California 72nd State House District, California: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted D+3%. Republican peak: R+60 in 1928.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+3MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 483,0102024 5-year
- Median household income
- $116,2892024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 42.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 1.6%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 34.2%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+39 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+60 in 1928MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Assembly District 72, CAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 105,537 | 99,905 | 212,272 | ||
| D | 124,193 | 103,213 | 232,229 | ||
| D | 93,062 | 77,376 | 182,706 | ||
| R | 78,183 | 88,846 | 171,285 | ||
| R | 83,846 | 88,348 | 176,018 | ||
| R | 63,963 | 97,924 | 164,074 | ||
| R | 59,780 | 82,586 | 148,131 | ||
| R | 49,964 | 68,156 | 131,908 | ||
| R | 46,828 | 65,088 | 148,382 | ||
| R | 41,043 | 89,441 | 132,020 | ||
| R | 31,471 | 96,884 | 129,696 | ||
| R | 26,960 | 80,831 | 119,037 | ||
| R | 35,434 | 62,345 | 100,305 | ||
| R | 26,982 | 68,396 | 100,186 | ||
| R | 22,713 | 48,045 | 76,088 | ||
| R | 26,935 | 34,206 | 61,206 | ||
| R | 17,089 | 26,683 | 43,879 | ||
| R | 8,375 | 17,318 | 25,918 | ||
| R | 4,963 | 11,832 | 16,921 | ||
| R | 4,427 | 7,413 | 12,177 | ||
| R | 4,371 | 5,858 | 10,291 | ||
| R | 4,308 | 5,503 | 9,917 | ||
| D | 4,552 | 3,584 | 8,277 | ||
| D | 3,637 | 3,452 | 7,518 | ||
| R | 1,161 | 4,664 | 5,878 | ||
| R | 391 | 3,038 | 4,511 | ||
| R | 534 | 1,952 | 2,730 | ||
| R | 988 | 1,619 | 2,860 | ||
| O | 672 | 0 | 1,743 | ||
| R | 292 | 495 | 921 | ||
| R | 158 | 407 | 683 | ||
| R | 271 | 329 | 642 | ||
| R | 261 | 295 | 577 | ||
| R | 153 | 176 | 442 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
7.5%
English
7.3%
Irish
6.0%
American
4.5%
Italian
3.6%
French
1.4%
Polish
1.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.4 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$116,289
Assembly District 72 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Assembly District 72$116,289
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.5%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1810.7%
Working age (18–64)8.9%
Seniors (65+)12.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
53.6%
speak English only
Spanish24.3%
Asian & Pacific Islander15.8%
Other Indo-European4.9%
Other languages1.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 50.5% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Assembly District 72, anchored in Orange County, has become a closely watched battleground where suburban voters have shifted incrementally rightward over successive election cycles, making it one of the more competitive lower-chamber seats in the state.
The Democratic margin in California 72nd State House District has rarely exceeded thirty-nine points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded sixty points. 2024 delivered the district to the Democratic candidate by three points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 43% non-Hispanic-white share, a 10% poverty rate, and a median household income of $116,289 — all within the broad national range.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Assembly District 72, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/06072/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Assembly District 72, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Assembly District 72, California voted Democratic by 2.7 points (D+3), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 212,272 votes cast, 105,537 went Democratic and 99,905 went Republican.
What is Assembly District 72, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Assembly District 72, California as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 28 times, and other 1 times.
When did Assembly District 72, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Assembly District 72, California voted Republican was 2012.
How many people live in Assembly District 72, California?
Assembly District 72, California has a population of 483,010 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Assembly District 72, California?
Median household income in Assembly District 72, California is $116,289 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Assembly District 72, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Assembly District 72, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 28 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.