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Benicia vs Vallejo

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (3.5× in Vallejo) and size (4.6× in Vallejo).

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Benicia, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 26,749 people
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Vallejo, CAHometown of 67 notable peopleCalifornia · 124,268 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,480 more a month in Benicia

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Benicia$4,530/mo
Typical home $783K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $2,280/mo · Housing →
Vallejo$3,050/mo
Typical home $520K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $2,073/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,480 a month, about $17,800 a year, between Benicia and Vallejo.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Benicia places higher on 14 of 23 CA lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every California ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Where they are

Benicia and Vallejo share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BeniciaVallejoBeniciaVallejo
Benicia ↔ Vallejo6.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,665 Vallejo residents work in Benicia (3.3% of its workers)
783 Benicia residents work in Vallejo (6.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Vallejo →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BeniciaVallejo
Snow a year0″0″
January low40°F43°F
July high83°F74°F
Growing season (days)299d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)77th87th
Outdoors & history
BeniciaVallejo
Conserved land17.8%19.9%
Settled—1851
National Register places119
Famous people born here—67
Community
BeniciaVallejo
Library hours a week60 hrs63 hrs
Colleges in town—2
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BeniciaVallejo
People
Population 26,749Lowest 124,268Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +0.5%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 44.9±2Highest 18% above CA 40.6±0.9Lowest 7% above CA
Kids under 18 20.5%±2.2Highest CA: 22% 20%±1Lowest CA: 22%
Benicia and Vallejo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 23.7%±2.2Highest CA: 15.7% 17.9%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 47.6%Highest CA: 37.1% 28.8%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.2%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6%
Vallejo and Benicia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $121,204±$7kHighest 22% above CA $90,171±$4kLowest 9% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $810,000±$22kHighest 10% above CA $589,500±$8kLowest 20% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,280±$104Highest 12% above CA $2,073±$62Lowest about the CA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,288Highest 3% above CA $4,487Lowest 12% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.4%±7.6Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3%
Vallejo and Benicia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.6%Lowest CA: 12% 12.2%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69.5%Highest CA: 55.9% 57.4%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1981Highest 5 yrs newer than CA 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest about the CA average 34 minHighest 19% above CA
Work from home 23.1%±3.3Highest CA: 17.2% 11.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 14.2%Highest 13.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.8 miLowest 19.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.11Highest 0.52Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (8%)San Francisco (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in Vallejo3% work in Benicia
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 17.8%Lowest 19.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 13.9 miLowest 49.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 mi 1.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 22Lowest 38Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 49.5Lowest 59.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #34 of 574 in CA#299 of 574 in CA
School district Benicia UnifiedCaliber: ChangeMakers Academy District · Mare Island Technology Academy District
High school in town Benicia HighJesse M. Bethel High
Students per teacherat that high school 22.2Highest 21.0Lowest
California average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Benicia neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Benicia’s Town Square.

Vallejo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vallejo’s Town Square.

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Towns like Benicia

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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