| State: | California |
| District Number: | 21 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries |
| Representative: | Jim Costa |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Fresno |
| Population: | 775,200 |
| Population Year: | 2024 |
| Median Income: | $66,399[1] |
| Percent White: | 17.9 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 64.3 |
| Percent Black: | 4.6 |
| Percent Asian: | 9.8 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 2.2 |
| Percent Other Race: | 1.1 |
| Cpvi: | D+4[2] |
California's 21st congressional district (or CA-21) is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California. It is located in the San Joaquin Valley and includes parts of Fresno County and Tulare County. Cities in the district include the majority of Fresno, the north side of Visalia, and all of Sanger, Selma, Kingsburg, Parlier, Reedley, Orange Cove, Dinuba, Orosi, Cutler, Farmersville, Woodlake and Exeter.[3] The district is currently represented by Democrat Jim Costa.
According to the APM Research Lab's Voter Profile Tools (featuring the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 American Community Survey), the district contained about 377,000 potential voters (citizens, age 18+). Of these, 63% are Latino, while 26% are White. Immigrants make up 16% of the district's potential voters. Median income among households (with one or more potential voter) in the district is about $51,500, while 15% of households live below the poverty line. As for the educational attainment of potential voters in the district, 23% of those 25 and older have not earned a high school degree, while 12% hold a bachelor's or higher degree.
| Year | Office | Results[4] [5] [6] [7] |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | President | Obama 58% - 41% |
| 2010 | Governor | Brown 49% - 45% |
| Lt. Governor | Maldonado 50% - 40% | |
| Secretary of State | Bowen 48% - 43% | |
| Attorney General | Cooley 49% - 42% | |
| Treasurer | Lockyer 53% - 40% | |
| Controller | Chiang 55% - 37% | |
| 2012 | President | Obama 58% - 40% |
| 2014 | Governor | Brown 54% - 46% |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 58% - 36% |
| 2018 | Governor | Newsom 56% - 44% |
| Attorney General | Becerra 59% - 41% | |
| 2020 | President | Biden 59% - 39% |
| 2022 | Senate (Reg.) | Padilla 53% - 47% |
| Governor | Newsom 51% - 49% | |
| Lt. Governor | Kounalakis 52% - 48% | |
| Secretary of State | Weber 53% - 47% | |
| Attorney General | Bonta 52% - 48% | |
| Treasurer | Ma 52% - 48% | |
| Controller | Chen 51% - 49% | |
| 2024 | President | Harris 51% - 47% |
| Senate (Reg.) | Schiff 52% - 48% |
| County Code[8] | County | Seat | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Fresno | Fresno | 1,017,162 | |
| 107 | Tulare | Visalia | 479,468 |
| Representative | Party | Dates | Cong ress(es) | Electoral history | Counties | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created January 3, 1943 | |||||||||
| align=left | Harry R. Sheppard | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1953 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Redistricted to the . | 1943–1953 Northern Los Angeles, San Bernardino | |||
| align=left | Edgar W. Hiestand | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1963 | Elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Redistricted to the and lost re-election. | 1953–1983 Los Angeles | |||
| align=left | Augustus Hawkins | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1975 | Elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| align=left | James C. Corman | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. re-elected in 1976 Lost re-election. | ||||
Bobbi Fiedler | Republican | nowrap rowspan=2 | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987 | Elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. | |||||
| 1983–1993 Los Angeles (western San Fernando Valley), southeastern Ventura | |||||||||
| align=left | Elton Gallegly | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 | Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| align=left | Bill Thomas | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2003 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Redistricted to the . | 1993–2003 Kern, eastern Tulare | |||
| align=left | Devin Nunes | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2013 | Elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Redistricted to the . | 2003–2013 Eastern Fresno, Tulare | |||
| align=left | David Valadao | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | Elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Lost re-election. | 2013–2023 Kings, parts of Fresno, Kern and Tulare. | |||
| align=left | TJ Cox | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 | Elected in 2018. Lost re-election. | ||||
| align=left | David Valadao | Republican | nowrap | January 3, 2021– January 3, 2023 | Elected again in 2020. Redistricted to the . | ||||
| align=left | Jim Costa | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 2023 – present | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 2022. Re-elected in 2024. | 2023–present central San Joaquin Valley between Fresno and Visalia | |||
See main article: 2018 California's 21st congressional district election.
