Playa Del Rey leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 69% of adults in Playa Del Rey typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Playa Del Rey, ~50% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~31% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Playa Del Rey compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Playa Del Rey leans more Democratic than 104 of 118 neighbors.
Playa Del Rey runs about 24 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Playa Del Rey 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 Playa Del Rey, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 91% of residents in Playa Del Rey live in densely developed areas, about 55 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Playa Del Rey sits in the top quarter (about 74%, in the top fraction of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 40% of adults in Playa Del Rey have never been married, above 93% of cities.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Playa Del Rey, CA sits in the top tenth 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 Playa Del Rey looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Playa Del Rey 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 76%, about 16 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Playa Del Rey have completed high school, in the top fraction of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Marina Del Rey, CA D+43
- Venice, CA D+57
- El Segundo, CA D+37
- Culver City, CA D+51
- Ladera Heights, CA D+78
- Lennox, CA D+37
- Del Aire, CA D+28
- Santa Monica, CA D+56
- Manhattan Beach, CA D+28
- Inglewood, CA D+60
Cities with Similar Populations
- Clinton, NY D+5
- Castle Pines North, CO R+8
- High Springs, FL R+39
- Newport Coast, CA R+10
- Fife, WA D+14
- Ishpeming, MI R+12
- Milton-Freewater, OR R+32
- Hampshire, IL R+19
- Batesville, IN R+51
- Kutztown, PA R+13
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.