California, California: Urban anchor state. In 2024, voted D+20%. Republican peak: R+49 in 1924.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+20MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Urban anchorAkashic typology
- Population
- 39,287,3772024 5-year
- Median household income
- $99,1222024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 39.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 5.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 40.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+42 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+49 in 1924MIT Election Lab
Browse all of California
Constituent county margins for California, 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 | 9,276,179 | 6,081,697 | 15,869,957 | ||
| D | 11,110,639 | 6,006,518 | 17,531,845 | ||
| D | 8,753,792 | 4,483,814 | 14,243,449 | ||
| D | 7,854,285 | 4,839,958 | 13,055,815 | ||
| D | 8,274,473 | 5,011,781 | 13,583,083 | ||
| D | 6,745,485 | 5,509,826 | 12,421,859 | ||
| D | 5,861,203 | 4,567,429 | 10,965,856 | ||
| D | 5,119,835 | 3,828,380 | 10,019,484 | ||
| D | 5,121,325 | 3,630,574 | 11,131,721 | ||
| R | 4,702,233 | 5,054,917 | 9,887,064 | ||
| R | 3,922,519 | 5,467,009 | 9,505,041 | ||
| R | 3,083,641 | 4,524,858 | 8,585,801 | ||
| R | 3,742,284 | 3,882,244 | 7,867,117 | ||
| R | 3,475,847 | 4,602,096 | 8,367,862 | ||
| R | 3,244,318 | 3,467,664 | 7,251,587 | ||
| D | 4,171,877 | 2,879,108 | 7,057,586 | ||
| R | 3,224,099 | 3,259,722 | 6,506,578 | ||
| R | 2,420,135 | 3,027,668 | 5,466,355 | ||
| R | 2,197,548 | 2,897,310 | 5,141,849 | ||
| D | 1,913,134 | 1,895,269 | 4,021,538 | ||
| D | 1,988,564 | 1,512,965 | 3,520,875 | ||
| D | 1,877,618 | 1,351,419 | 3,268,791 | ||
| D | 1,766,836 | 836,431 | 2,638,882 | ||
| D | 1,324,157 | 847,902 | 2,267,966 | ||
| R | 614,365 | 1,162,323 | 1,796,656 | ||
| R | 105,514 | 733,250 | 1,281,900 | ||
| R | 229,191 | 624,992 | 944,050 | ||
| D | 466,289 | 462,516 | 999,603 | ||
| O | 283,436 | 0 | 677,944 | ||
| R | 127,492 | 214,398 | 386,625 | ||
| R | 89,404 | 205,226 | 331,545 | ||
| R | 124,985 | 164,755 | 303,004 | ||
| R | 144,766 | 146,688 | 298,419 | ||
| D | 118,174 | 114,999 | 269,609 | ||
| R | 117,729 | 124,816 | 251,339 | ||
| R | 89,288 | 102,416 | 197,033 | ||
| D | 80,442 | 80,348 | 164,321 | ||
| R | 76,464 | 79,265 | 155,755 |
Congressional elections · 17 Senate races
U.S. Senate
| Year | Won | D % | R % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | D | 58.9% | 41.1% | 15,348,846 |
| 2022 | D | 61.1% | 38.9% | 10,843,650 |
| 2018 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 11,113,364 |
| 2016 | D | 100.0% | 0.0% | 12,244,170 |
| 2012 | D | 62.5% | 37.5% | 12,578,511 |
| 2010 | D | 52.2% | 42.2% | 10,000,160 |
| 2006 | D | 59.4% | 35.0% | 8,541,476 |
| 2004 | D | 57.7% | 37.8% | 12,053,295 |
| 2000 | D | 55.8% | 36.6% | 10,623,608 |
| 1998 | D | 53.1% | 43.0% | 8,311,905 |
| 1994 | D | 46.7% | 44.8% | 8,514,089 |
| 1992 | D | 47.9% | 43.0% | 10,799,703 |
| 1988 | R | 44.0% | 52.8% | 9,743,598 |
| 1986 | D | 49.3% | 47.9% | 7,398,462 |
| 1982 | R | 44.8% | 51.5% | 7,805,450 |
| 1980 | D | 56.5% | 37.1% | 8,324,012 |
| 1976 | R | 46.9% | 50.2% | 7,470,586 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
6.8%
English
6.3%
Irish
5.9%
Italian
3.4%
American
2.7%
French
1.3%
Polish
0.7%
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: 37.9 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
$99,122
California ranks near the middle of US counties.
California$99,122
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
12.0%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1814.6%
Working age (18–64)11.0%
Seniors (65+)13.1%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
55.6%
speak English only
Spanish28.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander10.0%
Other Indo-European4.9%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Religious adherence data not available for this county.
California is a political anchor of the Pacific Coast. Its population of 39,287,377 and its concentration of urban, diverse, and college-educated voters have made it a Democratic stronghold for decades running.
The Democratic margin in California has been steady. It reached its modern peak at forty-two points in 1912; the 2024 margin was twenty points, still in line with the state's long pattern.
Its political identity is inseparable from its demographic profile: a 40% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $99,122, and the full diversity of a major metropolitan center.
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.
California, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/state/CA/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did California, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, California, California voted Democratic by 20.1 points (D+20), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 15,869,957 votes cast, 9,276,179 went Democratic and 6,081,697 went Republican.
What is California, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies California, California as a "Urban anchor" state based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 19 times, and other 1 times.
When did California, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which California, California voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in California, California?
California, California has a population of 39,287,377 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in California, California?
Median household income in California, California is $99,122 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of California, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in California, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 19 went Republican. The state's archetype — "Urban anchor" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.