Merced, CA vs Pleasanton, 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.

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Pleasanton

64.1

#1720 nationally

Pleasanton leads in crime level (3.2 vs 21.5). Pleasanton leads in median household income ($181,639 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 231).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Pleasanton, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	64.1 (#1720)
Population	93,692	74,653
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$1,530,327
Median Household Income	$59,233	$181,639
Average Commute	27 min	34.3 min
Walk Score	42	42
Crime Level	21.5	3.2
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	231
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+53.6