Austin, TX vs Carson, 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.

Austin

68.3

#1322 nationally

Carson

63.8

#1737 nationally

Carson leads in walk score (55 vs 42). Austin leads in cost of living index (129 vs 154). Carson leads in median household income ($103,045 vs $91,461).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Austin, TX	Carson, CA
WhereAtHome Score	68.3 (#1322)	63.8 (#1737)
Population	967,862	91,139
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$504,148	$796,912
Median Household Income	$91,461	$103,045
Average Commute	26.8 min	27.6 min
Walk Score	42	55
Crime Level	Moderate	11.5
School Rating	7.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	129	154
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+39.3	D+32.9