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.

Down paymentRate%

Walnut$6,900/mo

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

Hercules$4,470/mo

Typical home $737K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.99% · or rent about $2,991/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.

Safety

B−WalnutSafer than 47% of U.S. towns B+HerculesSafer than 67% of U.S. towns

Schools

AWalnutBetter than 89% of districts in the state A−HerculesBetter than 75% of districts in the state

Health

AWalnutHealthier than 86% of U.S. towns A−HerculesHealthier than 83% of U.S. towns

14Walnut

7Hercules

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 720 towns #52#666 Most trailsOutdoors · 677 towns #76#543 Fastest growingGrowth · 816 towns #710#253 Most walkableOutdoors · 841 towns #353#614 Lowest obesityHealth · 844 towns #5#196 SafestSafety · 411 towns #109#36 Most affordableCost of living · 835 towns #657#513 Most conserved landOutdoors · 777 towns #264#377

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

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

WalnutHercules

Snow a year0″0″

January low—43°F

July high—74°F

Growing season (days)—365d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)87th 83rd

Outdoors & history

WalnutHercules

Trails28 mi 9 mi

Conserved land9.4%4.7%

Settled1959 1900

National Register places—1

Archive photos6 18

Famous people born here6 —

Community

WalnutHercules

Library hours a week40 hrs 46 hrs

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

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.

WalnutCA HerculesCA

Walnut ↔ Hercules370 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.

Only big differences vs California average

WalnutHercules

People

Population 27,611Highest 26,302Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -2.5%Lowest CA: +6.1% +8.1%Highest CA: +6.1%

Median age 46.8±1.7Highest 23% above CA 43.9±1.8Lowest 16% 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 19.8%±1.9Highest CA: 22% 18.3%±2.2Lowest CA: 22%

Walnut and Hercules are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 24%±1.9Highest CA: 15.7% 20.1%±2.1Lowest 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+ 57.3%Highest CA: 37.1% 46%Lowest CA: 37.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.1%±1.2Lowest CA: 7.6% 7.4%±1.4Highest 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 $129,449±$14kHighest 31% above CA $129,397±$8kLowest 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 $1,014,000±$38kHighest 38% above CA $769,400±$27kLowest 5% above CA

Rentmedian gross, monthly $3,202±$442Highest 57% above CA $2,991±$414Lowest 47% 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 $7,897Highest 54% above CA $7,580Lowest 48% above CA

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 61.5%±6.7Highest CA: 55.3% 59.6%±9.7Lowest 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 10.1%Highest CA: 12% 5.6%Lowest CA: 12%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 83.8%Highest CA: 55.9% 79.2%Lowest CA: 55.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than CA 1988Highest 12 yrs newer than CA

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 34 minLowest 17% above CA 38 minHighest 31% above CA

Work from home 19.7%±2.7Highest CA: 17.2% 19%±2.2Lowest 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 7.6%Highest 4.6%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.8 miLowest 15.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.79Highest 0.35Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Los Angeles (14%)San Francisco (18%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in HerculesFew work in Walnut

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 9.4%Highest 4.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 28.1 miHighest 9.3 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 3.1 miHighest 0.5 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 12 12

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 82.1Highest 39.5Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #31 of 574 in CA—

School district Rowland Unified · Walnut Valley UnifiedWest Contra Costa Unified

High school in town Walnut HighHercules High

Students per teacherat that high school 23.2Lowest 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.

Walnut neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Walnut’s Town Square.

Hercules neighborsTown Square →

T Weaver · 1w

Hercules History and Changes

1 neighbor in Hercules can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Walnut and Hercules

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

Bordering Walnut

+ Compare

West Covina107,037 people · $780K homes

+ Compare

Industry210 people

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Pomona147,943 people · $594K homes

Towns like Walnut

+ Compare

Cerritos47,867 people · $935K homes

+ Compare

Agoura Hills19,721 people · $1.1M homes

+ Compare

Diamond Bar53,355 people · $902K homes

+ Compare

Yorba Linda67,170 people · $1.15M homes

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.

Walnut vs Hercules

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $2,430 more a month in Walnut

Walnut places higher on 14 of 21 CA lists

What daily life feels like in each

370 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Hercules History and Changes

Set another town beside Walnut and Hercules

Bordering Walnut

Towns like Walnut

Post to Walnut

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