Sutter County leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 55% of adults in Sutter County typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sutter County, ~21% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~45% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sutter County compares
Among counties within 50 miles, Sutter County leans more Republican than 7 of 8 neighbors.
Sutter County runs about 43 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Sutter County is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by city within Sutter County. The southwest side is the most Republican-leaning (R+42) and the east side is the least Republican-leaning (R+12), a spread of about 30 points.
Why Sutter County leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per county to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Sutter County, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Sutter County votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 70%, modestly above the California average of 58%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. A high family-household share predicts Republican voting, and about 73% of households in Sutter County are family households, above 91% of counties. Sutter County runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
Never-married share, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine a never-married-heavy adult population and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Sutter County, CA does.
Why turnout in Sutter County looks the way it does
Areas with high food insecurity turn out at lower rates. About 21% of adults in Sutter County report food insecurity, about 5 points above the U.S. average of 16%. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 37% of households in Sutter County rent, above 90% of counties. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Counties
- Yuba County, CA R+16
- Colusa County, CA R+20
- Placer County, CA R+11
- Butte County, CA R+3
- Yolo County, CA D+35
- Nevada County, CA D+11
- Sacramento County, CA D+20
- Glenn County, CA R+32
- El Dorado County, CA R+13
- Lake County, CA R+4
Counties with Similar Populations
- Dallas County, IA R+7
- Montgomery County, VA D+10
- Moore County, NC R+24
- Cleveland County, NC R+33
- Lenawee County, MI R+27
- Hunt County, TX R+49
- Dubuque County, IA R+12
- Roanoke City, VA D+25
- Grant County, WA R+34
- Garland County, AR R+33
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.