congressional districtCalifornia 21st Congressional District
presidential margin
2004–2024 · Democratic minus Republican
2004R+3.7
2008D+15.4
2012D+17.3
2016D+21.8
2020D+21.1
2024D+6.0
net swing · 2004→2024D+9.7R+3.7 → D+6.0
vs. U.S. · 2024D+7.5D+6.0 vs R+1.5
presidential returns
2024 turnout 44.5% of 453,610 citizens 18+
Year
Democrat
Republican
Others
Total
CVAP
Turnout
2024
104,249
92,145
5,473
201,867
453,610
44.5%
2020
137,295
88,560
4,917
230,772
432,064†
53.4%
2016
103,622
64,800
9,721
178,143
405,620†
43.9%
2012
95,452
66,654
3,931
166,037
381,341†
43.5%
2008
95,701
70,057
1,254
167,012
362,158†
46.1%
2004
74,591
80,434
1,777
156,802
342,976†
45.7%
† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles from the constituent-county ACS trend anchored to the current figure. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
District by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupCA-21CaliforniaUnited States
Mexican46.5%32.3%11.3%
Salvadoran0.9%2.0%0.7%
Puerto Rican0.3%0.6%1.8%
Spaniard0.3%0.3%—
Guatemalan0.3%1.3%0.5%
Spanish0.3%0.3%—
German5.9%6.8%12.5%
English4.6%6.3%9.5%
Irish4.3%5.9%9.4%
Italian2.1%3.4%4.8%
American1.7%2.8%5.3%
Portuguese1.3%——
Scottish0.8%0.9%1.3%
Armenian0.7%——
Hmong2.8%0.3%—
Asian Indian1.8%2.3%1.4%
Filipino1.5%3.3%0.9%
Chinese0.6%3.9%1.3%
Cambodian0.4%——
Laotian0.3%——
Vietnamese0.3%1.7%0.6%
Japanese0.3%0.6%0.2%
Aztec3.0%0.3%—
African American†4.5%4.4%9.9%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
CA-21
California
United States
Median age
32.6
37.9
39.1
Age 18–24
9.8%
9.1%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
12.5%
15.6%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
CA-21
California
United States
Median household income
$68,124
$99,122
$84,427
Poverty rate
20.5%
12.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
21.9%
36.6%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
CA-21
California
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
45.7%
44.4%
22.3%
Spanish
37.3%
28.4%
13.6%
Other Indo-European
2.5%
3.4%
2.0%
Other Asian & Pacific Island
3.0%
2.0%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
CA-21
California
United States
Catholic
—
26.2%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
9.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
55.2%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
California 21st Congressional District
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−3.7%
2008
+15.4%
2012
+17.3%
2016
+21.8%
2020
+21.1%
2024
+6.0%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Federal officeholders only. State and local officeholders are planned for the next data pass.
Congressional elections · 25 House races · 17 Senate races
U.S. House
Each result reflects the U.S. House district as it was drawn for that election; redistricting has redrawn these lines over time, so they can differ from the current 120th-Congress district shown on the map above.
Source · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL), House. CC-BY 4.0.
Year
District
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
21
D
52.6%102,798
47.4%92,733
195,531
2022
21
D
54.2%68,074
45.8%57,573
125,647
2020
21
R
49.6%84,406
50.4%85,928
170,334
2018
21
D
50.4%57,239
49.6%56,377
113,616
2016
21
R
43.3%57,282
56.7%75,126
132,408
2014
21
R
42.2%33,470
57.8%45,907
79,377
2012
21
R
42.2%49,119
57.8%67,164
116,283
2010
21
R
0.0%0
100.0%135,979
135,979
2008
21
R
31.6%66,317
68.4%143,498
209,815
2006
21
R
29.9%42,718
66.7%95,214
142,661
2004
21
R
26.8%51,594
73.2%140,721
192,315
2002
21
R
26.2%32,584
70.5%87,544
124,198
2000
21
R
24.8%49,318
71.6%142,539
199,100
1998
21
R
0.0%0
78.9%115,989
146,983
1996
21
R
26.5%50,694
65.9%125,916
191,152
1994
21
R
27.7%47,517
68.1%116,874
171,629
1992
21
R
34.7%68,058
65.2%127,758
195,965
1990
21
R
34.0%68,921
58.4%118,326
202,611
1988
21
R
28.8%75,739
69.1%181,413
262,671
1986
21
R
28.2%54,497
68.4%132,090
193,091
1984
21
R
25.9%62,085
72.3%173,504
239,968
1982
21
R
24.1%46,412
71.8%138,474
192,767
1980
21
R
48.2%73,898
48.7%74,674
153,400
1978
21
D
59.5%73,869
35.9%44,519
124,138
1976
21
D
66.5%101,837
28.8%44,094
153,109
U.S. Senate
The statewide Senate race, counted in this district — aggregated from the precinct-level returns that fall inside its boundaries (not a statewide figure).
Votes · MIT Election Lab (MEDSL) precinct returns (CC BY 4.0); aggregated to the district over VEST precinct geometry (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
D
52.4%110,699
47.6%100,671
211,370
2022
D
61.1%6,621,621
38.9%4,222,029
10,843,650
2018
D
100.0%11,113,364
0.0%0
11,113,364
2016
D
100.0%12,244,170
0.0%0
12,244,170
2012
D
62.5%7,864,624
37.5%4,713,887
12,578,511
2010
D
52.2%5,218,441
42.2%4,217,366
10,000,093
2006
D
59.4%5,076,289
35.0%2,990,822
8,541,150
2004
D
57.7%6,955,728
37.8%4,555,922
12,053,242
2000
D
55.8%5,932,522
36.6%3,886,853
10,623,608
1998
D
53.1%4,410,056
43.0%3,575,078
8,311,905
1994
D
46.7%3,979,152
44.8%3,817,025
8,513,916
1992
D
47.9%5,173,467
43.0%4,644,182
10,799,436
1988
R
44.0%4,287,253
52.8%5,143,409
9,743,547
1986
D
49.3%3,646,672
47.9%3,541,804
7,398,462
1982
R
44.8%3,494,968
51.5%4,022,565
7,805,450
1980
D
56.5%4,704,098
37.1%3,091,671
8,324,012
1976
R
46.9%3,502,862
50.2%3,748,973
7,470,586
2024 U.S. Senate — every candidate counted in this district
Adam B Schiff · Democrat52.4%110,699
Steve Garvey · Republican47.6%100,671
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 21.8 points in 2016 and a Republican high of 3.7 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 15.1 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 6.0 points.
A population of 756,383, a 16% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $68,124 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Congressional District 22 and Congressional District 13.
Akashic
Political twins — districts
The congressional districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
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 21st Congressional District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/cd/0621/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Embed this page
A live widget for your site — no API key, attribution built in, CC BY 4.0. All widgets & sizes →
How did California 21st Congressional District vote in 2024?
In 2024, California 21st Congressional District voted Democratic by 6.0 points (D+6.0), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 201,867 votes cast, 104,249 went Democratic and 92,145 went Republican.
When did California 21st Congressional District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which California 21st Congressional District voted Republican was 2004.
How many people live in California 21st Congressional District?
California 21st Congressional District has a population of 756,383 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in California 21st Congressional District?
Median household income in California 21st Congressional District is $68,124 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of California 21st Congressional District?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in California 21st Congressional District from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 5 went Democratic and 1 went Republican.
