University South is a Democratic stronghold. About 83% of voters here vote Democratic and 17% Republican.
About 66% of adults in University South typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in University South, ~54% vote Democratic, ~11% Republican, and ~35% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How University South compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, University South leans more Democratic than 17 of 20 neighbors.
University South runs about 46 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why University South 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 South, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 86% of adults in University South hold a bachelor's degree, about 57 points above the U.S. average of 28%. Dense areas vote Democratic, and University South sits in the top fifth on density (more than 99%, above 89% of neighborhoods).
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; University South, Palo Alto, CA sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in University South looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. University South is in the top quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 78%, about 18 points above the U.S. average of 60%. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Downtown North San Jose, Palo Alto, CA D+64
- Crescent Park, Palo Alto, CA D+68
- Old Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA D+69
- Duveneck-Saint Francis, Palo Alto, CA D+44
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA D+64
- Downtown Menlo Park, Menlo Park, CA D+71
- Midtown-San Jose, Palo Alto, CA D+43
- Ventura, Palo Alto, CA D+49
- Belle Haven, Menlo Park, CA D+50
- Barron Park, Palo Alto, CA D+40
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Pill Hill, Chicago, IL D+85
- Country Isles, Weston, FL Even
- Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA D+56
- West Side, Charleston, WV D+43
- Aviation, Detroit, MI D+88
- Reagan, San Angelo, TX R+20
- Cameron Park, Billings, MT R+9
- Lasell Village, Auburndale, MA D+57
- Pendleton Heights, Kansas City, MO D+62
- Marina West, Oxnard, CA D+31
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.