Cambridge, MA 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.

Cambridge

70.6

#1085 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Cambridge leads in walk score (87 vs 42). Cambridge leads in median household income ($115,892 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 172).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Cambridge, MA	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	70.6 (#1085)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	117,090	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,055,780	$397,570
Median Household Income	$115,892	$59,233
Average Commute	27.8 min	27 min
Walk Score	87	42
Crime Level	Low	21.5
School Rating	8.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	172	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.5	R+4.4