Merced, CA vs San Rafael, 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

San Rafael

58.5

#1954 nationally

San Rafael leads in median household income ($113,839 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 213). San Rafael leads in crime level (15.3 vs 21.5).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	San Rafael, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	58.5 (#1954)
Population	93,692	59,555
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$1,332,023
Median Household Income	$59,233	$113,839
Average Commute	27 min	27.5 min
Walk Score	42	53
Crime Level	21.5	15.3
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	213
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+63.9