Willows leans heavily Republican by roughly 32 points: about 34% of voters vote Democratic and 66% Republican.
About 50% of adults in Willows typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Willows, ~17% vote Democratic, ~33% Republican, and ~50% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Willows compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Willows leans more Republican than 6 of 22 neighbors.
Willows runs about 53 points more Republican than California as a whole. California leans Democratic overall, while Willows is one of the few Republican-leaning pockets.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Willows. The southeast side is the most Republican-leaning (R+43) and the northwest side is the least Republican-leaning (R+28), a spread of about 15 points.
Why Willows leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Willows, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Willows votes Republican even though it is densely developed (about 71%, modestly above the California average of 58%). State and regional patterns outweigh the Democratic lean that density usually predicts here. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Willows sits in the bottom quarter (about 14%, below 80% of cities). Willows runs against the grain of California, a Republican-leaning pocket in a Democratic-leaning state.
High-school completion, developed land, and voter turnout
Places that combine low high-school-completion share and a heavily developed built environment tend to turn out at a lower rate, as Willows, CA does.
Why turnout in Willows looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Willows is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. Renters vote less often than owners, and about 37% of households in Willows rent, above 93% of cities. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 21% of adults in Willows report food insecurity, above 82% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- Glenn, CA R+64
- Artois, CA R+61
- Princeton, CA R+51
- Butte City, CA R+62
- Ordbend, CA R+51
- Fruto, CA R+62
- Sites, CA R+51
- Orland, CA R+31
- Maxwell, CA R+40
- Hamilton City, CA Even
Cities with Similar Populations
- Mammoth Lakes, CA D+19
- Brooklyn, MI R+29
- Tiburon, CA D+44
- Aberdeen, MS D+18
- Pismo Beach, CA D+14
- South Weber, UT R+38
- Helena Valley Southeast, MT R+35
- Goddard, KS R+49
- Capistrano Beach, CA R+9
- Crestwood Village, NJ R+18
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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.