Akron, OH vs Merced, 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.

Akron

78.2

#187 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Akron leads in cost of living index (83 vs 121). Merced leads in median household income ($59,233 vs $46,596). Akron leads in average commute (22.2 min vs 27 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Akron, OH	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	78.2 (#187)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	188,701	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$141,611	$397,570
Median Household Income	$46,596	$59,233
Average Commute	22.2 min	27 min
Walk Score	48	42
Crime Level	22.5	21.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	83	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+7.0	R+4.4