Salinas, CA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in Salinas

By the BestNeighborhood data science team. Last updated May 2026.

Salinas leans Democratic by roughly 30 points: about 65% of voters vote Democratic and 35% Republican.

 

About 44% of adults in Salinas typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Salinas, ~29% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~56% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How Salinas compares

Among cities within 25 miles, Salinas leans more Democratic than 22 of 40 neighbors.

Salinas runs about 9 points more Democratic than California as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Salinas. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+37) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+19), a spread of about 18 points.

Why Salinas 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 Salinas, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 88% of residents in Salinas live in densely developed areas, about 52 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 45% of adults in Salinas have never been married, above 96% of cities.

Walkability and Democratic lean

Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Salinas, 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 Salinas looks the way it does

Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Salinas is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The uninsured rate here is about 21%, about 11 points above the California average of 10%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 50% of households in Salinas rent, about 25 points above the U.S. average of 25%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 29% of adults in Salinas report food insecurity, above 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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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.