California 21st Congressional District: New American district. In 2024, voted D+4%. Democratic peak: D+22 in 2016.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+4MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- New AmericanAkashic typology
- Population
- 120,4752024 5-year
- Median household income
- $73,1612024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 36.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.4%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 58.8%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+22 in 2016MIT Election Lab
DW-NOMINATE
Member ideology
D
COSTA, Jim
COSTA scores -0.20 on the first NOMINATE dimension (−1 most liberal, +1 most conservative).
Predecessors: VALADAO, David G. (2021–2023), COX, TJ (2019–2021), VALADAO, David G. (2017–2019), VALADAO, David G. (2015–2017)
Source · Voteview / Lewis, Poole, Rosenthal et al. (CC-BY).
2024 presidential election
Congressional District 21
HarrisD+4
How it voted
Share of the 2024 vote
| Kamala Harris ✓Democratic | 50.6% | 101,178 |
|---|---|---|
| Donald TrumpRepublican | 46.8% | 93,543 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 2.7% | 5,320 |
D+60R+60
2 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2008–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 2008 | +16.4% |
| 2012 | +18.7% |
| 2016 | +21.7% |
| 2020 | +20.3% |
| 2024 | +3.8% |
DemocraticRepublican
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 101,178 | 93,543 | 200,041 | ||
| D | 134,027 | 88,041 | 226,760 | ||
| D | 100,658 | 63,099 | 173,014 | ||
| D | 90,497 | 62,004 | 152,501 | ||
| D | 89,993 | 64,511 | 155,790 |
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
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
5.9%
English
4.7%
Irish
4.4%
Italian
2.0%
American
1.7%
Scottish
0.8%
French
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.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 33.0 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.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$73,161
Congressional District 21 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 21$73,161
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
18.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1824.6%
Working age (18–64)15.7%
Seniors (65+)14.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
54.0%
speak English only
Spanish37.9%
Asian & Pacific Islander4.5%
Other Indo-European2.8%
Other languages0.8%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 53.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
CA-21 covers a swath of the San Joaquin Valley, where water rights and agricultural employment drive voter concerns more than most California districts. The 2024 presidential margin of R+8.4 makes it among the most Republican-leaning seats in the state.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of twenty-two points in 2016. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved sixteen points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was four points.
A population of 120,475, a 36% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $73,161 describe the district.
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.
Congressional District 21, California. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0621/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 21, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 21, California voted Democratic by 3.8 points (D+4), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 200,041 votes cast, 101,178 went Democratic and 93,543 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 21, California's political typology?
Akashic places Congressional District 21, California in the "New American" typology. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 5 times, Republican 0 times, and other 0 times.
How many people live in Congressional District 21, California?
Congressional District 21, California has a population of 120,475 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 21, California?
Median household income in Congressional District 21, California is $73,161 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Congressional District 21, California?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in Congressional District 21, California from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 0 went Republican. The district's typology — "New American" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.