City · Solano County, California

Benicia, California

Benicia is a city in Solano County, California, part of the Vallejo, CA metro area. It has 26,749 residents. Benicia, California has a quality-of-life score of 51 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,617 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within California it ranks #393 of 1,062 cities and towns. It ranks best on drought exposure (low), comfortable days (high) and distance to an Amtrak station (low). It ranks worst on students per teacher (high), mammography screening (low) and rent-burdened households (high).

51Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,617 of 15,651 cities and towns
California: #393 of 1,062 in CA
Population: 26,749 (2020-2024)
Land area: 13 mi²
Density: 2,087.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 0605290

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety20#12,432/15,637
Economy77#3,647/15,631
Housing6#14,138/14,977
Health74#4,042/15,609
Healthcare87#2,056/15,650
Environment67#5,043/15,453
Education21#12,404/15,649
Infrastructure86#2,228/15,650
Community30#10,901/15,651
Leisure & amenities39#9,554/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Benicia, California ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Solano County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Drought exposure · low0%
98/100California 9%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAASolano County value
Comfortable days · high38.0%
96/100California 34.8%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationSolano County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
95/100California 10 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauSolano County value
Mental health care shortage · low0.0
91/100California 5.1United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSolano County value
Median Air Quality Index · low33
91/100California 602025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencySolano County value
Primary care shortage · low0.0
90/100California 2.6United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSolano County value

Weaknesses

Students per teacher · high22.7×
1/100California 21.7×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsSolano County value
Mammography screening · low33.0%
4/100California 38.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSolano County value
Rent-burdened households · high61.4%
6/100California 55.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Natural hazard risk · high93.7
6/100California 87.32025Federal Emergency Management AgencySolano County value
Home price to income ratio · high6.7×
7/100California 7.4×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Social associations · low5.3 /10k
7/100California 6.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSolano County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
28,192 (2015-2019) → 26,749 (2020-2024)
−5.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedImproving
0.1 /1k (2021) → 0.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+205%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
52.6% (2015-2019) → 61.4% (2020-2024)
+8.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
31.3% (2015-2019) → 35.7% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
92.9% (2015-2019) → 97.2% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Public transit commutersWorsening
5.7% (2015-2019) → 1.8% (2020-2024)
−3.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Benicia, California improved on 2 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Commute−6.7 min35.4 min → 28.7 min
Household income+17%$103,413 → $121,204

Declined4

Unemployment+1.9 points2.7% → 4.5%
Price / income+1.0×5.7× → 6.7×
Inequality+0.0360.404 → 0.440
Transit use−3.9 points5.7% → 1.8%

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Benicia, California between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	35.4 min2015-2019	28.7 min2020-2024	−6.7 min	Improved	95%
Bachelor's degree or higher	44.7%2015-2019	47.6%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Broadband subscriptions	92.9%2015-2019	97.2%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Child poverty rate	10.4%2015-2019	10.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Effective property tax rate	0.76%2015-2019	0.70%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	27%
High school diploma or higher	96.8%2015-2019	95.2%2020-2024	−1.6 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Home price to income ratio	5.7×2015-2019	6.7×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4042015-2019	0.4402020-2024	+0.036	Declined	23%
Median household income	$103,4132015-2019	$121,2042020-2024	+17%	Improved	27%
Poverty rate	7.1%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Public transit commuters	5.7%2015-2019	1.8%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Declined	8%
Rent as share of income	31.3%2015-2019	35.7%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Rent-burdened households	52.6%2015-2019	61.4%2020-2024	+8.8 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Unemployment rate	2.7%2015-2019	4.5%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Declined	18%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.4%2015-2019	2.8%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	42%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Benicia, California five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Benicia, California in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Benicia, California itself moved −6.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

26,749 residents (±59)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

11,051 households (±453)

Benicia, California
California share

Under $25k11%1,177
$25k–50k10%1,114
$50k–75k12%1,300

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

11,051 households (±453)

Benicia, California
California share

Own69%7,679
Rent31%3,372

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

12,463 workers (±685)

Benicia, California
California share

Drive alone66%8,259
Carpool6.6%†826
Public transit1.8%†227

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Vallejo, CA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Solano County, the county holding most of Benicia's residents.

Solano County has 7,755 employer establishments, 172 for every 10,000 residents (0.69× the US rate of 248; 0.65× California's), with 122,010 paid employees at an average annual pay of $63,168. The Census Bureau also counts 30,542 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 7,755; 30,542 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 172; US 248 · California 263
Paid employees: 122,010
Average annual pay: $63,168; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Solano County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	715	15.8	0.86×About typical	12,731	$26,305	137
Ambulatory health care services	676	15	0.72×Fewer than typical	11,613	$111,195	1,397
Specialty trade contractors	568	12.6	0.81×About typical	5,924	$85,046	1,272
Lessors of real estate	389	8.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	1,505	$54,124	2,238
Limited-service restaurants	318	7	0.88×About typical	6,028	$24,145	56
Full-service restaurants	293	6.5	0.85×About typical	5,071	$29,636	53
Construction of buildings	252	5.6	0.74×Fewer than typical	2,190	$86,011	787
Services to buildings and dwellings	234	5.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	1,671	$50,378	1,707
Automotive repair and maintenance	232	5.1	1.02×About typical	1,426	$51,879	360
Truck transportation	232	5.1	1.02×About typical	1,966	$61,486	826
Building equipment contractors	223	4.9	0.82×About typical	2,551	$98,410	292
Offices of dentists	201	4.5	1.11×About typical	1,368	$62,912	48

Rank places for an industry Open Solano County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 451,377 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $19M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Benicia, California: $709 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $19M; +62% vs FY2025
Per resident: $709; US $1,994
Sole-source: 36%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.2%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Defense Logistics Agency$10.2M54%
Department of the Navy$3.8M20%
USTRANSCOM$2.8M15%
Maritime Administration$1.1M6.0%
National Institute of Standards and Technology$894.6K4.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs$57K0.3%
Federal Acquisition Service$27.6K0.1%
Department of the Army$8,7830.0%

Top recipients

RIX INDUSTRIES$6.6M35%
ATLANTIC DIVING SUPPLY, INC.$5.7M30%
METROPOLITAN VAN AND STORAGE INC.$2.8M15%
S & K AEROSPACE, LLC$1.8M9.3%
SIGRAY, INC.$894.6K4.7%

Spending by fiscal year

9MFY2017
10.9MFY2018
10.4MFY2019
5.2MFY2020
9.7MFY2021
6.3MFY2022
11MFY2023
21.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$8.5M45%
Other general purpose machinery manufacturing · 3339$3.4M18%
Warehousing and storage · 4931$2.8M15%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$2.4M13%
Electric power generation, transmission and distribution · 2211$339.2K1.8%
Deep sea, coastal, and Great Lakes water transportation · 4831$290K

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Benicia, California, so they do not add up across cities.

Benicia, California's figures are part of those of Solano County, CA ($152.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 12% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Benicia is mostly in Solano County.

See federal money in Solano County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Benicia, California is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Adam B. SchiffD-

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Solano County55100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Vallejo, CA61

Other cities and towns in Solano County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/0605290

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends