Merced, CA vs Placentia, 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

Placentia

62.2

#1868 nationally

Placentia leads in crime level (9.8 vs 21.5). Placentia leads in median household income ($106,155 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 174).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Placentia, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	62.2 (#1868)
Population	93,692	52,192
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$1,113,465
Median Household Income	$59,233	$106,155
Average Commute	27 min	30.1 min
Walk Score	42	50
Crime Level	21.5	9.8
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	174
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+2.6