Friendswood, TX 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.

Friendswood

73.5

#720 nationally

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Friendswood leads in crime level (2.8 vs 21.5). Friendswood leads in median household income ($121,301 vs $59,233). Merced leads in walk score (42 vs 23).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Friendswood, TX	Merced, CA
WhereAtHome Score	73.5 (#720)	64.3 (#1702)
Population	40,826	93,692
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$464,253	$397,570
Median Household Income	$121,301	$59,233
Average Commute	28.7 min	27 min
Walk Score	23	42
Crime Level	2.8	21.5
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	116	121
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+27.4	R+4.4