San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Latest: 2024
Safe Democratic — shifted 7.7pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 2.0M residents — 2 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 27.3% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 26.3% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 2.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 39.2% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 2.3% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(6) | 0.4% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.6% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 27.6% | 58.5% |
| Other | 8.8% | 18.6% |
| Evangelical Protestant | 8.5% | 18.0% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 1.4% | 3.0% |
| Mainline Protestant | 1.4% | 2.9% |
| Orthodox Christian | 0.6% | 1.3% |
| Black Protestant | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Non-religious | 52.8% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Harris+39.0 |
| 2020 | Biden+46.7 |
| 2016 | Clinton+51.2 |
| 2012 | Obama+42.2 |
| 2008 | Obama+40.4 |
| 2004 | Kerry+28.6 |
| 2000 | Gore+25.8 |
| 1996 | Clinton+24.4 |
| 1992 | Clinton+20.6 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is a metro area that has a population of 1,969,337. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Democratic with a margin of D+39.0. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 67.6% | 28.6% | D+39.0 | R+7.7 |
| 2020 | 72.3% | 25.6% | D+46.7 | R+4.5 |
| 2016 | 72.2% | 21.0% | D+51.2 | D+9.0 |
| 2012 | 69.7% | 27.5% | D+42.2 | D+1.8 |
| 2008 | 69.2% | 28.8% | D+40.4 | D+11.8 |
| 2004 | 63.6% | 35.0% | D+28.6 | D+2.8 |
| 2000 | 60.5% | 34.7% | D+25.8 | D+1.4 |
| 1996 | 56.7% | 32.3% | D+24.4 | D+3.8 |
| 1992 | 49.1% | 28.5% | D+20.6 | D+16.5 |
| 1988 | 51.2% | 47.1% | D+4.0 | D+15.4 |
| 1984 | 43.5% | 54.9% | R+11.4 | D+1.7 |
| 1980 | 35.0% | 48.1% | R+13.1 | R+10.5 |
| 1976 | 46.9% | 49.5% | R+2.5 | D+4.0 |
| 1972 | 45.5% | 52.0% | R+6.5 | R+9.2 |
| 1968 | 48.4% | 45.6% | D+2.7 | R+23.6 |
| 1964 | 63.1% | 36.7% | D+26.4 | D+31.9 |
| 1960 | 47.1% | 52.6% | R+5.6 | D+13.0 |
| 1956 | 40.6% | 59.1% | R+18.5 | D+0.9 |
| 1952 | 40.0% | 59.4% | R+19.5 | R+8.2 |
| 1948 | 42.1% | 53.4% | R+11.3 | — |
What defines San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
It has a diverse, highly educated electorate — the core of the modern Democratic coalition.
Constituent Counties
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Counties in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 1.9M | D+40.0 | 510,744 | 210,924 | 750,433 | 96.4% |
| San Benito | 67K | D+12.6 | 15,179 | 11,702 | 27,649 | 3.6% |
2 countiesTotal votes: 778,082
Ask the Historian
Explore San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA'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 39.0% margin
- Margins have been narrowing — from 51.2pp to 39.0pp over the last 3 presidential elections
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Local | National |
|---|---|---|
▶Asian(6) | 39.2% | 6.0% |
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 27.3% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(19) | 26.3% | 19.3% |
Multiracial / Other | 3.6% | 4.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(11) | 2.3% | 0.9% |
▶Black / African American(14) | 2.3% | 12.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(2) | 0.9% | 0.9% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(6) | 0.4% | 0.2% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
47.2%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: +36.0pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Catholic-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Democratic-leaning urban and suburban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27.6% | 58.5% | — | — | |
| 8.8% | 18.6% | — | — | |
| 8.5% | 18.0% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 1.4% | 3.0% | — | — |
| 1.4% | 2.9% | — | — | |
| 0.6% | 1.3% | — | — | |
| 0.3% | 0.6% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 52.8% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area? 1,969,337 residents across 2 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 22pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+25 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
2.0M
Share of U.S. population
0.59%
Voting-age population
77.3%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$162,772
Poverty rate
7.1%
College degree
55.4%
Homeownership
55.5%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
38.0 yrs
Age 18–29
16.3%
Age 65+
14.8%
Foreign born
40.8%
Non-English at home
54.8%
English only
45.2%
Turnout in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
51.1%
-6.7pp
1,522,266
1988–2024
How competitive is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA?
Safe DAvg margin: D+45.6 (last 3 elections)
2008
D+40.4
2012
D+42.2
2016
D+51.2
2020
D+46.7
2024
D+39.0
12.2pp
0
D+43.9
Do voters in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | D+39.0 | D+36.9 | 2.0pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 20.2pp
Located In
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA sits inside these higher-level geographies.
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