Upper Bal leans heavily Democratic by roughly 44 points: about 72% of voters vote Democratic and 28% Republican.
About 46% of adults in Upper Bal typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Upper Bal, ~33% vote Democratic, ~13% Republican, and ~54% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Upper Bal compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Upper Bal leans more Democratic than 13 of 33 neighbors.
Upper Bal runs about 24 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Upper Bal 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 Upper Bal, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Upper Bal live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Upper Bal, San Leandro, CA sits in the top quarter nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in Upper Bal looks the way it does
Crowded housing lines up with lower turnout. About 14% of homes in Upper Bal have more than one occupant per room, above 96% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Lower Bal, San Leandro, CA D+39
- Assumption Parish, San Leandro, CA D+45
- Floresta Gardens-Bradrick, San Leandro, CA D+41
- Old San Leandro, San Leandro, CA D+50
- Estudillo Estates-Glen, San Leandro, CA D+54
- Washington Manor-Bonaire, San Leandro, CA D+28
- Davis Tract, San Leandro, CA D+36
- Chabot Park, Oakland, CA D+67
- Durant Manor, Oakland, CA D+60
- Heron Bay, San Leandro, CA D+32
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Blenheim Square, Kansas City, MO D+79
- Colonial Heights, Canton, OH D+6
- Corky Row, Fall River, MA D+3
- The Meadows, Sandy Springs, GA D+29
- South End, Little Rock, AR D+92
- Irish Channel, New Orleans, LA D+62
- Fossil Park, St. Petersburg, FL D+3
- Piedmont Pines, Oakland, CA D+66
- Downtown, Superior, WI D+12
- Westview Park, Woodlawn, MD D+57
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.