Salem, VA vs San Carlos, 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.

Salem

73.2

#778 nationally

San Carlos

66.8

#1504 nationally

San Carlos leads in median household income ($219,413 vs $68,402). San Carlos leads in walk score (47 vs 27). Salem leads in average commute (18.8 min vs 26.5 min).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Salem, VA	San Carlos, CA
WhereAtHome Score	73.2 (#778)	66.8 (#1504)
Population	25,600	28,862
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$312,662	$2,457,746
Median Household Income	$68,402	$219,413
Average Commute	18.8 min	26.5 min
Walk Score	27	47
Crime Level	7.2	5.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	105	N/A
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+19.3	D+50.3