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Hercules vs Vallejo

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (5.3× in Vallejo) and property tax bill (+69% in Hercules).

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Hercules, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 26,302 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 · Report cards

Hercules 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.

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,410 more a month in Hercules

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

The difference: $1,410 a month, about $17,000 a year, between Hercules 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.

Where they are

Hercules and Vallejo share a border

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

HerculesVallejoHerculesVallejo
Hercules ↔ Vallejo6.1 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
246 Hercules residents work in Vallejo (2.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Hercules →
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
HerculesVallejo
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high74°F74°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd87th
Outdoors & history
HerculesVallejo
Trails9 mi49 mi
Conserved land4.7%19.9%
Settled19001851
National Register places19
Archive photos18—
Famous people born here—67
Community
HerculesVallejo
Library hours a week46 hrs63 hrs
Colleges in town—2
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.

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.

HerculesVallejo
People
Population 26,302Lowest 124,268Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.1%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.8%Highest CA: +6.1%
Median age 43.9±1.8Highest 16% above CA 40.6±0.9Lowest 7% above CA
Kids under 18 18.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22% 20%±1Highest CA: 22%
Vallejo 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% 17.9%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7%
Hercules and Vallejo 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% 28.8%Lowest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±1.4Highest CA: 7.6% 6.8%±0.6Lowest CA: 7.6%
Hercules and Vallejo 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 $90,171±$4kLowest 9% below CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $769,400±$27kHighest 5% above CA $589,500±$8kLowest 20% below CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,991±$414Highest 47% above CA $2,073±$62Lowest about the CA average
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,580Highest 48% above CA $4,487Lowest 12% below CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±9.7Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3%
Vallejo 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% 12.2%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.2%Highest CA: 55.9% 57.4%Lowest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 31% above CA 34 minLowest 19% above CA
Work from home 19%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2% 11.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 4.6%Lowest 13.4%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miLowest 19.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Lowest 0.52Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (18%)San Francisco (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 2% work in VallejoFew work in Hercules
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.7%Lowest 19.9%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 9.3 miLowest 49.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 1.0 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12Lowest 38Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.5Lowest 59.3Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#299 of 574 in CA
School district West Contra Costa UnifiedCaliber: ChangeMakers Academy District · Mare Island Technology Academy District
High school in town Hercules HighJesse M. Bethel High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.7Highest 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.

Hercules neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Hercules History and Changes

1 neighbor in Hercules can answer.

Vallejo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vallejo’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hercules and Vallejo

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Bordering Hercules

Towns like Hercules

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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