2025 Compare Cities Overview:
Lake Forest, CA vs Merced, CA

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Highlights
Are people in Merced older or younger than people in Lake Forest?
- The Median Age in Merced is 10.5 years younger than in Lake Forest.

Are housing costs cheaper in Merced or Lake Forest?
- Merced housing costs are 60.2% less expensive than Lake Forest housing costs.

Which city has a longer commute, Merced or Lake Forest?
- The average commute for residents of Merced is 2.4 minutes shorter than it is for residents of Lake Forest.

Things to do in Lake Forest?
Lake Forest, California markets itself as the ultimate Southern California lifestyle with numerous parks, shopping centers, and miles of trails giving visitors plenty of options for an active lifestyle.

Things to do in Merced?
Merced, California is a mid-sized city located in Central Valley known for its proximity to Yosemite National Park or Lake Yosemite making it an ideal spot for outdoor recreation.

 Lake Forest, CAMerced, CAUnited States
 Population  Unlock85,993329,725,481
 Median Income$117,374  Unlock$69,021
 Median Age  Unlock29.638.4
 Avg. Home Price$937,500  Unlock$338,100
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock9.3%6.0%
 Avg. Commute Time26  Unlock26.38
Reviews for Lake Forest    16 Reviews

I've lived in Lake Forest for over a decade, before that elsewhere in OC and also up in LA. Lake Forest isn't perfect but it's really improved over the past decade,  More

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As a retired senior who has lived in Lake Forest (formerly El Toro) since 1977 I think LF is a great place if you can afford it. When we moved here in June '77 homes  More

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I’ve lived here for 2 years. Ok, it’s more like a 4 but there are so many idiots downplaying what it’s like here and giving Lake Forest ones and twos. There are a lot of  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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