California 36th State Senate District, California: Bellwether district. In 2024, voted D+5%. Democratic peak: D+12 in 2016.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+5MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- BellwetherAkashic typology
- Population
- 986,4032024 5-year
- Median household income
- $114,1632024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 41.7%2024 5-year
- Black
- 2.1%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 35.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+12 in 2016MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+3 in 2012MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 36, 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.
5 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 217,766 | 197,174 | 428,648 | ||
| D | 257,768 | 203,019 | 470,451 | ||
| D | 194,744 | 151,469 | 370,868 | ||
| R | 164,805 | 173,936 | 347,370 | ||
| D | 176,076 | 173,582 | 357,372 |
Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
7.2%
English
7.0%
Irish
5.8%
American
4.4%
Italian
3.5%
French
1.4%
Polish
1.3%
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: 39.3 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
$114,163
State Senate District 36 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 36$114,163
California$99,122
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
9.8%
Child poverty is below the national average.
Children under 1811.3%
Working age (18–64)9.2%
Seniors (65+)12.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
52.9%
speak English only
Spanish25.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander15.4%
Other Indo-European5.0%
Other languages1.4%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 50.4% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
California's 36th Senate District has shifted toward competitive territory, with its 2024 presidential result landing at R+1.2 — a narrow margin that signals genuine volatility in a state where such outcomes remain rare.
The Democratic margin in California 36th State Senate District has rarely exceeded twelve points in modern history; the Republican margin has rarely exceeded three points. 2024 delivered the district to the Democratic candidate by five points.
Its demographics resemble the country more than they resemble most districts. A 42% non-Hispanic-white share, a 10% poverty rate, and a median household income of $114,163 — all within the broad national range.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State Senate District 36, California — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/sld-upper/06036/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 36, California vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 36, California voted Democratic by 4.8 points (D+5), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 428,648 votes cast, 217,766 went Democratic and 197,174 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 36, California's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 36, California as a "Bellwether" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 5 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 4 times, Republican 1 times, and other 0 times.
When did State Senate District 36, California last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 36, California voted Republican was 2012.
How many people live in State Senate District 36, California?
State Senate District 36, California has a population of 986,403 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State Senate District 36, California?
Median household income in State Senate District 36, California is $114,163 — above the national median of $80,734. The California state median is $99,122.
What is the political history of State Senate District 36, California?
Akashic tracks 5 presidential elections in State Senate District 36, California from 2008 to 2024. Of those, 4 went Democratic and 1 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Bellwether" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.