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Compare towns

Hercules vs Walnut

370 miles apart. The biggest differences: trails (3× in Walnut) and street grid (2.1× in Walnut).

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Hercules, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 26,302 people
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Walnut, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 27,611 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 $2,430 more a month in Walnut

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 →
Walnut$6,900/mo
Typical home $1.17M (Zillow) · tax rate 0.78% · or rent about $3,202/mo · Housing →

The difference: $2,430 a month, about $29,100 a year, between Walnut 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.

Report cards

Walnut places higher on 14 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.

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
HerculesWalnut
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F—
July high74°F—
Growing season (days)365d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)83rd87th
Outdoors & history
HerculesWalnut
Trails9 mi28 mi
Conserved land4.7%9.4%
Settled19001959
National Register places1—
Archive photos186
Famous people born here—6
Community
HerculesWalnut
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

370 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Hercules ↔ Walnut370 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.

HerculesWalnut
People
Population 26,302Lowest 27,611Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.1%Highest CA: +6.1% -2.5%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 43.9±1.8Lowest 16% above CA 46.8±1.7Highest 23% above CA
Walnut and Hercules 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%±1.9Highest CA: 22%
Walnut 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% 24%±1.9Highest CA: 15.7%
Walnut 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%Lowest CA: 37.1% 57.3%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.4%±1.4Highest CA: 7.6% 7.1%±1.2Lowest CA: 7.6%
Hercules and Walnut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $129,397±$8kLowest 31% above CA $129,449±$14kHighest 31% above CA
Walnut and Hercules 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 $1,014,000±$38kHighest 38% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,991±$414Lowest 47% above CA $3,202±$442Highest 57% above CA
Walnut and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $7,580Lowest 48% above CA $7,897Highest 54% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 59.6%±9.7Lowest CA: 55.3% 61.5%±6.7Highest CA: 55.3%
Walnut 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% 10.1%Highest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.2%Lowest CA: 55.9% 83.8%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 31% above CA 34 minLowest 17% above CA
Work from home 19%±2.2Lowest CA: 17.2% 19.7%±2.7Highest CA: 17.2%
Walnut 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 7.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 15.8 miHighest 14.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.35Lowest 0.79Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (18%)Los Angeles (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in WalnutFew work in Hercules
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.7%Lowest 9.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 9.3 miLowest 28.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 miLowest 3.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12 12
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 39.5Lowest 82.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#31 of 574 in CA
School district West Contra Costa UnifiedRowland Unified · Walnut Valley Unified
High school in town Hercules HighWalnut High
Students per teacherat that high school 23.7Highest 23.2Lowest
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.

Walnut neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Walnut’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Hercules and Walnut

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

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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