Watts leans heavily Democratic by roughly 50 points: about 75% of voters vote Democratic and 25% Republican.
About 34% of adults in Watts typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Watts, ~25% vote Democratic, ~9% Republican, and ~66% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Watts compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Watts leans more Democratic than 4 of 7 neighbors.
Watts runs about 29 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Why Watts 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 Watts, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Dense areas vote Democratic. More than 99% of residents in Watts live in densely developed areas, about 64 points above the U.S. average of 36%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 55% of adults in Watts have never been married, above 88% of neighborhoods.
Walkability and Democratic lean
Places with a highly walkable street grid tend to lean Democratic; Watts, Los Angeles, 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 Watts looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Watts is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 41%, about 21 points below the California average of 62%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 47% of adults in Watts report food insecurity, above 97% of neighborhoods. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 58% of adults in Watts have completed high school, in the bottom fraction of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Southeast Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA D+49
- West Rancho Domingues, Compton, CA D+61
- Athens, West Athens, CA D+63
- Walker, Maywood, CA D+39
- Hollydale, South Gate, CA D+31
- South Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA D+57
- North West Long Beach, Long Beach, CA D+49
- Nevin, Los Angeles, CA D+45
- Morningside Park, Inglewood, CA D+75
- Central City, Los Angeles, CA D+45
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Northeast, Anaheim, CA D+16
- New Brighton, Staten Island, NY D+36
- Mission, San Francisco, CA D+72
- Fenway-Kenmore, Boston, MA D+67
- South Dorchester, Boston, MA D+57
- Woodhaven, Queens, NY D+9
- Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, NY R+20
- Greater Memorial, Houston, TX R+14
- Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY D+69
- Auburndale, Queens, NY R+2
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.