2026 Compare Cities Education:
Merced, CA vs Houston, TX

Change Cities
Highlights
- Houston spends 10.5% less per student than Merced.
- The Student Teacher Ratio is 28.7% lower in Houston than in Merced. (lower means fewer students in each classroom).
- Houston had 7.0% more residents who had graduated High School compared to Merced
 Merced, CAHouston, TXUnited States
 Expend. per Student  Unlock$12,825$15,905
 Educ. Expend. per Student$12,556  Unlock$13,142
 Instr. Expend. per Student  Unlock$5,942$7,999
 Pupil/Teacher Ratio22.2  Unlock16.23
 Students per Librarian  Unlock14704573
 Students per Counselor512  Unlock530
 Grade School Educ.  Unlock12.3%4.8%
 Some High School Educ.11.7%  Unlock6.3%
 High School Educ.  Unlock79.5%88.9%
 Some College Educ.23.7%  Unlock20.0%
 2 yr College Grad.  Unlock6.0%8.7%
 4 yr College Grad.16.7%  Unlock33.7%
 Masters Grad.  Unlock9.1%9.3%
 Professional Degree0.9%  Unlock2.2%
 Doctorate Degree  Unlock1.8%1.5%
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

   |    Reply

Over 6 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

   |    Reply

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

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Merced

Reviews for Houston    371 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

I moved to Houston from the San Francisco Bay area in 1991 after college but I have always had family here. Houston is not what you think of when you think of Texas  More

   |    Reply

Over 4 years ago

There's definitely lots of jobs/economic opportunity. It's quite racially diverse if that's your thing. Houston has awful urban sprawl. Expect awful traffic. Hot as hell  More

   |    Reply

Over 4 years ago

There's definitely lots of jobs/economic opportunity. It's quite racially diverse if that's your thing. Houston has awful urban sprawl. Expect awful traffic. Hot as hell  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Houston


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.