California — Elections 1876–2024

California: state. In 2024, voted D+20%. Republican peak: R+49 in 1924.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin: D+20MIT Election Lab
Political typology: Akashic 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

2024 presidential election

California

HarrisD+20

—

How it voted

Share of the 2024 vote

Kamala Harris ✓Democratic	58.5%	9,276,179
Donald TrumpRepublican	38.3%	6,081,697
OtherAll other candidates	3.2%	512,081

D+60

R+60

58 counties, each filled by 2024 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.

presidential history

Presidential margin, 1876–2024

Democratic minus Republican, by election

Presidential margin over time
Year	Margin (D minus R)
1876	−1.8%
1880	+0.1%
1884	−6.7%
1888	−2.8%
1892	+1.2%
1896	−0.6%
1900	−13.1%
1904	−34.9%
1908	−22.5%
1912	+41.8%
1916	+0.4%
1920	−41.9%
1924	−49.0%
1928	−30.5%
1932	+21.0%
1936	+35.3%
1940	+16.1%
1944	+13.5%
1948	+0.4%
1952	−13.6%
1956	−11.1%
1960	−0.5%
1964	+18.3%
1968	−3.1%
1972	−13.5%
1976	−1.8%
1980	−16.8%
1984	−16.2%
1988	−3.6%
1992	+13.4%
1996	+12.9%
2000	+11.8%
2004	+9.9%
2008	+24.0%
2012	+23.1%
2016	+30.0%
2020	+29.1%
2024	+20.1%

DemocraticRepublican

38 presidential elections

Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
Year	Won	Margin	Democratic	Republican	Total
2024	D	+20.1%	9,276,179	6,081,697	15,869,957
2020	D	+29.1%	11,110,639	6,006,518	17,531,845
2016	D	+30.0%	8,753,792	4,483,814	14,243,449
2012	D	+23.1%	7,854,285	4,839,958	13,055,815
2008	D	+24.0%	8,274,473	5,011,781	13,583,083
2004	D	+9.9%	6,745,485	5,509,826	12,421,859
2000	D	+11.8%	5,861,203	4,567,429	10,965,856
1996	D	+12.9%	5,119,835	3,828,380	10,019,484
1992	D	+13.4%	5,121,325	3,630,574	11,131,721
1988	R	−3.6%	4,702,233	5,054,917	9,887,064
1984	R	−16.2%	3,922,519	5,467,009	9,505,041
1980	R	−16.8%	3,083,641	4,524,858	8,585,801
1976	R	−1.8%	3,742,284	3,882,244	7,867,117
1972	R	−13.5%	3,475,847	4,602,096	8,367,862
1968	R	−3.1%	3,244,318	3,467,664	7,251,587
1964	D	+18.3%	4,171,877	2,879,108	7,057,586
1960	R	−0.5%	3,224,099	3,259,722	6,506,578
1956	R	−11.1%	2,420,135	3,027,668	5,466,355
1952	R	−13.6%	2,197,548	2,897,310	5,141,849
1948	D	+0.4%	1,913,134	1,895,269	4,021,538
1944	D	+13.5%	1,988,564	1,512,965	3,520,875
1940	D	+16.1%	1,877,618	1,351,419	3,268,791
1936	D	+35.3%	1,766,836	836,431	2,638,882
1932	D	+21.0%	1,324,157	847,902	2,267,966
1928	R	−30.5%	614,365	1,162,323	1,796,656
1924	R	−49.0%	105,514	733,250	1,281,900
1920	R	−41.9%	229,191	624,992	944,050
1916	D	+0.4%	466,289	462,516	999,603
1912	O	+41.8%	283,436	0	677,944
1908	R	−22.5%	127,492	214,398	386,625
1904	R	−34.9%	89,404	205,226	331,545
1900	R	−13.1%	124,985	164,755	303,004
1896	R	−0.6%	144,766	146,688	298,419
1892	D	+1.2%	118,174	114,999	269,609
1888	R	−2.8%	117,729	124,816	251,339
1884	R	−6.7%	89,288	102,416	197,033
1880	D	+0.1%	80,442	80,348	164,321
1876	R	−1.8%	76,464	79,265	155,755

Congressional elections · 17 Senate races

U.S. Senate

Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), Senate. CC-BY 4.0.
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

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.

2024 ACS

Age distribution by sex

Median age: 37.9 in this county, 39.1 nationally

Male

Age

Female

0.7%

85+

1.2%

2.0%

75–84

2.5%

4.3%

65–74

4.9%

6.0%

55–64

6.1%

6.3%

45–54

6.2%

7.1%

35–44

6.8%

7.6%

25–34

7.2%

4.7%

18–24

4.4%

8.4%

5–17

8.0%

2.8%

2.7%

Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.

2024 ACS

Median household income

Inflation-adjusted dollars

$99,122

California ranks near the middle of US counties.

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

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.

2024 ACS

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.

2020 religion census

Religious adherents

Adherents per capita by tradition

Religious adherence data not available for this county.

California sits in the Pacific Coast. In 2024 it voted Democratic.

Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of forty-two points in 1912 and a Republican high of forty-nine points in 1924. Between 2020 and 2024 the state moved nine points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was twenty points.

A population of 39,287,377, a 40% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $99,122 describe the state.

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. 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 vote in 2024?

In 2024, 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's political typology?

Akashic places California in the "" 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 38 elections in the dataset, the state has voted Democratic 18 times, Republican 19 times, and other 1 times.

When did California last vote Republican?

The most recent presidential election in which California voted Republican was 1988.

How many people live in 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?

Median household income in 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?

Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 18 went Democratic and 19 went Republican. The state's typology — "" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.

Los Angeles County, CA	R +452,909
San Bernardino County, CA	R +88,989
Riverside County, CA	R +58,842

California has voted Democratic in nine straight presidential elections — D+20 in 2024.

Key facts

U.S. Senate

Demographics

Compare two places, side by side

Frequently asked questions