Santa Cruz is a Democratic stronghold. About 81% of voters here vote Democratic and 19% Republican.
About 65% of adults in Santa Cruz typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Santa Cruz, ~52% vote Democratic, ~12% Republican, and ~36% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Santa Cruz compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Santa Cruz is the most Democratic-leaning.
Santa Cruz runs about 42 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Santa Cruz. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the east side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+52), a spread of about 18 points.
Why Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 75% of residents in Santa Cruz live in densely developed areas, about 38 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Santa Cruz sits in the top quarter (about 54%, above 95% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 48% of adults in Santa Cruz have never been married, above 97% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Santa Cruz, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Santa Cruz looks the way it does
Turnout in Santa Cruz sits close to the national pattern. Routine healthcare access, homeownership, education, and food security all land near their national averages here. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Capitola, CA D+49
- Soquel, CA D+44
- Scotts Valley, CA D+42
- Mount Hermon, CA D+46
- Felton, CA D+39
- Aptos, CA D+42
- Rio del Mar, CA D+43
- Ben Lomond, CA D+31
- Lompico, CA D+30
- Brookdale, CA D+36
Cities with Similar Populations
- Hoover, AL R+12
- Pacoima, CA D+34
- Northridge, CA D+20
- Federal Way, WA D+31
- Canton, MI D+13
- Sunrise, FL D+27
- Hesperia, CA R+23
- Clinton Township, MI Even
- Indio, CA D+8
- Lawrence, KS D+45
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.