Sacramento County leans Democratic by roughly 20 points: about 60% of voters vote Democratic and 40% Republican.
About 58% of adults in Sacramento County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sacramento County, ~35% vote Democratic, ~23% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sacramento County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Sacramento County leans more Democratic than 7 of 9 neighbors.
Politically, Sacramento County sits close to the rest of California.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Sacramento County. The west side runs the most Democratic (D+51) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+6), a spread of about 57 points.
Why Sacramento County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Sacramento County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 93% of residents in Sacramento County live in densely developed areas, about 56 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Sacramento County sits in the top quarter (about 33%, above 83% of counties). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 36% of adults in Sacramento County have never been married, above 88% of counties.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Sacramento County, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sacramento County looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 39% of households in Sacramento County rent, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 7% of homes in Sacramento County have more than one occupant per room, above 96% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Yolo County, CA D+35
- Placer County, CA R+11
- Amador County, CA R+35
- El Dorado County, CA R+13
- Yuba County, CA R+16
- Sutter County, CA R+23
- Solano County, CA D+21
- San Joaquin County, CA D+4
- Calaveras County, CA R+29
- Nevada County, CA D+11
Counties with Similar Populations
- Philadelphia County, PA D+56
- Middlesex County, MA D+37
- Palm Beach County, FL D+5
- Alameda County, CA D+49
- New York County, NY D+62
- Bronx County, NY D+43
- Hillsborough County, FL Even
- Suffolk County, NY R+8
- Orange County, FL D+14
- Nassau County, NY Even
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.