Merced, CA vs Novato, 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.

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Novato

61.2

#1914 nationally

Novato leads in crime level (6.9 vs 21.5). Novato leads in median household income ($110,948 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 193).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Novato, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	61.2 (#1914)
Population	93,692	51,722
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$1,078,032
Median Household Income	$59,233	$110,948
Average Commute	27 min	29.5 min
Walk Score	42	36
Crime Level	21.5	6.9
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	193
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+63.9