Western Hills leans heavily Democratic by roughly 42 points: about 71% of voters vote Democratic and 29% Republican.
About 77% of adults in Western Hills typically vote, above the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Western Hills, ~55% vote Democratic, ~22% Republican, and ~23% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Western Hills compares
Among neighborhoods within 5 miles, Western Hills leans more Democratic than 1 of 12 neighbors.
Western Hills runs about 21 points more Democratic than California as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within Western Hills. The southwest side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+51) and the west side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+38), a spread of about 13 points.
Why Western Hills 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 Western Hills, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 71% of adults in Western Hills hold a bachelor's degree, about 42 points above the U.S. average of 28%.
High-school completion, uninsured rate, and voter turnout
Places that combine high-school-completion-heavy adults and a low uninsured rate tend to turn out at a higher rate, as Western Hills, San Mateo, CA does.
Why turnout in Western Hills looks the way it does
Areas with strong routine healthcare access turn out at higher rates. Western Hills 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 75%, about 15 points above the U.S. average of 60%. High high-school completion lines up with higher turnout, and more than 99% of adults in Western Hills have completed high school, above 92% of neighborhoods. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Sugerloaf, San Mateo, CA D+50
- Beresford, San Mateo, CA D+52
- Baywood-Aragon, San Mateo, CA D+51
- Haywood Park, San Mateo, CA D+52
- Hillsdale, San Mateo, CA D+50
- Downtown San Mateo, San Mateo, CA D+55
- Marina Lagoon, San Mateo, CA D+50
- East San Mateo, San Mateo, CA D+40
- North Central San Francisco, San Mateo, CA D+50
- Shoreview, San Mateo, CA D+44
Neighborhoods with Similar Populations
- Duval-Eagle Eyes Crime Watch, Gainesville, FL D+80
- Indian Hills Riverbend, Wichita, KS D+7
- Colonial Heights, Sacramento, CA D+52
- Mack South, Cincinnati, OH R+51
- College Park San Antonio, San Antonio, TX D+15
- Esther Short, Vancouver, WA D+46
- North City Farms, Sacramento, CA D+51
- Harris Park, St. Petersburg, FL D+5
- Forest Park, Pine Hills, FL D+69
- Santiam, Albany, OR Even
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.