Durham, NC vs Lakewood, 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.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Lakewood

63.1

#1796 nationally

Lakewood leads in walk score (58 vs 33). Lakewood leads in median household income ($113,030 vs $67,432). Durham leads in cost of living index (102 vs 168).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Lakewood, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	63.1 (#1796)
Population	283,506	78,135
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$882,830
Median Household Income	$67,432	$113,030
Average Commute	22.8 min	29.8 min
Walk Score	33	58
Crime Level	Moderate	12.4
School Rating	6.4	N/A
Cost of Living Index	102	168
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+32.9