Fort Lee, NJ 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.

Fort Lee

71.1

#1021 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Fort Lee leads in crime level (3.6 vs 21.5). Fort Lee leads in walk score (77 vs 42). Fort Lee leads in median household income ($101,573 vs $59,233).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Fort Lee, NJ	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	71.1 (#1021)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	39,700	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$604,159	$397,570
Median Household Income	$101,573	$59,233
Average Commute	37.1 min	27 min
Walk Score	77	42
Crime Level	3.6	21.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	135	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+3.4	R+4.4