Merced, CA vs Wheat Ridge, CO

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

Wheat Ridge

64.5

#1690 nationally

Wheat Ridge leads in crime level (13.2 vs 21.5). Wheat Ridge leads in median household income ($79,567 vs $59,233). Merced leads in cost of living index (121 vs 135).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Wheat Ridge, CO
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	64.5 (#1690)
Population	93,692	31,804
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$595,582
Median Household Income	$59,233	$79,567
Average Commute	27 min	25.4 min
Walk Score	42	45
Crime Level	21.5	13.2
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	135
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	D+19.5