Population

Passaic

69,651

Merced

89,766

Median Income

Passaic

$56,780

Merced

$59,938

Home Value

Passaic

$406,500

Merced

$347,700

Rent

Passaic

$1,392

Merced

$1,293

Crime Rate

Passaic

7.19

Merced

7.85

Cost of Living

Passaic

136.1

Merced

117.2

Avg Temp

Passaic

N/A

Merced

N/A

Unemployment

Passaic

11.3%

Merced

12.3%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Passaic & Merced?

Merced is Passaic's #1 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Passaic

69,651

vs

Merced

89,766

Different · 22% difference

Merced has a 22% larger population than Passaic.

Violent Crime

Passaic

7.19

vs

Merced

7.85

Match · 8% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 8% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Passaic

18.37

vs

Merced

27.93

Different · 34% difference

Merced has a 34% higher property crime than Passaic.

Political Leaning

Passaic

49.8%

vs

Merced

50.9%

Match · 2% difference
🗳️

Passaic leans Democratic while Merced leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

Passaic

11.3%

vs

Merced

12.3%

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.

Median Income

Passaic

$56,780

vs

Merced

$59,938

Match · 5% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Passaic

$406,500

vs

Merced

$347,700

Different · 14% difference

Passaic has a 14% higher home values than Merced.

Education

Passaic

9.7%

vs

Merced

10.4%

Match · 7% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 7% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Passaic

28.0%

vs

Merced

31.7%

Different · 12% difference

Merced has a 12% higher demographics than Passaic.

Cost of Living

Passaic

136.1

vs

Merced

117.2

Different · 14% difference
💵

Passaic has a 14% higher cost of living than Merced.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Passaic and Merced share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Passaic

vsof 8

0

Merced

Cost of Living & Affordability — Merced leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Merced has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,213 vs $2,024 in Passaic (67% lower). Merced has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,503 vs $2,324 in Passaic (55% lower). Merced scores 151.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 208.4 in Passaic.

Overall Cost Index

Passaic136.1
Merced117.2

Housing Index

Passaic208.4
Merced151.8

Food Index

Passaic93.4
Merced95.8

Transportation Index

Passaic99.0
Merced103.7

Healthcare Index

Passaic94.7
Merced96.6

Utilities Index

Passaic117.7
Merced107.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Passaic$59,877
Merced$51,589

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Passaic$141,528
Merced$121,938

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Passaic$2,024
Merced$1,213

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Passaic$2,324
Merced$1,503

Housing Market — Merced leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Merced has a median property tax of $2,443 vs $10,001 in Passaic (309% lower). Merced has a single-family homes of 66.8% compared to 19.2% in Passaic. Passaic has a vacancy rate of 2.8% compared to 5.9% in Merced.

Median Home Value

Passaic$406,500
Merced$347,700

Median Rent

Passaic$1,392
Merced$1,293

Median Property Tax

Passaic$10,001
Merced$2,443

Owner-Occupied

Passaic23.5%
Merced44.4%

Vacancy Rate

Passaic2.8%
Merced5.9%

Single-Family Homes

Passaic19.2%
Merced66.8%

Jobs & Economy

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Merced: 40,788 vs Passaic: 33,791 for labor force. Merced has a per capita income of $26,140 vs $24,048 in Passaic (8% higher). Passaic has a unemployment rate of 11.3% compared to 12.3% in Merced.

Median Household Income

Passaic$56,780
Merced$59,938

Per Capita Income

Passaic$24,048
Merced$26,140

Poverty Rate

Passaic23.1%
Merced23.0%

Unemployment Rate

Passaic11.3%
Merced12.3%

Labor Force

Passaic33,791
Merced40,788

Mean Commute

Passaic24 min
Merced25 min

Work from Home

Passaic8.2%
Merced7.9%

Private Sector

Passaic95.8%
Merced97.4%

Government Sector

Passaic45.4%
Merced44.0%

Crime & Safety — Passaic leads

Source: FBI UCR

Passaic has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.01 compared to 0.07 in Merced. Passaic has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.63 compared to 5.69 in Merced. Merced has a property crime clearance of 8.1% compared to 4.2% in Passaic.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Passaic7.19
Merced7.85

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Passaic18.37
Merced27.93

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Passaic0.01
Merced0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Passaic1.59
Merced1.67

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Passaic5.42
Merced5.08

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Passaic1.63
Merced5.69

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Passaic14.13
Merced17.38

Violent Crime Clearance

Passaic34.6%
Merced43.4%

Property Crime Clearance

Passaic4.2%
Merced8.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Avg Annual High

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Avg Annual Low

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Sunny Days per Year

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Annual Rainfall

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Annual Snowfall

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Avg Humidity

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Passaic has a high school diploma or higher of 30.5% compared to 25.9% in Merced. Merced has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.4% compared to 9.7% in Passaic.

Public Schools

Passaic0
Merced0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

PassaicN/A
MercedN/A

Colleges & Universities

Passaic0
Merced0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Passaic9.7%
Merced10.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

Passaic30.5%
Merced25.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Merced has a population of 89,766, about 1.3x the size of Passaic (69,651). Merced skews younger with a median age of 29.8 vs 30.9.

Population

Passaic69,651
Merced89,766

Median Age

Passaic31
Merced30

Avg Household Size

Passaic3.4
Merced3.2

Married Population

Passaic27.4%
Merced29.7%

Foreign Born

Passaic42.1%
Merced22.1%

White

Passaic28.0%
Merced31.7%

Black

Passaic7.0%
Merced5.0%

Hispanic

Passaic73.0%
Merced58.5%

Asian

Passaic4.8%
Merced9.8%

Passaic

Merced

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Passaic: 3.0 vs Merced: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Merced: 5 vs Passaic: 3 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Passaic5
Merced5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Passaic3.0
Merced2.0

With Emergency Services

Passaic3
Merced5

Transportation & Commute — Passaic leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Passaic has a public transit of 13.0% compared to 0.8% in Merced. Merced has a drive alone of 75.4% compared to 48.9% in Passaic. Passaic: 24 min vs Merced: 25 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Passaic24 min
Merced25 min

Drive Alone

Passaic48.9%
Merced75.4%

Public Transit

Passaic13.0%
Merced0.8%

Bicycle

Passaic0.6%
Merced0.6%

Work from Home

Passaic8.2%
Merced7.9%

Airports

Passaic0
Merced0

Cities Similar to Passaic, NJ

Compare Passaic against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

Explore These Cities

Compare Different Cities