Hercules, CA vs San Marcos, CA

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Hercules

63.3

#1776 nationally

San Marcos

62.2

#1870 nationally

San Marcos leads in average commute (26.7 min vs 40.4 min). Hercules leads in crime level (4.6 vs 6.1). Hercules leads in median household income ($125,880 vs $99,413).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Hercules, CA	San Marcos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	63.3 (#1776)	62.2 (#1870)
Population	26,582	94,188
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$743,984	$953,736
Median Household Income	$125,880	$99,413
Average Commute	40.4 min	26.7 min
Walk Score	29	33
Crime Level	4.6	6.1
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	171	166
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+38.0	D+16.8