Sonora, CA, California: Populist metro. In 2024, voted R+22%. Democratic peak: D+56 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+22MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 54,4982024 5-year
- Median household income
- $77,4042024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 80.5%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 13.6%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+56 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+31 in 1924MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Sonora, 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 | 10,909 | 17,210 | 28,816 | ||
| R | 11,978 | 17,689 | 30,408 | ||
| R | 9,123 | 14,551 | 25,893 | ||
| R | 9,998 | 13,880 | 24,758 | ||
| R | 11,532 | 14,988 | 27,303 | ||
| R | 10,104 | 15,745 | 26,235 | ||
| R | 9,359 | 13,172 | 23,727 | ||
| R | 8,950 | 10,386 | 21,972 | ||
| D | 9,216 | 8,525 | 24,178 | ||
| R | 8,717 | 10,646 | 19,715 | ||
| R | 7,283 | 10,485 | 18,051 | ||
| R | 5,449 | 8,810 | 16,063 | ||
| D | 6,492 | 6,104 | 13,003 | ||
| R | 4,596 | 5,894 | 10,856 | ||
| R | 3,913 | 4,330 | 9,119 | ||
| D | 4,939 | 2,861 | 7,820 | ||
| D | 3,781 | 3,691 | 7,516 | ||
| R | 3,310 | 3,619 | 6,943 | ||
| R | 2,593 | 3,753 | 6,402 | ||
| R | 2,561 | 2,639 | 5,474 | ||
| D | 2,566 | 1,864 | 4,462 | ||
| D | 3,541 | 2,004 | 5,624 | ||
| D | 3,303 | 1,199 | 4,542 | ||
| D | 2,521 | 1,145 | 3,794 | ||
| R | 1,360 | 1,731 | 3,159 | ||
| O | 357 | 1,287 | 2,991 | ||
| R | 659 | 1,285 | 2,164 | ||
| D | 1,584 | 1,057 | 2,922 | ||
| D | 1,459 | 0 | 2,625 | ||
| R | 878 | 943 | 2,124 | ||
| R | 1,006 | 1,280 | 2,625 | ||
| D | 1,530 | 1,309 | 2,903 | ||
| D | 1,308 | 834 | 2,191 | ||
| D | 916 | 739 | 1,822 | ||
| D | 1,159 | 854 | 2,075 | ||
| R | 870 | 1,040 | 1,955 | ||
| D | 1,001 | 922 | 1,938 | ||
| D | 916 | 809 | 1,725 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
19.7%
English
17.5%
Irish
16.2%
Italian
6.5%
Scottish
3.5%
French
3.3%
American
2.1%
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: 48.4 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
$77,404
Sonora, CA ranks near the middle of US counties.
Sonora, CA$77,404
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
10.4%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.8%
Working age (18–64)10.9%
Seniors (65+)8.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
92.8%
speak English only
Spanish4.6%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.3%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 76.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Tuolumne County's small but distinct labor market blends timber, agriculture, and outdoor recreation, producing a voter profile that has trended more competitive in statewide races over the past decade despite its historically conservative baseline.
The Democratic margin in Sonora, CA peaked at fifty-six points in 1912. By 1996 the metro had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was twenty-two points, the most Republican-leaning result in the metro's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $77,404 sits well below state and national norms, and 10% 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.
Sonora, CA, California — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/43760/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Sonora, CA, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Sonora, CA, California voted Republican by 21.9 points (R+22), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 28,816 votes cast, 10,909 went Democratic and 17,210 went Republican.
What is Sonora, CA, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Sonora, 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 16 times, Republican 21 times, and other 1 times.
When did Sonora, CA, California last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Sonora, CA, California voted Democratic was 1992.
How many people live in Sonora, CA, California?
Sonora, CA, California has a population of 54,498 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Sonora, CA, California?
Median household income in Sonora, CA, California is $77,404 — below the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Sonora, CA, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Sonora, CA, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 16 went Democratic and 21 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.