Brea, 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.

Brea

64.3

#1700 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Brea leads in crime level (5.8 vs 21.5). Brea leads in median household income ($120,226 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 178).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Brea, CA	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1700)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	48,479	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,134,146	$397,570
Median Household Income	$120,226	$59,233
Average Commute	31.1 min	27 min
Walk Score	50	42
Crime Level	5.8	21.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	178	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+2.6	R+4.4