Vallejo vs Richmond
The short version
- Vallejo is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Richmond area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $589,500 in Vallejo and $668,200 in Richmond.
- Households earn more in Richmond ($95,391 vs $90,171 median).
Side by side
| Vallejo, CA | Richmond, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 123,287 | 114,861 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.2% | -1.2% |
| People per square mile | 4,051 | 3,823 |
| Median age | 40.6 | 37.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 29% | 33% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $90,171 | $95,391 |
| Median home value | $589,500 | $668,200 |
| Home value to income | 6.5× | 7.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,073 | $1,960 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.5 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 142.0 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,400 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 55% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 34.2 | 34.2 |
| Work from home | 12% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 8% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.4% | 8.3% |
| Poverty rate | 12.2% | 13.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 57° / 38° | 58° / 44° |
| July high / low | 79° / 55° | 71° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 20 in | 24 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 16 | 5 |
| Nights below freezing | 34 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 97.0 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 99% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | -0.7% | -4.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +14.3% | +8.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Vallejo: April to October. Richmond: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Vallejo weather by month and Richmond weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,400 in Vallejo and $86,700 in Richmond. Moving from Vallejo to Richmond, you would need about $79,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Vallejo and Richmond
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Vallejo and Richmond.
Which would you pick?
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