PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Merced, CA

42.8
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#293
of 387 metros
24%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Merced ranks #293 of 387 US metros, ahead of 24% - carried by its schools (93/100) and held back most by childcare (7/100).

93
strongest: Schools
75
then: Wages
7
weakest: Childcare
7
weighted dimensions

Where Merced sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

43 24th percentile higher than 24% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Merced Life Score

Merced's composite score of 42.8 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #293 of 387, ahead of 24% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Schools (93/100) and Wages (75/100), which pull the composite upward, while Childcare (7/100) and Safety (12/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 98.3 (rent-RPP 78.6). BLS median salary $68,749, 72,870 jobs (Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Fast Food and Counter Workers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,503/mo (studio $1,116).

FBI UCR (CA): 477 violent, 1986 property/100K. NCES: 21.5:1 ratio, 12.8% charter. DOL infant childcare $17,920/yr. EPA: 116 Superfund sites (CA). Ranks #290-#296 below.

Dimension detail

How Merced scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 27/100 (20%)
Wages 75/100 (20%)
Rent 31/100 (15%)
Safety 12/100 (15%)
Schools 93/100 (10%)
Childcare 7/100 (10%)
Environment 58/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

98.3
Cost Index (RPP)
$68,749
Avg Median Salary
$1,503
2BR Fair Market Rent
477
Violent Crime/100K (CA)
21.5:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$17,920
Infant Childcare/yr (CA)
116
Superfund Sites (CA)
72,870
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Merced With...

Merced vs El Centro Compare → Merced vs Visalia Compare → Merced vs Redding Compare → Merced vs Wildwood Compare → Merced vs Waterloo Compare → Merced vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Merced outranks 24% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#290 Sherman-Denison, TX 43.1 C
#291 Medford, OR 43.1 C
#292 Hot Springs, AR 43.1 C
#293 Merced, CA 42.8 C
#294 Corpus Christi, TX 42.6 C
#295 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 42.5 C
#296 Cleveland, TN 42.4 C

CA Metro Scores

El Centro, CA C+ 46.7 Visalia, CA C 45.2 Redding, CA C 43.7 Yuba City, CA C 43.3 Vallejo, CA C 41.9 Stockton-Lodi, CA C- 41.3

Using Merced's Life Score

Merced is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is schools (93/100) and its weakest is childcare (7/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Merced head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Merced lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Merced's biggest strengths? ▼
Merced's strongest dimensions are Schools (93/100), Wages (75/100), Environment (58/100). Schools is top-tier nationally.
What are Merced's weakest areas? ▼
Merced's lowest-scoring dimensions are Childcare (7/100), Safety (12/100), Cost of Living (27/100). Childcare weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Merced compared to the national average? ▼
Merced's Regional Price Parity is 98.3 (1.7% less than national); rent RPP 78.6.
What is the average salary in Merced? ▼
Merced median salary: $68,749, 72,870 jobs. Top: Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Fast Food and Counter Workers.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Merced's 42.8/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.