SouthWest Berkeley is a Democratic stronghold. About 90% of voters here vote Democratic and 10% Republican.
About 59% of adults in SouthWest Berkeley typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in SouthWest Berkeley, ~53% vote Democratic, ~6% Republican, and ~41% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How SouthWest Berkeley compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, SouthWest Berkeley leans more Democratic than 18 of 43 neighbors.
SouthWest Berkeley runs about 59 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within SouthWest Berkeley. The southeast side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+83) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+72), a spread of about 11 points.
Why SouthWest Berkeley 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 SouthWest Berkeley, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 59% of adults in SouthWest Berkeley hold a bachelor's degree, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; SouthWest Berkeley, Berkeley, 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 SouthWest Berkeley looks the way it does
Turnout in SouthWest Berkeley 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 Neighborhoods
- Santa Fe, Emeryville, CA D+81
- Central Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+84
- Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+76
- South Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+79
- Northwest Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+82
- Paradise Park, Emeryville, CA D+80
- Westbrae, Berkeley, CA D+87
- Golden Gate, Emeryville, CA D+81
- Bushrod, Oakland, CA D+85
- North Berkeley, Berkeley, CA D+82
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Kuliouou-Kalani Iki, East Honolulu, HI D+25
- Langley Park, Hyattsville, MD D+41
- Pinnacle Peak, Scottsdale, AZ R+22
- Macdonald Ranch, Henderson, NV Even
- Lowell, La Habra, CA Even
- Franklin Park, Austin, TX D+44
- Bay View, Milwaukee, WI D+51
- Ottawa, Toledo, OH D+55
- Great Kills, Staten Island, NY R+51
- Getty Square, Yonkers, NY D+51
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.