Merton: local statistics
Merton is a London borough in London, home to an estimated 218,891 people (mid-2025). This page brings together 10 official figures for the area, each with its period, publisher and the address it was read from. See also who has power over Merton, from the council up to the G20.
Key figures
What the figures show
The police recorded 59.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Merton in the year to March 2026 (12,952 offences in all), the 3rd lowest rate of the 33 council areas in London. The rate was 62.3 in the year to March 2025. In the year to March 2016 it was 60.5 per 1,000. Fraud is not included.
Full-time employees living in Merton earned a median £994.30 a week in April 2025 (£50,844 a year). That is 10.1% above the figure for London and the 8th highest of the 32 council areas in London. Jobs based in Merton paid a median £747.00 a week, £247.30 less than the figure for people who live there. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was £619.60: a change of +60% before inflation.
A typical home in Merton cost £615,890 in July 2026, on the UK House Price Index, down 0.9% on a year before. That is the 10th highest of 33 in London (regional average £550,037). The July peak was £621,595 in 2025, and prices are 13% above July 2016. The average price is 12.1 times the median annual pay of full-time employees who live in Merton. That ratio is close to the middle of the 32 council areas in London (15th highest ratio).
The ONS counted 12,445 VAT or PAYE-registered businesses in Merton in March 2026, 3% more than in 2016. There are 57 per 1,000 residents, 13th of 33 in London, counting from the highest.
4.5% of Merton residents aged 16 to 64 (6,715 people) were on the claimant count in August 2026, compared with 5.5% in London. A year earlier the rate was 4.6%. Since August 2021 the rate has ranged between 3.6% (January 2023) and 5.3% (August 2021).
Merton had an estimated 218,891 residents in mid-2025, a change of -0.5% in a year. The ten-year change since mid-2015 is +2.4% (London: +5.4%), the 23rd fastest growth of 33 in London. The series peaked at 220,020 in mid-2024.
A girl born in Merton in 2022 to 2024 could expect to live 85.0 years and a boy 80.9 years, on the ONS's period measure (England: 83.3 and 79.5). Since 2012 to 2014 it has changed by +0.9 years for women and +0.6 for men. It is close to the middle of the 32 council areas in London (14th highest for women).
An estimated 75.9% of people aged 16 to 64 living in Merton were in work in April 2025 to March 2026, according to the ONS Annual Population Survey (give or take 5.0 points), against 74.8% across London. Over the 11 years shown it ranged from 75.9% to 82.9%.
A Band D home in Merton pays an average of £2,146.76 in council tax in 2026-27, 2.5% more than in 2025-26. That makes it close to the middle of the 33 council areas in London (17th highest). Ten years earlier, in 2016-17, it was £1,382.45.
History
Population (mid-year)
| 2015 | 213,791 |
| 2016 | 215,514 |
| 2017 | 215,431 |
| 2018 | 216,171 |
| 2019 | 217,219 |
| 2020 | 217,101 |
| 2021 | 215,426 |
| 2022 | 216,028 |
| 2023 | 218,697 |
| 2024 | 220,020 |
| 2025 | 218,891 |
Average house price (same month each year)
| July 2016 | £546,386 |
| July 2017 | £544,824 |
| July 2018 | £569,502 |
| July 2019 | £537,101 |
| July 2020 | £564,788 |
| July 2021 | £564,831 |
| July 2022 | £603,815 |
| July 2023 | £612,760 |
| July 2024 | £614,707 |
| July 2025 | £621,595 |
| July 2026 | £615,890 |
Median weekly pay, residents
| 2015 | £619.60 a week |
| 2016 | £663.30 a week |
| 2017 | £675.00 a week |
| 2018 | £688.30 a week |
| 2019 | £710.40 a week |
| 2020 | £703.70 a week |
| 2021 | £690.10 a week |
| 2022 | £725.80 a week |
| 2023 | £804.90 a week |
| 2024 | £881.60 a week |
| 2025 | £994.30 a week |
Average Band D council tax
| 2016-17 | £1,382.45 |
| 2017-18 | £1,419.73 |
| 2018-19 | £1,468.06 |
| 2019-20 | £1,552.90 |
| 2020-21 | £1,613.63 |
| 2021-22 | £1,709.14 |
| 2022-23 | £1,781.43 |
| 2023-24 | £1,889.27 |
| 2024-25 | £1,999.28 |
| 2025-26 | £2,094.43 |
| 2026-27 | £2,146.76 |
Recorded crimes per 1,000 residents
| 2015/16 | 60.5 per 1,000 |
| 2016/17 | 61.3 per 1,000 |
| 2017/18 | 63.7 per 1,000 |
| 2018/19 | 64.8 per 1,000 |
| 2019/20 | 66.5 per 1,000 |
| 2020/21 | 59.6 per 1,000 |
| 2021/22 | 61.6 per 1,000 |
| 2022/23 | 64.5 per 1,000 |
| 2023/24 | 64.0 per 1,000 |
| 2024/25 | 62.3 per 1,000 |
| 2025/26 | 59.2 per 1,000 |
Employment rate
| 2015/16 | 79.6% |
| 2016/17 | 77.7% |
| 2017/18 | 80.7% |
| 2018/19 | 81.7% |
| 2019/20 | 80.6% |
| 2020/21 | 78.9% |
| 2021/22 | 77.9% |
| 2022/23 | 82.9% |
| 2023/24 | 78.5% |
| 2024/25 | 82.9% |
| 2025/26 | 75.9% |
Life expectancy, women
| 2012 to 2014 | 84.1 years |
| 2013 to 2015 | 84.2 years |
| 2014 to 2016 | 84.2 years |
| 2015 to 2017 | 84.4 years |
| 2016 to 2018 | 84.5 years |
| 2017 to 2019 | 84.7 years |
| 2018 to 2020 | 84.3 years |
| 2019 to 2021 | 84.3 years |
| 2020 to 2022 | 84.4 years |
| 2021 to 2023 | 84.8 years |
| 2022 to 2024 | 85.0 years |
Registered businesses
| 2016 | 12,120 |
| 2017 | 12,580 |
| 2018 | 12,495 |
| 2019 | 12,525 |
| 2020 | 12,620 |
| 2021 | 12,615 |
| 2022 | 12,385 |
| 2023 | 12,195 |
| 2024 | 12,280 |
| 2025 | 12,230 |
| 2026 | 12,445 |
Questions about Merton
What is the crime rate in Merton?
Home Office figures show 12,952 offences in the year to March 2026, or 59.2 per 1,000 people, not counting fraud.
What is the average salary in Merton?
£994.30 a week before tax, the median for full-time employees who live there (April 2025, ONS).
What is the average house price in Merton?
HM Land Registry's figure for July 2026 is £615,890.
How many people claim unemployment-related benefits in Merton?
6,715 in August 2026 (4.5% of residents aged 16 to 64), on the ONS claimant count, which is not the unemployment rate.
What is the population of Merton?
The ONS estimates 218,891 people lived in Merton in mid-2025.
What is life expectancy in Merton?
For 2022 to 2024 the ONS gives 80.9 years for men and 85.0 for women.
How much is Band D council tax in Merton?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gives an average Band D bill of £2,146.76 for 2026-27.
Who has power over Merton
Every body that makes decisions for Merton, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 3: Local councils
- Merton council spending, reserves, debt and council tax
- Merton in official figures this page
Level 4: County councils, combined authorities and metro mayors
- Greater London Authority Greater London Authority
- Metropolitan Police Service police force
- NHS South West London Integrated Care Board NHS
- London in official figures
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- Mitcham and Morden: Dame Siobhain McDonagh (Labour) MP
- Wimbledon: Mr Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
Each value above links to the official file or query it was read from, on 14 October 2026. What each figure measures.
- Recorded crime: Years before April 2020 come from the earlier Home Office table.
More on this area and these figures
- Council money: spending, reserves and debt
- Figures for the whole region: London
- UK figures: Crime Survey for England and Wales: headline crime · UK average weekly earnings growth · UK average house price
- Other council areas in London: Barking and Dagenham · Camden · Islington · Richmond upon Thames · Sutton · Westminster
Related questions
- How do I find the crime rate in my area?
- What is the average salary in my area?
- What is the average house price in my area?
- What is the unemployment rate in my area?
- Who are my local councillors?
Figures checked 14 October 2026. Link moved or figure out of date? Tell us.