Merced, CA vs South Elgin, 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

South Elgin

75.4

#467 nationally

South Elgin leads in crime level (5.2 vs 21.5). South Elgin leads in median household income ($118,293 vs $59,233). Merced leads in walk score (42 vs 32).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	South Elgin, IL
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	75.4 (#467)
Population	93,692	24,277
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$379,258
Median Household Income	$59,233	$118,293
Average Commute	27 min	28.6 min
Walk Score	42	32
Crime Level	21.5	5.2
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	112
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+9.4