Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Hercules vs Martinez

10 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.1× in Martinez) and jobs per worker (4× in Martinez).

×
Hercules, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 26,302 people
×
Martinez, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 36,903 people
Swap order
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.

HerculesOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 83%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#377 most conserved land in CA9.3 miles of trails across 12 parks and preserves SchoolsBetter than 75%of CA districts All about Hercules →
MartinezOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 86%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#96 most trails in CA38 miles of trails across 19 parks and preserves Schools#130 for schools in CAof 574 towns All about Martinez →
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.

Trails4.1×
Martinez has more miles of trail
Martinez 38.2 miHercules 9.3 mi
Jobs per worker4×
Martinez is more of a job hub
Martinez 1.39Hercules 0.35
Street grid2.1×
Martinez has the more walkable street grid
Martinez 83.7Hercules 39.5
Average commute9 min
Martinez has the shorter commute
Hercules 38 minMartinez 28 min
Rent+27%
Rent runs higher in Hercules
Hercules $2,991Martinez $2,353
Property tax bill+20%
Tax bills are bigger in Hercules
Hercules $7,580Martinez $6,291
★ What stands out · Report cards

Martinez places higher on 13 of 21 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.

Safety
B+HerculesSafer than 67% of U.S. towns C+MartinezSafer than 42% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−HerculesBetter than 75% of districts in the state BMartinezBetter than 55% of districts in the state
Health
A−HerculesHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns AMartinezHealthier than 86% of U.S. towns
7Hercules
13Martinez

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #543#96 Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #666#211 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #301#39 Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 844 towns #441#34 Shortest commuteGetting around · 843 towns #767#443 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #614#337 Lowest depressionHealth · 844 towns #20#288 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #377#175

Left end = #1 in California. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Hercules’s rankings →

Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Hercules$4,470/mo
Typical home $737K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $2,991/mo · Housing →
Martinez$4,410/mo
Typical home $754K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.73% · or rent about $2,353/mo · Housing →

The difference: $60 a month, about $700 a year, between Hercules and Martinez.

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.

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
HerculesMartinez
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F42°F
July high74°F88°F
Growing season (days)365d346d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd87th
Outdoors & history
HerculesMartinez
Trails9 mi38 mi
Conserved land4.7%13.8%
Settled19001849
National Register places19
Archive photos1818
Famous people born here—36
Community
HerculesMartinez
Library hours a week46 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

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.

Where they are

10 miles apart

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

HerculesMartinezHerculesMartinez
Hercules ↔ Martinez9.6 miles apart
Who commutes between them
383 Hercules residents work in Martinez (3.3% of its workers)
Work & commute in Hercules →
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.

HerculesMartinez
People
Population 26,302Lowest 36,903Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.1%Highest CA: +6.1% +4.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 43.9±1.8Highest 16% above CA 42.6±1.1Lowest 12% above CA
Hercules and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 18.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22% 19.8%±2Highest CA: 22%
Martinez and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.1%±2.1Highest CA: 15.7% 18.9%±1.5Lowest CA: 15.7%
Hercules and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 46%Lowest CA: 37.1% 46.7%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±1.4Highest CA: 7.6% 5.7%±0.9Lowest CA: 7.6%
Hercules and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $129,397±$8kHighest 31% above CA $127,355±$8kLowest 28% above CA
Hercules and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $769,400±$27kLowest 5% above CA $859,800±$16kHighest 17% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,991±$414Highest 47% above CA $2,353±$87Lowest 16% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,580Highest 48% above CA $6,291Lowest 23% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±9.7Highest CA: 55.3% 44.6%±6.3Lowest CA: 55.3%
Hercules and Martinez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.6%Lowest CA: 12% 6.3%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.2%Highest CA: 55.9% 70.8%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA 1977Lowest 1 yr newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 31% above CA 28 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 19%±2.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 22.3%±3.4Highest CA: 17.2%
Martinez and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.6%Lowest 11.5%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miHighest 14.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Lowest 1.39Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (18%)San Francisco (11%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in MartinezFew work in Hercules
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.7%Lowest 13.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 9.3 miLowest 38.2 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 2.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 19Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.5Lowest 83.7Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#130 of 574 in CA
School district West Contra Costa UnifiedMartinez Unified · Mt. Diablo Unified
High school in town Hercules HighAlhambra Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.7Highest 21.1Lowest
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.

Hercules neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Hercules History and Changes

1 neighbor in Hercules can answer.

Martinez neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Martinez’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hercules and Martinez

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Hercules

P
+ Compare
Pinole18,761 people · $719K homes
+ Compare
Rodeo8,976 people · $663K homes
+ Compare
Vallejo124,268 people · $590K homes

Towns like Hercules

+ Compare
San Juan Capistrano35,095 people · $994K homes
B
+ Compare
Benicia26,749 people · $810K homes
+ Compare
San Dimas33,789 people · $802K homes
W
+ Compare
Windsor26,081 people · $801K homes

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.

Post to Hercules

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in