Belmont, CA 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.

Belmont

61.6

#1893 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Belmont leads in crime level (4.5 vs 21.5). Belmont leads in median household income ($185,944 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 284).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Belmont, CA	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	61.6 (#1893)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	26,622	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$2,284,322	$397,570
Median Household Income	$185,944	$59,233
Average Commute	29.1 min	27 min
Walk Score	47	42
Crime Level	4.5	21.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	284	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+50.3	R+4.4