Merced, CA vs Oak Forest, IL

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

Oak Forest

77.2

#270 nationally

Oak Forest leads in crime level (2.4 vs 21.5). Oak Forest leads in median household income ($89,758 vs $59,233). Merced leads in average commute (27 min vs 32.3 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Oak Forest, IL
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	77.2 (#270)
Population	93,692	26,199
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$303,574
Median Household Income	$59,233	$89,758
Average Commute	27 min	32.3 min
Walk Score	42	36
Crime Level	21.5	2.4
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	104
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+42.0