bachelor's degree, about 27 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Occidental, 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 Occidental looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Occidental 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 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Bodega, CA D+44
- Graton, CA D+55
- Monte Rio, CA D+54
- Forestville, CA D+53
- Valley Ford, CA D+40
- Duncans Mills, CA D+48
- Sebastopol, CA D+50
- Carmet, CA D+47
- Guerneville, CA D+53
- Bodega Bay, CA D+42
Cities with Similar Populations
- Grove City, MN R+54
- Lovington, IL R+64
- Darlington, IN R+57
- Melrose, WI R+31
- Gordonsville, TN R+64
- Hardinsburg, IN R+61
- Quitman, LA R+60
- Mount Solon, VA R+62
- Magazine, AR R+72
- Sanborn, IA R+58
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.