† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupArcataCaliforniaUnited States
German14.0%6.8%12.5%
English13.4%6.3%9.5%
Irish12.4%5.9%9.4%
Italian5.8%3.4%4.8%
Scottish3.6%0.9%1.3%
French2.9%1.3%1.6%
American2.4%2.8%5.3%
Portuguese2.3%——
Mexican12.4%32.3%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.7%0.6%1.8%
Spanish0.6%0.3%—
Spaniard0.5%0.3%—
Cuban0.3%—0.7%
Salvadoran0.2%2.0%0.7%
Hmong0.5%0.3%—
Chinese0.2%3.9%1.3%
African American†3.0%4.4%9.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Arcata
California
United States
Median age
28.1
37.9
39.1
Age 18–24
30.5%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
14.3%
15.6%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Arcata
California
United States
Median household income
$46,713
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
27.2%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
46.3%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Arcata
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
11.5%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
7.2%
28.4%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
2.0%
3.4%
2.0%
Religious landscape
Measure
Arcata
California
United States
Catholic
—
26.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Arcata, California
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+62.8%
2008
+69.8%
2012
+64.6%
2016
+61.6%
2020
+72.6%
2024
+67.3%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
80.3%Harris6,996
13.0%Trump1,135
6.7%
D+67.3
R+5.4
D+68.7
8,715
D
84.4%Biden8,418
11.7%Trump1,172
3.9%
D+72.6
D+11.0
D+68.2
9,979
D
73.9%Clinton6,341
12.3%Trump1,052
13.8%
D+61.6
R+2.9
D+59.5
8,581
D
78.5%Obama6,573
13.9%Romney1,165
7.6%
D+64.6
R+5.3
D+60.7
8,378
D
84.7%Obama7,856
14.9%McCain1,379
0.5%
D+69.8
D+7.0
D+62.5
9,279
D
80.2%Kerry7,525
17.5%Bush1,637
2.3%
D+62.8
—
D+65.2
9,379
Home to Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata routinely posts some of the most lopsided Democratic margins in the state, driven by a young student population and a long-established progressive civic culture.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 72.6 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 5.4 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 67.3 points.
A population of 18,607, a 71% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $46,713 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Isla Vista and University of California-Santa Barbara.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Arcata, California voted Democratic by 67.3 points (D+67.3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 8,715 votes cast, 6,996 went Democratic and 1,135 went Republican.
How many people live in Arcata, California?
Arcata, California has a population of 18,607 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Arcata, California?
Median household income in Arcata, California is $46,713 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Arcata, California?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Arcata, California from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
