Population

San Bernardino

221,774

Merced

89,766

Median Income

San Bernardino

$63,988

Merced

$59,938

Home Value

San Bernardino

$384,900

Merced

$347,700

Rent

San Bernardino

$1,433

Merced

$1,293

Crime Rate

San Bernardino

8.97

Merced

7.85

Cost of Living

San Bernardino

125.8

Merced

117.2

Avg Temp

San Bernardino

N/A

Merced

N/A

Unemployment

San Bernardino

6.5%

Merced

12.3%

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How Similar Are San Bernardino & Merced?

Merced is San Bernardino's #3 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

San Bernardino

221,774

vs

Merced

89,766

Different · 60% difference

San Bernardino (221,774) is about 2.5x larger than Merced (89,766).

Violent Crime

San Bernardino

8.97

vs

Merced

7.85

Different · 13% difference
🚨

San Bernardino has a 13% higher violent crime than Merced.

Property Crime

🔒

San Bernardino

28.98

vs

Merced

27.93

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 4% difference.

Political Leaning

San Bernardino

49.7%

vs

Merced

50.9%

Match · 2% difference
🗳️

San Bernardino leans Democratic while Merced leans Republican.

Unemployment

💼

San Bernardino

6.5%

vs

Merced

12.3%

Different · 47% difference

Merced has a 47% higher unemployment than San Bernardino.

Median Income

San Bernardino

$63,988

vs

Merced

$59,938

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

San Bernardino

$384,900

vs

Merced

$347,700

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 10% difference.

Education

San Bernardino

7.9%

vs

Merced

10.4%

Different · 24% difference
🎓

Merced has a 24% higher education than San Bernardino.

Demographics

🌍

San Bernardino

27.6%

vs

Merced

31.7%

Different · 13% difference

Merced has a 13% higher demographics than San Bernardino.

Cost of Living

San Bernardino

125.8

vs

Merced

117.2

Match · 7% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.

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

At a Glance

0

San Bernardino

vsof 8

0

Merced

Merced leads in 3 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Merced leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Merced has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,213 vs $1,777 in San Bernardino (46% lower). Merced has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,503 vs $2,201 in San Bernardino (46% lower). Merced scores 151.8 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 166.6 in San Bernardino.

Overall Cost Index

San Bernardino125.8
Merced117.2

Housing Index

San Bernardino166.6
Merced151.8

Food Index

San Bernardino98.9
Merced95.8

Transportation Index

San Bernardino112.1
Merced103.7

Healthcare Index

San Bernardino99.1
Merced96.6

Utilities Index

San Bernardino112.7
Merced107.8

Living Wage (1 Adult)

San Bernardino$55,361
Merced$51,589

Living Wage (Family of 4)

San Bernardino$130,853
Merced$121,938

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

San Bernardino$1,777
Merced$1,213

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

San Bernardino$2,201
Merced$1,503

Housing Market — San Bernardino leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Bernardino has a vacancy rate of 4.6% compared to 5.9% in Merced. Merced has a median rent of $1,293 vs $1,433 in San Bernardino (11% lower). San Bernardino has a median home value of $384,900 vs $347,700 in Merced (11% higher).

Median Home Value

San Bernardino$384,900
Merced$347,700

Median Rent

San Bernardino$1,433
Merced$1,293

Median Property Tax

San Bernardino$2,421
Merced$2,443

Owner-Occupied

San Bernardino48.5%
Merced44.4%

Vacancy Rate

San Bernardino4.6%
Merced5.9%

Single-Family Homes

San Bernardino61.7%
Merced66.8%

Jobs & Economy — San Bernardino leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Bernardino: 102,871 vs Merced: 40,788 for labor force. San Bernardino has a unemployment rate of 6.5% compared to 12.3% in Merced. Merced has a work from home of 7.9% compared to 5.8% in San Bernardino.

Median Household Income

San Bernardino$63,988
Merced$59,938

Per Capita Income

San Bernardino$23,980
Merced$26,140

Poverty Rate

San Bernardino19.5%
Merced23.0%

Unemployment Rate

San Bernardino6.5%
Merced12.3%

Labor Force

San Bernardino102,871
Merced40,788

Mean Commute

San Bernardino27 min
Merced25 min

Work from Home

San Bernardino5.8%
Merced7.9%

Private Sector

San Bernardino98.4%
Merced97.4%

Government Sector

San Bernardino46.3%
Merced44.0%

Crime & Safety — Merced leads

Source: FBI UCR

Merced has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.11 in San Bernardino. Merced has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.67 compared to 2.41 in San Bernardino. Merced has a property crime clearance of 8.1% compared to 4.7% in San Bernardino.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino8.97
Merced7.85

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino28.98
Merced27.93

Murder Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino0.11
Merced0.07

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino2.41
Merced1.67

Assault Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino5.95
Merced5.08

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino4.55
Merced5.69

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

San Bernardino16.77
Merced17.38

Violent Crime Clearance

San Bernardino50.2%
Merced43.4%

Property Crime Clearance

San Bernardino4.7%
Merced8.1%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Avg Annual High

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Avg Annual Low

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Sunny Days per Year

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Annual Rainfall

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Annual Snowfall

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Avg Humidity

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Merced has a bachelor's degree or higher of 10.4% compared to 7.9% in San Bernardino. San Bernardino has a high school diploma or higher of 29.3% compared to 25.9% in Merced.

Public Schools

San Bernardino0
Merced0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

San BernardinoN/A
MercedN/A

Colleges & Universities

San Bernardino0
Merced0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

San Bernardino7.9%
Merced10.4%

High School Diploma or Higher

San Bernardino29.3%
Merced25.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

San Bernardino has a population of 221,774, about 2.5x the size of Merced (89,766). Merced skews younger with a median age of 29.8 vs 31.9.

Population

San Bernardino221,774
Merced89,766

Median Age

San Bernardino32
Merced30

Avg Household Size

San Bernardino3.4
Merced3.2

Married Population

San Bernardino30.6%
Merced29.7%

Foreign Born

San Bernardino22.9%
Merced22.1%

White

San Bernardino27.6%
Merced31.7%

Black

San Bernardino11.8%
Merced5.0%

Hispanic

San Bernardino69.6%
Merced58.5%

Asian

San Bernardino4.1%
Merced9.8%

San Bernardino

Merced

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

San Bernardino: 2.8 vs Merced: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Merced: 5 vs San Bernardino: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

San Bernardino5
Merced5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

San Bernardino2.8
Merced2.0

With Emergency Services

San Bernardino4
Merced5

Transportation & Commute — Merced leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Merced has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.1% in San Bernardino. San Bernardino has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 0.8% in Merced. Merced has a work from home of 7.9% compared to 5.8% in San Bernardino.

Mean Commute Time

San Bernardino27 min
Merced25 min

Drive Alone

San Bernardino76.6%
Merced75.4%

Public Transit

San Bernardino1.4%
Merced0.8%

Bicycle

San Bernardino0.1%
Merced0.6%

Work from Home

San Bernardino5.8%
Merced7.9%

Airports

San Bernardino0
Merced0

Cities Similar to San Bernardino, CA

Compare San Bernardino 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

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