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Vallejo vs Hercules

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

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Vallejo, CAHometown of 67 notable peopleCalifornia · 124,268 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 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.

Vallejo$3,050/mo
Typical home $520K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.76% · or rent about $2,073/mo · Housing →
Hercules$4,470/mo
Typical home $737K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $2,991/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

Vallejo and Hercules share a border

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

VallejoHerculesVallejoHercules
Vallejo ↔ Hercules6.1 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
VallejoHercules
Snow a year0″0″
January low43°F43°F
July high74°F74°F
Growing season (days)365d365d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th83rd
Outdoors & history
VallejoHercules
Trails49 mi9 mi
Conserved land19.9%4.7%
Settled18511900
National Register places91
Archive photos—18
Famous people born here67—
Community
VallejoHercules
Library hours a week63 hrs46 hrs
Colleges in town2—
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.

VallejoHercules
People
Population 124,268Highest 26,302Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.8%Highest CA: +6.1% +8.1%Lowest CA: +6.1%
Median age 40.6±0.9Lowest 7% above CA 43.9±1.8Highest 16% above CA
Kids under 18 20%±1Highest CA: 22% 18.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22%
Vallejo and Hercules 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% 20.1%±2.1Highest 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+ 28.8%Lowest CA: 37.1% 46%Highest CA: 37.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.8%±0.6Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.4%±1.4Highest 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 $90,171±$4kLowest 9% below CA $129,397±$8kHighest 31% above CA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $589,500±$8kLowest 20% below CA $769,400±$27kHighest 5% above CA
Rentmedian gross, monthly $2,073±$62Lowest about the CA average $2,991±$414Highest 47% above CA
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,487Lowest 12% below CA $7,580Highest 48% above CA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.6%±4.8Highest CA: 55.3% 59.6%±9.7Lowest 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 12.2%Highest CA: 12% 5.6%Lowest CA: 12%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 57.4%Lowest CA: 55.9% 79.2%Highest CA: 55.9%
Typical home builtmedian year 1975Lowest 1 yr older than CA 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minLowest 19% above CA 38 minHighest 31% above CA
Work from home 11.8%±1.4Lowest CA: 17.2% 19%±2.2Highest CA: 17.2%
Work in townworking residents 13.4%Highest 4.6%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 19.3 miHighest 15.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.52Highest 0.35Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town San Francisco (9%)San Francisco (18%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Hercules2% work in Vallejo
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 19.9%Highest 4.7%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 49.0 miHighest 9.3 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.5 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 38Highest 12Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 59.3Highest 39.5Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #299 of 574 in CA—
School district Caliber: ChangeMakers Academy District · Mare Island Technology Academy DistrictWest Contra Costa Unified
High school in town Jesse M. Bethel HighHercules High
Students per teacherat that high school 21.0Lowest 23.7Highest
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.

Hercules neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 1w

Hercules History and Changes

1 neighbor in Hercules can answer.

Add a town

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Bordering Vallejo

Towns like Vallejo

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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