Merced, CA vs Santa Ana, 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

Santa Ana

63.6

#1759 nationally

Santa Ana leads in walk score (55 vs 42). Santa Ana leads in median household income ($72,458 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 138).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Santa Ana, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	63.6 (#1759)
Population	93,692	310,227
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$869,263
Median Household Income	$59,233	$72,458
Average Commute	27 min	26.8 min
Walk Score	42	55
Crime Level	21.5	Moderate
School Rating	N/A	5.4
Cost of Living Index	121	138
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+2.6