California 3rd Congressional District, California: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted R+4%. Democratic peak: D+51 in 1936.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+4MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 924,3182024 5-year
- Median household income
- $103,4942024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 67.6%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.7%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 17.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+51 in 1936MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+35 in 1920MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Congressional District 3, 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 | 228,300 | 245,687 | 489,048 | ||
| R | 243,941 | 246,642 | 503,465 | ||
| R | 172,085 | 195,057 | 405,136 | ||
| R | 161,555 | 203,190 | 376,643 | ||
| R | 181,604 | 200,266 | 391,470 | ||
| R | 140,464 | 210,524 | 355,757 | ||
| R | 111,559 | 166,874 | 294,792 | ||
| R | 98,452 | 128,684 | 256,459 | ||
| R | 92,588 | 104,484 | 262,297 | ||
| R | 87,325 | 123,472 | 214,129 | ||
| R | 69,374 | 118,937 | 191,616 | ||
| R | 54,708 | 91,356 | 165,667 | ||
| D | 64,081 | 59,871 | 128,164 | ||
| R | 51,218 | 63,066 | 119,405 | ||
| R | 43,299 | 44,102 | 96,508 | ||
| D | 58,120 | 34,872 | 93,111 | ||
| D | 42,694 | 38,231 | 81,378 | ||
| R | 32,998 | 34,593 | 67,805 | ||
| R | 28,840 | 36,218 | 65,595 | ||
| D | 28,332 | 22,150 | 52,955 | ||
| D | 24,560 | 15,939 | 40,697 | ||
| D | 32,011 | 15,909 | 48,477 | ||
| D | 29,168 | 9,416 | 39,074 | ||
| D | 22,181 | 8,744 | 31,985 | ||
| R | 12,416 | 12,902 | 25,644 | ||
| O | 2,031 | 8,754 | 22,153 | ||
| R | 5,281 | 11,912 | 18,754 | ||
| D | 12,689 | 8,429 | 22,750 | ||
| O | 8,919 | 0 | 18,982 | ||
| R | 6,217 | 8,040 | 15,638 | ||
| R | 4,544 | 8,966 | 14,691 | ||
| R | 7,134 | 8,763 | 16,282 | ||
| D | 8,460 | 7,948 | 16,718 | ||
| R | 6,780 | 7,706 | 16,115 | ||
| R | 7,469 | 8,651 | 16,515 | ||
| R | 7,162 | 9,102 | 16,597 | ||
| R | 8,013 | 9,103 | 17,284 | ||
| R | 6,822 | 8,236 | 15,058 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
13.6%
English
13.1%
Irish
10.5%
Italian
6.0%
American
3.1%
Scottish
2.4%
French
2.3%
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: 42.9 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
$103,494
Congressional District 3 ranks near the middle of US counties.
Congressional District 3$103,494
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.0%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 189.6%
Working age (18–64)8.7%
Seniors (65+)9.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
81.8%
speak English only
Spanish8.3%
Other Indo-European4.7%
Asian & Pacific Islander4.4%
Other languages0.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Religious adherence data not available for this county.
California 3rd Congressional District in the Pacific Coast has, for decades, voted very close to the way the country has voted. Its margins are typically narrow, and the candidate who carries California 3rd Congressional District more often than not also wins the national popular vote.
The Democratic margin in California 3rd Congressional District has rarely exceeded fifty-one points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded thirty-five points. 2024 delivered the district to the Republican candidate by four points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 68% non-Hispanic-white share, a 9% poverty rate, and a median household income of $103,494 — all within the broad national range.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Congressional District 3, California — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cd/0603/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Congressional District 3, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, Congressional District 3, California voted Republican by 3.6 points (R+4), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 489,048 votes cast, 228,300 went Democratic and 245,687 went Republican.
What is Congressional District 3, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Congressional District 3, California as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 10 times, Republican 26 times, and other 2 times.
When did Congressional District 3, California last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Congressional District 3, California voted Democratic was 1976.
How many people live in Congressional District 3, California?
Congressional District 3, California has a population of 924,318 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Congressional District 3, California?
Median household income in Congressional District 3, California is $103,494 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of Congressional District 3, California?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Congressional District 3, California from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 10 went Democratic and 26 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.