San Francisco, CA Political Map | Democrat & Republican Areas in San Francisco

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

San Francisco leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican.

 

About 59% of adults in the San Francisco area typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in the San Francisco area, ~44% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.

How San Francisco compares

Among cities within 25 miles, San Francisco leans more Democratic than 44 of 87 neighbors.

San Francisco runs about 28 points more Democratic than California as a whole.

Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within San Francisco. The north side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+62) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+29), a spread of about 33 points.

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

Dense areas vote Democratic. About 90% of residents in the San Francisco area live in densely developed areas, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and San Francisco sits in the top quarter (about 52%, above 94% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 37% of adults in the San Francisco area have never been married, above 90% of cities.

Paved land cover and Democratic lean

Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; San Francisco, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure. Paved ground does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban and built-up a place is.

Why turnout in San Francisco looks the way it does

Renters vote less often than owners. About 42% of households in the San Francisco area rent, about 17 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 7% of homes in the San Francisco area have more than one occupant per room, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.

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.