Denver, CO 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.

Denver

69.1

#1250 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Denver leads in walk score (61 vs 42). Denver leads in median household income ($85,853 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 128).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Denver, CO	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	69.1 (#1250)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	713,252	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$533,060	$397,570
Median Household Income	$85,853	$59,233
Average Commute	26.4 min	27 min
Walk Score	61	42
Crime Level	Moderate	21.5
School Rating	6.2	N/A
Cost of Living Index	128	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+56.1	R+4.4