Merton area report

Highlights

Merton is a London borough with a population of 215186. The median house price is 522000, with 3901 sales recorded over twelve months and a five-year price trend of 7.6 percent. Terraced homes and flats each comprise around a third of the housing stock, with 55.6 percent of households owning their property. The area has an affordability ratio of 14.2 based on workplace earnings of 38471. Violent crime accounts for 451 incidents, with a crime rate of 6.5 per 1000 residents. Schools include 43 primary and 9 secondary institutions; 19 of the 20 rated schools are good or better by Ofsted. The nearest primary school is Park Academy at 0.2 kilometres away. Transport links include 15 rail stations and South Merton Rail Station is 0.6 kilometres away, with a 37-minute commute to London Blackfriars. Air quality shows moderate nitrogen dioxide at 16.1 and moderate fine particulate matter at 8.0. Health facilities comprise 22 GP surgeries, 41 dentists and 3 hospitals. Life expectancy is 81.2 years for males and 85.0 years for females. Council tax band D is 2140.52 annually.

Data updated 2026/27 (tax); 2025 (control). Merton, London — a free, sourced local-area report from Acreright. Every figure shows its source and date; where the data isn't reliable we say so rather than guess.

Within London, Merton ranks 17th cheapest of 33, 2nd safest and 24th most affordable.

What does it cost?

• £525,000 median home price (HM Land Registry Price Paid + UK HPI, Apr 2026)

Sold prices in Merton have risen 4% over the last five years (UK House Price Index).

How safe is it?

• 6.5 recorded crimes per 1,000 people (police.uk, May 2026)

Who lives here?

• 215,187 residents (ONS Census 2021 (Nomis), 2021)

About 65% of neighbourhoods in England are more deprived than Merton (English Indices of Deprivation, decile 7 of 10, national basis). Little changed since 2019 (decile 7).

Schools

• 95% of inspected schools rated Good or Outstanding (Get Information About Schools (GIAS) + Ofsted inspections MI, 2026)

Health

• 81.2 · 85 yrs life expectancy (men · women) (NHS ODS register (GP/dentist/pharmacy) + OSM (hospitals) + IoD2025 health domain + OHID Fingertips (outcomes), 2026/2025)

Getting around

• ≈37 min fastest train to London (OpenStreetMap + National Rail timetable (ATOC/RDG, GTFS), 2026)
• 90% of premises can get gigabit broadband (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024, Jul 2024)

Has it been a good investment?

Of homes in Merton that changed hands in the last five years, 16.1% sold for less than the previous owner paid — 1.6 points below London (17.7%) (nominal, not inflation-adjusted). Across those resales the typical gain was 25.04% over 9.09 years held.

Investment context: a gross rental yield of about 5.4% (area median rent against the median sold price) — appraise a specific property at /appraisal/merton.

Compare every area in London: London area guide & rankings.

Nearby areas we cover: Wandsworth, Sutton, Kingston upon Thames.