Merced, CA vs Seal Beach, 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

Seal Beach

59.7

#1946 nationally

Seal Beach leads in crime level (13.2 vs 21.5). Seal Beach leads in median household income ($75,507 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 149).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Seal Beach, CA
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	59.7 (#1946)
Population	93,692	24,352
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$841,961
Median Household Income	$59,233	$75,507
Average Commute	27 min	31 min
Walk Score	42	41
Crime Level	21.5	13.2
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	149
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+2.6