Merced, CA vs Wake Forest, NC

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

Wake Forest

68.8

#1286 nationally

Wake Forest leads in crime level (4.0 vs 21.5). Merced leads in walk score (42 vs 20). Wake Forest leads in median household income ($115,159 vs $59,233).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Wake Forest, NC
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	68.8 (#1286)
Population	93,692	54,337
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$513,720
Median Household Income	$59,233	$115,159
Average Commute	27 min	31.7 min
Walk Score	42	20
Crime Level	21.5	4.0
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	116
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+25.6