Clearlake, CA, California: Populist metro. In 2024, voted R+1%. Democratic peak: D+52 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+1MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 68,1522024 5-year
- Median household income
- $60,6212024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 67.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.2%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 24.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+52 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+36 in 1952MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Clearlake, CA, CAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 12,794 | 13,161 | 26,759 | ||
| D | 14,941 | 13,123 | 28,986 | ||
| D | 11,500 | 10,603 | 24,684 | ||
| D | 13,163 | 9,200 | 23,391 | ||
| D | 14,854 | 9,935 | 25,629 | ||
| D | 13,141 | 11,093 | 24,719 | ||
| D | 10,717 | 8,699 | 20,919 | ||
| D | 10,432 | 7,458 | 21,335 | ||
| D | 10,548 | 6,678 | 23,213 | ||
| D | 9,828 | 9,366 | 19,502 | ||
| R | 8,648 | 10,874 | 19,831 | ||
| R | 5,978 | 8,934 | 16,654 | ||
| D | 6,374 | 5,462 | 12,285 | ||
| R | 4,715 | 6,477 | 11,750 | ||
| R | 3,777 | 4,464 | 9,111 | ||
| D | 4,680 | 3,616 | 8,302 | ||
| R | 2,897 | 4,176 | 7,109 | ||
| R | 2,185 | 4,073 | 6,282 | ||
| R | 1,911 | 4,113 | 6,087 | ||
| R | 1,999 | 3,054 | 5,333 | ||
| R | 1,671 | 2,059 | 3,746 | ||
| R | 1,897 | 2,215 | 4,151 | ||
| D | 1,837 | 1,797 | 3,687 | ||
| D | 2,344 | 1,301 | 3,744 | ||
| R | 926 | 1,820 | 2,784 | ||
| R | 261 | 795 | 1,769 | ||
| R | 571 | 993 | 1,735 | ||
| D | 1,164 | 791 | 2,233 | ||
| D | 1,118 | 0 | 2,156 | ||
| D | 628 | 625 | 1,459 | ||
| R | 594 | 641 | 1,412 | ||
| D | 746 | 584 | 1,409 | ||
| D | 854 | 546 | 1,437 | ||
| D | 644 | 532 | 1,432 | ||
| D | 867 | 731 | 1,629 | ||
| D | 798 | 588 | 1,391 | ||
| D | 677 | 454 | 1,141 | ||
| D | 702 | 380 | 1,085 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
14.4%
Irish
14.0%
English
13.6%
Italian
5.2%
American
4.1%
French
3.0%
Scottish
2.4%
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.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 44.1 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$60,621
Clearlake, CA ranks near the middle of US counties.
Clearlake, CA$60,621
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
17.0%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1820.3%
Working age (18–64)17.0%
Seniors (65+)9.0%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
80.3%
speak English only
Spanish17.3%
Other Indo-European1.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.6%
Other languages0.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 69.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Clearlake, CA sits in the Pacific Coast. For most of the post-war period it was a Democratic metro — its working-class profile gave it the same political habits as much of its region. That identity has shifted decisively in the last twenty years.
The Democratic margin in Clearlake, CA peaked at fifty-two points in 1912. By 2024 the metro had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was one points, the most Republican-leaning result in the metro's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $60,621 sits well below state and national norms, and 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Clearlake, CA, California — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/17340/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Clearlake, CA, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Clearlake, CA, California voted Republican by 1.4 points (R+1), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 26,759 votes cast, 12,794 went Democratic and 13,161 went Republican.
What is Clearlake, CA, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Clearlake, CA, California as a "Populist" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 23 times, Republican 15 times, and other 0 times.
When did Clearlake, CA, California last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Clearlake, CA, California voted Democratic was 2020.
How many people live in Clearlake, CA, California?
Clearlake, CA, California has a population of 68,152 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Clearlake, CA, California?
Median household income in Clearlake, CA, California is $60,621 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Clearlake, CA, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Clearlake, CA, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 23 went Democratic and 15 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.