In this article, we will explore some of the most liberal cities in California, where progressive ideas and inclusive attitudes flourish.
If you’re looking to move to California and want to know where the majority of Californians lean left, you’ve come to the right place.
Specifically, we wanted to know which cities have the highest number of liberal voters in the Golden State.
To do so, we analyzed how the people in each city in California with a population greater than 5,000 voted during the last presidential election. The cities with the highest percentage of voters who voted Democrat were named the most liberal cities in the state.
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85.3% Democrat vote · #1 most liberal in California
Located in
San Francisco County, California
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers | Compare
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census the city’s population is 57,713.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Novato is a city in northern Marin County, in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 51,904. Novato is located about 10 miles northwest of San Rafael and about 30 miles north of San Francisco on U.S. 101.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about 14 miles north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Larkspur is a city in Marin County, California, United States. Larkspur is located 3 miles south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 43 feet. As of the 2010 Census, the city’s population was 11,926. Larkspur is located north of San Francisco near Mount Tamalpais. Larkspur’s Police Department is shared with that of the neighboring Corte Madera and town of San Anselmo as the Central Marin Police Authority. Intersecting Larkspur’s downtown is Madrone Canyon, a residential area amidst a redwood grove.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
San Anselmo is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. San Anselmo is located 1.5 miles west of San Rafael, at an elevation of 46 feet. It is located about 20 miles north of San Francisco. Neighboring towns include San Rafael to the east, Fairfax to the west, and Ross to the south. Mount Tamalpais dominates the view to the south. The population was 12,336 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Corte Madera is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Corte Madera is located 3.25 miles south of San Rafael, at an elevation of 39 feet. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Tiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It is located on the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-west part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon. Tiburon is bordered by Corte Madera to the north and Mill Valley to the west, but is otherwise mostly surrounded by the Bay. Besides Belvedere and Tiburon, much of the peninsula is unincorporated, including portions of the north side and the communities of Strawberry and Paradise Cay.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Fairfax is an incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located 3.25 miles west-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 115 feet. The population is 7,441 at the 2010 census. Fairfax is the only town in America that holds a Green Party majority in the town council.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
82.3% Democrat vote · #6 most liberal in California
Located in
Marin County, California
Sausalito is a city in Marin County, California. Located 8 miles south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet, and is located 7km north of San Francisco.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is California’s statewide median.
On the map
Mapping the liberal strongholds in California
Saturday Night Science
How we determined the most liberal cities in California for 2026
To find the most liberal places in California, we used Saturday Night Science – the argument you’d make at a bar – to find the cities with the most liberals.
We started by making a list of every city in California over 5,000 people based on the 2020-2024 American Community Survey. That left us with 428 cities and towns.
We then measured the voting record and MIT election data to determine which places lean the most leftward in their allegiances by:
- Percentage Of Votes For Democratic President In 2020
Because no voting data exists at the city level, we used county-level election results from the 2020 election. We assigned every city in a county the percentage of votes that went to the Democrats, effectively extending the county’s results to the city level. In cases where larger cities encompassed an entire county, the election outcomes accurately reflected the city’s political landscape.
The winner, San Francisco, is “The Most liberal City in California For 2026”. The most conservative place in California was Susanville.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the most liberal places to live in California.
The full plate
Most Liberal Places In California
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | % Liberal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 830,235 | 85.3% |
| 6 | San Rafael | 60,433 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Novato | 52,546 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Mill Valley | 14,012 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Larkspur | 12,854 | 82.3% |
| 6 | San Anselmo | 12,679 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Corte Madera | 10,077 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Tiburon | 9,012 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Fairfax | 7,516 | 82.3% |
| 6 | Sausalito | 7,141 | 82.3% |
| 17 | Piedmont | 10,945 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Emeryville | 13,081 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Albany | 19,414 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Newark | 46,903 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Union City | 67,464 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Dublin | 70,803 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Pleasanton | 76,960 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Livermore | 85,522 | 80.2% |
| 17 | San Leandro | 87,826 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Berkeley | 120,257 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Hayward | 158,801 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Fremont | 228,295 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Oakland | 439,418 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Alameda | 77,238 | 80.2% |
| 26 | Scotts Valley | 12,044 | 78.9% |
| 26 | Santa Cruz | 61,607 | 78.9% |
| 26 | Watsonville | 51,712 | 78.9% |
| 26 | Capitola | 9,689 | 78.9% |
| 37 | Belmont | 27,337 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Millbrae | 22,689 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Half Moon Bay | 11,391 | 77.9% |
| 37 | East Palo Alto | 29,069 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Atherton | 6,993 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Woodside | 5,126 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Hillsborough | 11,099 | 77.9% |
| 37 | San Carlos | 29,614 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Daly City | 101,964 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Menlo Park | 32,727 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Foster City | 32,792 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Pacifica | 37,261 | 77.9% |
| 37 | San Bruno | 42,307 | 77.9% |
| 37 | South San Francisco | 64,305 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Redwood City | 82,447 | 77.9% |
| 37 | San Mateo | 103,105 | 77.9% |
| 37 | Burlingame | 30,525 | 77.9% |
| 50 | Sebastopol | 7,445 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Cotati | 7,489 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Cloverdale | 8,886 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Sonoma | 10,670 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Windsor | 26,081 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Rohnert Park | 44,575 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Petaluma | 59,247 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Santa Rosa | 177,090 | 74.5% |
| 50 | Healdsburg | 11,243 | 74.5% |
| 61 | Morgan Hill | 45,425 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Los Altos Hills | 8,377 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Saratoga | 30,319 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Los Altos | 30,698 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Los Gatos | 32,786 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Cupertino | 58,566 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Campbell | 42,781 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Palo Alto | 67,237 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Milpitas | 78,578 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Gilroy | 59,004 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Mountain View | 83,732 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Santa Clara | 130,256 | 72.6% |
| 61 | Sunnyvale | 154,236 | 72.6% |
| 61 | San Jose | 990,138 | 72.6% |
| 78 | Clayton | 10,937 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Moraga | 16,769 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Pinole | 18,761 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Lafayette | 25,285 | 71.6% |
| 78 | El Cerrito | 25,994 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Hercules | 26,302 | 71.6% |
| 78 | San Pablo | 31,720 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Pleasant Hill | 34,235 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Martinez | 36,903 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Orinda | 19,514 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Oakley | 45,183 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Danville | 43,401 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Antioch | 116,477 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Richmond | 115,505 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Concord | 124,035 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Pittsburg | 76,257 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Walnut Creek | 70,088 | 71.6% |
| 78 | Brentwood | 65,208 | 71.6% |
| 78 | San Ramon | 85,993 | 71.6% |
| 127 | Maywood | 24,317 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Bell | 32,476 | 71.0% |
| 127 | South Pasadena | 26,068 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Walnut | 27,611 | 71.0% |
| 127 | La Verne | 30,600 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Lawndale | 30,781 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Beverly Hills | 31,624 | 71.0% |
| 127 | San Dimas | 33,789 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Claremont | 36,595 | 71.0% |
| 127 | West Hollywood | 34,884 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Culver City | 39,931 | 71.0% |
| 127 | Temple City | 35,430 | 71.0% |
| 127 | La Puente | 37,142 | 71.0% |
Source: county-level 2020 election results, U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 428 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summing Up The Liberal Snowflakes in California
Well, there you have it, the places in California that have the highest number of liberals per capita, with San Francisco ranking as the least conservative in the entire state.
The most liberal cities in California are San Francisco, San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Larkspur, San Anselmo, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Fairfax, and Sausalito.
If you’re curious, here are the least liberal cities in California. Wondering how San Francisco stacks up against a bigger name? See San Francisco, CA vs. Boston, MA side by side.
