Sawtelle is a Democratic stronghold. About 75% of voters here vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 54% of adults in Sawtelle typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sawtelle, ~40% vote Democratic, ~14% Republican, and ~46% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sawtelle compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Sawtelle leans more Democratic than 8 of 10 neighbors.
Sawtelle runs about 30 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Sawtelle. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+60) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+39), a spread of about 21 points.
Why Sawtelle leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per neighborhood to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Sawtelle, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Sawtelle live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Sawtelle sits in the top quarter (about 72%, above 92% of neighborhoods). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 56% of adults in Sawtelle have never been married, above 89% of neighborhoods.
Paved land cover and Democratic lean
Places with extensive paved surfaces tend to lean Democratic; Sawtelle, Los Angeles, 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 Sawtelle looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 79% of households in Sawtelle rent, about 54 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout, and about 6% of homes in Sawtelle have more than one occupant per room, above 80% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Westwood, Los Angeles, CA D+50
- Brentwood, Los Angeles, CA D+27
- Century City, Los Angeles, CA D+42
- Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA D+49
- West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA D+40
- Palms, Los Angeles, CA D+56
- Clarkdale, Culver City, CA D+38
- Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA D+20
- Playa Vista, Los Angeles, CA D+46
- Jefferson, Culver City, CA D+59
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- North Ironbound, Newark, NJ D+5
- Inwood, Manhattan, NY D+47
- university, Orlando, FL D+14
- Rego Park, Queens, NY D+4
- Greater Greenspoint, Houston, TX D+42
- Medical, Houston, TX D+41
- Northside, Fort Worth, TX D+17
- West Town, Chicago, IL D+69
- Pico-Robertson, Los Angeles, CA D+59
- North Arlington, Arlington, TX D+28
All Local Stats
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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.