A process for the production of a higher hydrocarbon from solid biomass, the higher hydrocarbons having an oxygen to carbon ratio less than the oxygen to carbon ratio of at least one component of the biomass feedstock, said process comprising: a. providing a biomass solid containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; b. forming a stable oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediate product having a viscosity of less than 100 centipoise at 50°C, a diol content of at least 2 wt%, less than 2wt% of sugar, and less than 2wt% acid as acetic acid equivalent, based on the intermediate product, and at least 60% of carbon exists in molecules having 9 carbon atoms or less by a process comprising digesting and hydrodeoxygenating the biomass solid in a liquid digestive solvent in the presence of a hydrothermal hydrocatalytic catalyst and hydrogen at a temperature in the range of 150°C to less than 300°C and at a pressure in a range of from 20 bar to 200 bar, said digestive solvent containing a solvent mixture having a boiling point of at least 40°C; c. reacting at least a portion of the stable oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediate product with an acidic amorphous silica alumina catalyst at a temperature in the range from 300°C to 400°C thereby producing monooxygenated stream containing water and organic monooxygenates having a boiling point of at least 40°C, wherein the pressure in step c. is within the range of ambient pressure to about 200psi (1,379MPa); d. optionally condensing the monooxygenated stream to liquid phase; e. contacting the organic monooxygenates having boiling point of at least 40°C with an acidic ZSM-5 catalyst at a temperature in the range from 325°C to about 425°C producing water and an aromatics-rich higher hydrocarbons stream having at least 50wt% of aromatics containing hydrocarbon based on the aromatics-rich hydrocarbons stream. a. providing a biomass solid containing cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin; b. forming a stable oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediate product having a viscosity of less than 100 centipoise at 50°C, a diol content of at least 2 wt%, less than 2wt% of sugar, and less than 2wt% acid as acetic acid equivalent, based on the intermediate product, and at least 60% of carbon exists in molecules having 9 carbon atoms or less by a process comprising digesting and hydrodeoxygenating the biomass solid in a liquid digestive solvent in the presence of a hydrothermal hydrocatalytic catalyst and hydrogen at a temperature in the range of 150°C to less than 300°C and at a pressure in a range of from 20 bar to 200 bar, said digestive solvent containing a solvent mixture having a boiling point of at least 40°C; c. reacting at least a portion of the stable oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediate product with an acidic amorphous silica alumina catalyst at a temperature in the range from 300°C to 400°C thereby producing monooxygenated stream containing water and organic monooxygenates having a boiling point of at least 40°C, wherein the pressure in step c. is within the range of ambient pressure to about 200psi (1,379MPa); d. optionally condensing the monooxygenated stream to liquid phase; e. contacting the organic monooxygenates having boiling point of at least 40°C with an acidic ZSM-5 catalyst at a temperature in the range from 325°C to about 425°C producing water and an aromatics-rich higher hydrocarbons stream having at least 50wt% of aromatics containing hydrocarbon based on the aromatics-rich hydrocarbons stream.