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Vallejo vs Benicia

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (3.5× in Vallejo) and size (4.6× in Vallejo).

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Vallejo, CAHometown of 67 notable peopleCalifornia · 124,268 people
B ×
Benicia, CAKnown for its schoolsCalifornia · 26,749 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.

VallejoHometown of 67 notable people
Famous people67 notable peopleborn in Vallejo Outdoors#121 most conserved land in CA49 miles of trails across 38 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 52%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Vallejo →
BeniciaKnown for its schools
Schools#34 for schools in CAof 574 towns Outdoors#140 most conserved land in CA14 miles of trails across 22 parks and preserves HealthHealthier than 84%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates All about Benicia →
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.

Trails3.5×
Vallejo has more miles of trail
Vallejo 49.0 miBenicia 13.9 mi
Size4.6×
Vallejo is the bigger place
Vallejo 124,268Benicia 26,749
Home values+37%
Homes cost more in Benicia
Benicia $810,000Vallejo $589,500
Household income+34%
Households in Benicia earn more
Benicia $121,204Vallejo $90,171
Work from home+11.3 pts
More people work from home in Benicia
Benicia 23.1%Vallejo 11.8%
Bachelor’s degree++18.8 pts
More adults in Benicia have a degree
Benicia 47.6%Vallejo 28.8%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,480 more a month in Benicia

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.

Vallejo$3,050/mo
Typical home $520K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $2,073/mo · Housing →
Benicia$4,530/mo
Typical home $783K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $2,280/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,480 a month, about $17,800 a year, between Benicia 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.

Report cards

Benicia places higher on 14 of 23 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
D−VallejoSafer than 4% of U.S. towns BBeniciaSafer than 63% of U.S. towns
Schools
B−VallejoBetter than 48% of districts in the state A−BeniciaBetter than 77% of districts in the state
Health
B−VallejoHealthier than 52% of U.S. towns A−BeniciaHealthier than 84% of U.S. towns
9Vallejo
14Benicia

Lists won, of 23 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #691#52 SafestSafety · 411 towns #394#48 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #227#614 Best schoolsSchools · 574 towns #299#34 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 844 towns #448#103 Most activeHealth · 844 towns #531#198 Most remote workersWork · 801 towns #442#163 HealthiestHealth · 844 towns #505#217

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

Where they are

Vallejo and Benicia share a border

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

VallejoBeniciaVallejoBenicia
Vallejo ↔ Benicia6.3 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,665 Vallejo residents work in Benicia (3.3% of its workers)
783 Benicia residents work in Vallejo (6.7% of its workers)
Work & commute in Vallejo →
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
VallejoBenicia
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F40°F
July high74°F83°F
Growing season (days)365d299d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th77th
Outdoors & history
VallejoBenicia
Trails49 mi14 mi
Conserved land19.9%17.8%
Settled1851—
National Register places911
Famous people born here67—
Community
VallejoBenicia
Library hours a week63 hrs60 hrs
Colleges in town2—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

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.

VallejoBenicia
People
Population 124,268Highest 26,749Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.8%Highest CA: +6.1% +0.5%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 40.6±0.9Lowest 7% above CA 44.9±2Highest 18% above CA
Kids under 18 20%±1Lowest CA: 22% 20.5%±2.2Highest CA: 22%
Benicia and Vallejo are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.9%±0.8Lowest CA: 15.7% 23.7%±2.2Highest CA: 15.7%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 28.8%Lowest CA: 37.1% 47.6%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±0.6Highest CA: 7.6% 5.2%±1.1Lowest CA: 7.6%
Vallejo and Benicia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $90,171±$4kLowest 9% below CA $121,204±$7kHighest 22% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $589,500±$8kLowest 20% below CA $810,000±$22kHighest 10% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,073±$62Lowest about the CA average $2,280±$104Highest 12% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,487Lowest 12% below CA $5,288Highest 3% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3% 61.4%±7.6Lowest CA: 55.3%
Vallejo and Benicia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 12.2%Highest CA: 12% 7.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 57.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 69.5%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA 1981Highest 5 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 19% above CA 29 minLowest about the CA average
Work from home 11.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 17.2% 23.1%±3.3Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 13.4%Lowest 14.2%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miHighest 16.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.52Lowest 1.11Highest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (9%)San Francisco (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in Benicia7% work in Vallejo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 19.9%Highest 17.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 49.0 miHighest 13.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 mi 1.0 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 38Highest 22Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.3Highest 49.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #299 of 574 in CA#34 of 574 in CA
School district Caliber: ChangeMakers Academy District · Mare Island Technology Academy DistrictBenicia Unified
High school in town Jesse M. Bethel HighBenicia High
Students per teacherat that high school 21.0Lowest 22.2Highest
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.

Vallejo neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Vallejo’s Town Square.

Benicia neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Benicia’s Town Square.

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Bordering Vallejo

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Hercules26,302 people · $769K homes

Towns like Vallejo

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West Covina107,037 people · $780K homes
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Richmond115,505 people · $668K homes
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Fairfield120,785 people · $624K homes
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Whittier86,165 people · $823K 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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