University Heights is a Democratic stronghold. About 82% of voters here vote Democratic and 18% Republican.
About 61% of adults in University Heights typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in University Heights, ~50% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~39% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How University Heights compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, University Heights is the most Democratic-leaning.
University Heights runs about 43 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within University Heights. The northwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+71) and the southeast side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+57), a spread of about 13 points.
Why University Heights 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 University Heights, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 60% of adults in University Heights hold a bachelor's degree, about 31 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 52% of adults in University Heights have never been married, above 84% of neighborhoods.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; University Heights, San Diego, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in University Heights looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 76% of households in University Heights rent, about 51 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- North Park San Diego, San Diego, CA D+62
- Hillcrest, San Diego, CA D+61
- Mission Valley East, San Diego, CA D+33
- Normal Heights, San Diego, CA D+60
- Park West, San Diego, CA D+54
- East San Diego, San Diego, CA D+45
- Middletown, San Diego, CA D+47
- Mission Hills-San Diego, San Diego, CA D+42
- City Heights West, San Diego, CA D+41
- Cortez Hill, San Diego, CA D+50
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Pittman, Henderson, NV D+5
- Santa Anita, Santa Ana, CA D+22
- Mariner, Cape Coral, FL R+31
- Locust Manor, Queens, NY D+75
- Sunnyside, Tucson, AZ D+40
- Windy Hill, Jacksonville, FL D+2
- North Hill, Akron, OH D+27
- Puritas Longmead, Cleveland, OH D+28
- Georgetown, Washington, DC D+69
- Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, CA D+82
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.