Sylmar leans Democratic by roughly 24 points: about 62% of voters vote Democratic and 38% Republican.
About 48% of adults in Sylmar typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Sylmar, ~30% vote Democratic, ~18% Republican, and ~52% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Sylmar compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Sylmar leans more Democratic than 44 of 74 neighbors.
Politically, Sylmar sits close to the rest of California.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Sylmar. The south side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+29) and the northeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+13), a spread of about 16 points.
Why Sylmar 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 Sylmar, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. About 94% of residents in Sylmar live in densely developed areas, about 57 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 41% of adults in Sylmar have never been married, above 94% of cities.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; Sylmar, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in Sylmar looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Sylmar is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 32% of households in Sylmar rent, above 87% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 27% of adults in Sylmar report food insecurity, above 93% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- San Fernando, CA D+33
- Mission Hills, CA D+23
- Pacoima, CA D+34
- Granada Hills, CA D+9
- North Hills, CA D+26
- Panorama City, CA D+23
- Sun Valley, CA D+17
- Northridge, CA D+20
- Sunland, CA Even
- Newhall, CA D+7
Cities with Similar Populations
- Duluth, GA D+23
- Portsmouth, VA D+41
- Renton, WA D+33
- Miami Gardens, FL D+50
- Whittier, CA D+18
- Indio, CA D+8
- Chino, CA Even
- Deltona, FL R+13
- Canton, MI D+13
- Buckeye, AZ R+16
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.