2025 Compare Cities Education:
Arcata, CA vs Merced, CA

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Highlights
- Merced spends 8.7% less per student than Arcata.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 17.6% higher in Merced than in Arcata. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Merced had 20.9% fewer residents who had graduated High School compared to Arcata
 Arcata, CAMerced, CAUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$14,332$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$13,439  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$7,391$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio18.88  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock61024573
 Students per Counselor659  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock14.1%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.3.9%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock74.3%88.9%
 Some College Educ.22.5%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock9.4%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.46.4%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock4.0%9.3%
 Professional Degree3.8%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.1%1.5%
Reviews for Arcata    17 Reviews

Pros: Nature hikes Cons: One of highest crime rates in the nation. Opioid epidemic going on (you’ll regularly witness drug deals and ppl doing drugs) No  More

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It takes a special set of preferences to select Arcata. Is this you? - You love clouds and fog. You are happy if you see the sun maybe 10-20 times a year. - Chilly  More

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Over 11 years ago

I've lived in Humboldt for over 30 yrs and know all the areas well. Arcata is the jewel of Humboldt due to having a university and many liberal creative people. There is  More

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Reviews for Merced    44 Reviews

Merced is totally slept on - you want a little bit of everything CA has to offer, at a fraction of the price of other CA cities? Merced is the place to go. The town  More

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Over 5 years ago

Good place to live. More affordable than most of california. The city is growing and there is alot of business and growth here. Moved from the Bay area years ago and  More

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Great place to live. Lots of progress and changes coming to the city. Great place to raise a family. UC Merced is expanding and businesses are investing. Downtown is  More

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