Sherman Oaks leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.
About 67% of adults in Sherman Oaks typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sherman Oaks, ~48% vote Democratic, ~19% Republican, and ~33% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sherman Oaks compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sherman Oaks leans more Democratic than 87 of 108 neighbors.
Sherman Oaks runs about 22 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sherman Oaks. The west side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+47) and the northwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+33), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Sherman Oaks 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 Sherman Oaks, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 98% of residents in Sherman Oaks live in densely developed areas, about 62 points above the U.S. average of 36%. High college attainment predicts Democratic voting, and Sherman Oaks sits in the top quarter (about 67%, above 98% of cities). A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 42% of adults in Sherman Oaks have never been married, above 95% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Sherman Oaks, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sherman Oaks looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Sherman Oaks is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 72%, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and about 97% of adults in Sherman Oaks have completed high school, above 91% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Van Nuys, CA D+32
- Studio City, CA D+44
- Valley Village, CA D+44
- Encino, CA D+21
- North Hollywood, CA D+32
- Panorama City, CA D+23
- Beverly Hills, CA D+18
- North Hills, CA D+26
- Tarzana, CA D+21
- West Hollywood, CA D+56
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ocoee, FL D+6
- Poway, CA D+5
- Opa-Locka, FL D+19
- Sicklerville, NJ D+34
- New Castle, PA R+21
- Jamaica Plain, MA D+71
- Aliso Viejo, CA D+11
- Hammond, LA R+16
- East Lansing, MI D+52
- Yorktown, VA Even
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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.