Carson, CA vs San Marcos, TX

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.

Carson

63.8

#1737 nationally

San Marcos

70.5

#1100 nationally

Carson leads in median household income ($103,045 vs $47,394). San Marcos leads in cost of living index (100 vs 154). Carson leads in walk score (55 vs 39).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Carson, CA	San Marcos, TX
WhereAtHome Score	63.8 (#1737)	70.5 (#1100)
Population	91,139	71,569
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$796,912	$310,480
Median Household Income	$103,045	$47,394
Average Commute	27.6 min	23.7 min
Walk Score	55	39
Crime Level	11.5	9.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	154	100
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+32.9	D+5.6