Merced, CA vs Ruston, 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

Ruston

72.3

#911 nationally

Ruston leads in average commute (13.9 min vs 27 min). Ruston leads in crime level (11.7 vs 21.5). Merced leads in median household income ($59,233 vs $32,877).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Ruston, LA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	72.3 (#911)
Population	93,692	22,233
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$229,937
Median Household Income	$59,233	$32,877
Average Commute	27 min	13.9 min
Walk Score	42	25
Crime Level	21.5	11.7
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	95
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	R+25.4