Santa Cruz County, California
Latest: 2024
Safe Democratic — shifted 5.9pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 40 presidential elections on record
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 53.9% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(18) | 35.2% |
▶Black / African American(12) | 0.8% |
▶Asian(6) | 4.9% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 1.6% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 1.2% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(3) | 0.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.8% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 25.8% | 65.4% |
| Other | 6.6% | 16.8% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 4.9% | 12.4% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.5% | 3.8% |
| Mainline Protestant | 1.1% | 2.9% |
| Black Protestant | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.5% | 1.1% |
| Non-religious | 60.6% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+54.4 |
| 2020 | Biden+60.3 |
| 2016 | Clinton+56.0 |
| 2012 | Obama+55.5 |
| 2008 | Obama+57.5 |
| 2004 | Kerry+48.1 |
| 2000 | Gore+34.1 |
| 1996 | Clinton+29.6 |
| 1992 | Clinton+36.2 |
Santa Cruz, California is a county that has a population of 264,926. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+54.4. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 75.3% | 20.9% | D+54.4 | R+5.9 |
| 2020 | 78.9% | 18.6% | D+60.3 | D+4.3 |
| 2016 | 73.3% | 17.3% | D+56.0 | D+0.5 |
| 2012 | 75.4% | 20.0% | D+55.5 | R+2.1 |
| 2008 | 77.3% | 19.8% | D+57.5 | D+9.4 |
| 2004 | 73.0% | 24.9% | D+48.1 | D+14.0 |
| 2000 | 61.5% | 27.3% | D+34.1 | D+4.6 |
| 1996 | 56.5% | 26.9% | D+29.6 | R+6.6 |
| 1992 | 58.1% | 21.9% | D+36.2 | D+11.4 |
| 1988 | 61.5% | 36.8% | D+24.8 | D+16.7 |
| 1984 | 53.3% | 45.2% | D+8.1 | D+13.9 |
| 1980 | 37.7% | 43.5% | R+5.8 | R+13.8 |
| 1976 | 51.1% | 43.1% | D+8.0 | D+11.5 |
| 1972 | 46.4% | 49.9% | R+3.5 | D+6.2 |
| 1968 | 41.0% | 50.8% | R+9.8 | R+27.0 |
| 1964 | 58.5% | 41.3% | D+17.3 | D+36.9 |
| 1960 | 39.9% | 59.6% | R+19.7 | D+7.8 |
| 1956 | 36.2% | 63.6% | R+27.4 | D+7.0 |
| 1952 | 32.2% | 66.6% | R+34.4 | R+13.7 |
| 1948 | 37.0% | 57.7% | R+20.7 | — |
What defines Santa Cruz?
It has a racially mixed, moderately educated electorate — the urban swing demographic that decides close elections.
County in State Context
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Explore this county's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Democratic in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Democratic landslide with a 54.4% margin
- Turnout of 66.6% in 2024 ranked 11 of 58 in the state — top quartile
Located In
Santa Cruz sits inside these higher-level geographies.