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Rodeo vs Hercules

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (4.2× in Hercules) and household income (+41% in Hercules).

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Rodeo, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 8,976 people
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Hercules, CAOne of the healthiest townsCalifornia · 26,302 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 10 of 19 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 $650 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.

Rodeo$3,820/mo
Typical home $646K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.79% · or rent about $2,190/mo · Housing →
Hercules$4,470/mo
Typical home $737K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $2,991/mo · Housing →

The difference: $650 a month, about $7,800 a year, between Hercules and Rodeo.

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

Rodeo and Hercules share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

RodeoHerculesRodeoHercules
Rodeo ↔ Hercules2.2 miles apart · They share a border
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
RodeoHercules
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high74°F74°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th83rd
Outdoors & history
RodeoHercules
Trails2 mi9 mi
Conserved land6.2%4.7%
Settled18901900
National Register places—1
Archive photos618
Community
RodeoHercules
Library hours a week23 hrs46 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined01

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.

RodeoHercules
People
Population 8,976Lowest 26,302Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +11.2%Highest CA: +6.1% +8.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 41.8±2.5Lowest 10% above CA 43.9±1.8Highest 16% above CA
Hercules and Rodeo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 19.5%±3.5Highest CA: 22% 18.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22%
Rodeo and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.1%±2.6Lowest CA: 15.7% 20.1%±2.1Highest CA: 15.7%
Hercules and Rodeo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 31.6%Lowest CA: 37.1% 46%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.9%±1.5Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.4%±1.4Highest CA: 7.6%
Hercules and Rodeo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $91,484±$18kLowest 8% below CA $129,397±$8kHighest 31% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $663,200±$39kLowest 10% below CA $769,400±$27kHighest 5% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,190±$206Lowest 8% above CA $2,991±$414Highest 47% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $5,270Lowest about the CA average $7,580Highest 48% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.1%±13.3Lowest CA: 55.3% 59.6%±9.7Highest CA: 55.3%
Hercules and Rodeo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 8.4%Highest CA: 12% 5.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 59%Lowest CA: 55.9% 79.2%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1972Lowest 4 yrs older than CA 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 38 minHighest 33% above CA 38 minLowest 31% above CA
Work from home 13.2%±3.6Lowest CA: 17.2% 19%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Hercules and Rodeo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 2.9%Lowest 4.6%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 16.3 miHighest 15.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.28Lowest 0.35Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (14%)San Francisco (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HerculesFew work in Rodeo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 6.2%Highest 4.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 2.2 miLowest 9.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.5 mi 0.5 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Lowest 12Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 41.9Highest 39.5Lowest
Schools
School district John Swett UnifiedWest Contra Costa Unified
High school in town None in townHercules High
Students per teacherat that high school — 23.7
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.

Rodeo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Rodeo’s Town Square.

Hercules neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Hercules History and Changes

1 neighbor in Hercules can answer.

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Towns like Rodeo

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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