Lafayette, CA vs Salem, VA

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.

Lafayette

62.7

#1832 nationally

Salem

73.2

#778 nationally

Lafayette leads in crime level (2.2 vs 7.2). Lafayette leads in median household income ($219,250 vs $68,402). Salem leads in cost of living index (105 vs 280).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Lafayette, CA	Salem, VA
WhereAtHome Score	62.7 (#1832)	73.2 (#778)
Population	25,048	25,600
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$1,941,109	$312,662
Median Household Income	$219,250	$68,402
Average Commute	29.7 min	18.8 min
Walk Score	26	27
Crime Level	2.2	7.2
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	280	105
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+38.0	R+19.3