Ocean Beach leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Ocean Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Ocean Beach, ~50% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Ocean Beach compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Ocean Beach leans more Democratic than 9 of 11 neighbors.
Ocean Beach runs about 23 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Ocean Beach. The northeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+51) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+30), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Ocean Beach 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 Ocean Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 62% of adults in Ocean Beach hold a bachelor's degree, about 34 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 48% of adults in Ocean Beach have never been married, above 79% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Ocean Beach, San Diego, 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 Ocean Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Ocean Beach 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%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 98% of adults in Ocean Beach have completed high school, above 83% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Loma Portal, San Diego, CA D+38
- Roseville, San Diego, CA D+30
- Wooded Area, San Diego, CA D+25
- Midtown District, San Diego, CA D+32
- Mission Hills-San Diego, San Diego, CA D+42
- Moreno Mission, San Diego, CA D+40
- Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA D+35
- Middletown, San Diego, CA D+47
- Bay Park, San Diego, CA D+30
- Little Italy, San Diego, CA D+40
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- University Place, Lincoln, NE D+13
- Ludlow, Yonkers, NY D+31
- Dorchester Center, Boston, MA D+71
- Gresham-Rockwood, Gresham, OR D+24
- Martha Lake, Lynnwood, WA D+24
- Seacliff, San Francisco, CA D+59
- Dellview Area, San Antonio, TX D+24
- Pawtucketville, Lowell, MA D+15
- The Acre, Lowell, MA D+42
- Meadow Point, Wesley Chapel, FL R+5
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.