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Hercules vs San Dimas

368 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (4.7× in San Dimas) and jobs per worker (3.7× in San Dimas).

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Hercules, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 26,302 people
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San Dimas, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 33,789 people
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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 →
San DimasKnown for its schools
Schools#16 for schools in CAof 574 towns Outdoors#43 most conserved land in CA44 miles of trails across 14 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 78%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about San Dimas →
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.

Trails4.7×
San Dimas has more miles of trail
San Dimas 43.8 miHercules 9.3 mi
Jobs per worker3.7×
San Dimas is more of a job hub
San Dimas 1.31Hercules 0.35
Conserved land+31.2 pts
San Dimas has more conserved land
San Dimas 35.9%Hercules 4.7%
Property tax bill+51%
Tax bills are bigger in Hercules
Hercules $7,580San Dimas $5,004
Rent+31%
Rent runs higher in Hercules
Hercules $2,991San Dimas $2,278
Average commute6 min
San Dimas has the shorter commute
Hercules 38 minSan Dimas 32 min
★ What stands out · Report cards

Hercules places higher on 12 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 CSan DimasSafer than 26% of U.S. towns
Schools
A−HerculesBetter than 75% of districts in the state B+San DimasBetter than 74% of districts in the state
Health
A−HerculesHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns A−San DimasHealthier than 78% of U.S. towns
12Hercules
9San Dimas

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

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #666#102 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #543#92 SafestSafety · 411 towns #36#239 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #377#43 Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 422 towns #301#404 Lowest property taxCost of living · 835 towns #680#484 Cheapest rentCost of living · 830 towns #748#577 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #166#328

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 $770 more a month in San Dimas

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 →
San Dimas$5,240/mo
Typical home $909K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.62% · or rent about $2,278/mo · Housing →

The difference: $770 a month, about $9,200 a year, between San Dimas and Hercules.

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
HerculesSan Dimas
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high74°F90°F
Growing season (days)365d354d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd86th
Outdoors & history
HerculesSan Dimas
Trails9 mi44 mi
Conserved land4.7%35.9%
Settled19001960
National Register places11
Archive photos188
Famous people born here—20
Community
HerculesSan Dimas
Library hours a week46 hrs40 hrs
Colleges in town—1
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

368 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

HerculesCASan DimasCA
Hercules ↔ San Dimas368 miles apart
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.

HerculesSan Dimas
People
Population 26,302Lowest 33,789Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.1%Highest CA: +6.1% +4.7%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 43.9±1.8Highest 16% above CA 43.3±2.4Lowest 14% above CA
Hercules and San Dimas 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% 20.1%±2.3Highest CA: 22%
San Dimas and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 20.1%±2.1Lowest CA: 15.7% 20.3%±1.8Highest CA: 15.7%
San Dimas and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 46%Highest CA: 37.1% 40.4%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±1.4 CA: 7.6% 7.4%±1.2 CA: 7.6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $129,397±$8kHighest 31% above CA $105,321±$19kLowest 6% above CA
Hercules and San Dimas 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 $801,800±$25kHighest 9% above CA
San Dimas and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,991±$414Highest 47% above CA $2,278±$99Lowest 12% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,580Highest 48% above CA $5,004Lowest about the CA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±9.7Lowest CA: 55.3% 66.5%±11.3Highest CA: 55.3%
San Dimas and Hercules 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% 9.9%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.2%Highest CA: 55.9% 72.4%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA 1976Lowest same as CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 31% above CA 32 minLowest 10% above CA
Work from home 19%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2% 16.8%±3.7Lowest CA: 17.2%
Hercules and San Dimas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 4.6%Lowest 7.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 16.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Lowest 1.31Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (18%)Los Angeles (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in San DimasFew work in Hercules
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.7%Lowest 35.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 9.3 miLowest 43.8 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 2.8 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 14Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.5Lowest 54.9Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#16 of 574 in CA
School district West Contra Costa UnifiedBonita Unified · Glendora Unified
High school in town Hercules HighSan Dimas High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.7Highest 21.4Lowest
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 →

1 neighbor in Hercules can answer.

San Dimas neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to San Dimas’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Hercules

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

Towns like Hercules

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San Juan Capistrano35,095 people · $994K homes
B
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Benicia26,749 people · $810K homes
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Martinez36,903 people · $860K homes
W
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Windsor26,081 people · $801K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks California towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

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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