Fresno, CA vs San Marcos, 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.

Fresno

66.6

#1521 nationally

San Marcos

62.2

#1870 nationally

San Marcos leads in crime level (6.1 vs 20.1). San Marcos leads in median household income ($99,413 vs $63,001). Fresno leads in walk score (47 vs 33).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Fresno, CA	San Marcos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	66.6 (#1521)	62.2 (#1870)
Population	545,716	94,188
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$390,993	$953,736
Median Household Income	$63,001	$99,413
Average Commute	22.3 min	26.7 min
Walk Score	47	33
Crime Level	20.1	6.1
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	123	166
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+16.8