Aurora, IL vs Merced, 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.

Aurora

73.2

#764 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Aurora leads in crime level (7.3 vs 21.5). Aurora leads in median household income ($85,943 vs $59,233). Aurora leads in cost of living index (105 vs 121).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Aurora, IL	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	73.2 (#764)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	177,563	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$326,890	$397,570
Median Household Income	$85,943	$59,233
Average Commute	28.6 min	27 min
Walk Score	40	42
Crime Level	7.3	21.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	105	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+13.3	R+4.4