San Benito County leans slightly Democratic by roughly 12 points: about 56% of voters vote Democratic and 44% Republican.
About 61% of adults in San Benito County typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in San Benito County, ~34% vote Democratic, ~27% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How San Benito County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, San Benito County is the least Democratic-leaning.
San Benito County runs about 8 points more Republican than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by city within San Benito County. The northwest side runs the most Democratic (D+24) and the southeast side runs the most Republican (R+25), a spread of about 49 points.
Why San Benito 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 San Benito County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 72% of residents in San Benito County live in densely developed areas, about 36 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 34% of adults in San Benito County have never been married, above 80% of counties.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; San Benito County, 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 San Benito County looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. San Benito County is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in San Benito County have more than one occupant per room, above 95% of counties. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 83% of adults in San Benito County have completed high school, below 87% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Monterey County, CA D+29
- Santa Cruz County, CA D+49
- Santa Clara County, CA D+32
- Merced County, CA R+3
- Stanislaus County, CA R+8
- Alameda County, CA D+49
- San Mateo County, CA D+48
- San Joaquin County, CA D+4
- Madera County, CA R+11
- Contra Costa County, CA D+36
Counties with Similar Populations
- Lamar County, MS R+40
- Isabella County, MI R+3
- Rutherford County, NC R+46
- Hamblen County, TN R+51
- Warrick County, IN R+33
- Nacogdoches County, TX R+29
- Belknap County, NH R+8
- Columbia County, PA R+32
- Carbon County, PA R+35
- Effingham County, GA R+46
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.