Pacific Beach leans heavily Democratic by roughly 34 points: about 67% of voters vote Democratic and 33% Republican.
About 68% of adults in Pacific Beach typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Pacific Beach, ~46% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~32% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Pacific Beach compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Pacific Beach leans more Democratic than 8 of 14 neighbors.
Pacific Beach runs about 15 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Pacific 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 Pacific Beach, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 69% of adults in Pacific Beach hold a bachelor's degree, about 40 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 57% of adults in Pacific Beach have never been married, above 91% of neighborhoods.
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with strong routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a higher rate; Pacific Beach, San Diego, CA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Pacific Beach looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Pacific 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 71%, about 11 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Bay Ho, San Diego, CA D+27
- Bay Park, San Diego, CA D+30
- North Clairemont, San Diego, CA D+25
- Moreno Mission, San Diego, CA D+40
- Clairemont Mesa, San Diego, CA D+24
- Loma Portal, San Diego, CA D+38
- La Jolla Village, La Jolla, CA D+45
- Linda Vista, San Diego, CA D+28
- Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA D+43
- University City, San Diego, CA D+44
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Crenshaw, Los Angeles, CA D+74
- Stapleton, Denver, CO D+56
- West Bloomington, Bloomington, MN D+33
- Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, NY D+24
- Pennsport-Whitman-Queen, Philadelphia, PA D+42
- Pottage Park, Chicago, IL D+26
- Wissanoning, Philadelphia, PA D+30
- South End, Boston, MA D+64
- South Central Omaha, Omaha, NE D+15
- Eagle Ford, Dallas, TX D+47
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.