UC Irvine is a Democratic stronghold. About 85% of voters here vote Democratic and 15% Republican.
About 37% of adults in UC Irvine typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in UC Irvine, ~31% vote Democratic, ~6% Republican, and ~63% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How UC Irvine compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, UC Irvine is the most Democratic-leaning.
UC Irvine runs about 50 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within UC Irvine. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+74) and the southwest side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+14), a spread of about 61 points.
Why UC Irvine 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 UC Irvine, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 76% of adults in UC Irvine hold a bachelor's degree, about 48 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 79% of adults in UC Irvine have never been married, in the top fraction of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; UC Irvine, Irvine, CA sits above the national average on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in UC Irvine looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 83% of households in UC Irvine rent, about 58 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 98% of adults in UC Irvine have completed high school, above 82% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- University Town Center, Irvine, CA D+33
- Turtle Rock, Irvine, CA D+11
- Rancho San Joaquin, Irvine, CA D+33
- Turtle Ridge, Irvine, CA R+6
- University Park, Irvine, CA D+16
- Business District, Irvine, CA D+16
- Irvine Business Complex, Irvine, CA D+11
- West Park, Irvine, CA D+14
- Woodbridge, Irvine, CA D+9
- Quail Hill, Irvine, CA D+15
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Springfield Gardens, Queens, NY D+78
- Highland, St. Paul, MN D+60
- Northwest Austin, Austin, TX D+25
- Shadow Creek Ranch, Pearland, TX D+33
- Metro West, Orlando, FL D+20
- Clifton, Staten Island, NY D+33
- Point Breeze-Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA D+73
- Cooper Mountain-Aloha North, Aloha, OR D+29
- Logan-Ogontz-Fern Rock, Philadelphia, PA D+85
- Back Bay, Boston, MA D+62
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.