Merced, CA vs New Iberia, LA

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.

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

New Iberia

76.2

#374 nationally

New Iberia leads in cost of living index (89 vs 121). Merced leads in crime level (21.5 vs 27.7). New Iberia leads in average commute (21 min vs 27 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	New Iberia, LA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	76.2 (#374)
Population	93,692	27,080
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$151,501
Median Household Income	$59,233	$47,108
Average Commute	27 min	21 min
Walk Score	42	43
Crime Level	21.5	27.7
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	89
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	R+34.1