Merchants Place, Reading, RG1 1EG

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around RG1 1EG is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 49.7%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	47.6%	50.3%	2.7%	51.0%	-0.7%
Male	52.4%	49.7%	-2.7%	49.0%	0.7%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate area around RG1 1EG, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 56% of the residents. On average, approximately 38% of individuals who responded to the census in the UK were single. Areas with higher single populations are typically urban centers, university towns, regions with dynamic job markets, rich cultural offerings and entertainment facilities. These regions also tend to have a younger demographic.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	56.9%	56%	-0.9%	37.9%	18.1%
Married: Opposite sex	37.8%	34.4%	-3.4%	44.2%	-9.8%
Married: Same sex	1.1%	0.9%	-0.2%	0.3%	0.6%
Separated	1.1%	1.7%	0.6%	2.2%	-0.5%
Divorced	3.2%	5.8%	2.6%	9.1%	-3.3%
Widowed	0%	1.2%	1.2%	6.1%	-4.9%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (93.6%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	63.2%	60.4%	-2.8%	48.4%	12.0%
Good health	31.6%	33.2%	1.6%	33.6%	-0.4%
Fair health	4.2%	4.9%	0.7%	12.7%	-7.8%
Bad health	0.5%	1.6%	1.1%	4.0%	-2.4%
Very bad health	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	1.2%	-1.2%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around RG1 1EG this area, 7.8% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%. This area stands out for its high percentage of residents with higher education degree or similar. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 64%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	1.1%	7.8%	6.7%	18.2%	-10.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	8.5%	4.7%	-3.8%	9.6%	-4.9%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	4.3%	5.2%	0.9%	13.4%	-8.2%
Apprenticeship	0%	1.5%	1.5%	5.3%	-3.8%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	8.5%	12.5%	4.0%	16.9%	-4.4%
Degree or Similar	69.1%	64%	-5.1%	33.8%	30.2%
Other	8.5%	4.4%	-4.1%	2.8%	1.6%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 40.4% of the residents identify as white, which is lower than the UK average of 81.4%, there are significant representations of other ethnic groups.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	0%	0.8%	0.8%	1.1%	-0.3%
Chinese	2.8%	7.8%	5.0%	0.7%	7.1%
Indian	19.3%	22.5%	3.2%	3.1%	19.4%
Pakistani	1.9%	1.6%	-0.3%	2.7%	-1.1%
Other Asian	8%	2.6%	-5.4%	1.6%	1.0%
Black African	10.8%	8%	-2.8%	2.5%	5.5%
Black Caribbean	1.4%	1.3%	-0.1%	1.0%	0.3%
Other Black	0.9%	1.6%	0.7%	0.5%	1.1%
Mixed White and Asian	1.9%	0.8%	-1.1%	0.8%	0.0%
Mixed White and African	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	0.4%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.9%	-0.4%
Mixed Other	0%	4.4%	4.4%	0.8%	3.6%
White	44.8%	40.4%	-4.4%	81.4%	-41.0%
Roma	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
Arab	5.2%	3.4%	-1.8%	0.6%	2.8%
Other	2.4%	3.6%	1.2%	1.6%	2.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, just 27.3% of residents were born in the United Kingdom, meaning that the majority of residents originate from outside the UK.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	35.4%	27.3%	-8.1%	83.2%	-55.9%
European Union	16.5%	20.8%	4.3%	6.1%	14.7%
Rest of Europe	2.4%	3.1%	0.7%	0.8%	2.3%
Africa	10.8%	8.6%	-2.2%	2.7%	5.9%
Middle East and Asia	33.5%	35.3%	1.8%	5.6%	29.7%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.9%	4.7%	3.8%	1.3%	3.4%
Oceania	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	0.3%	0.0%

Length of Residence

In this area majority of residents originate from outside the UK. Only 27.3% of residents were born in the United Kingdom. 13.2% of residents have lived in the UK for 10 years or more.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	34.9%	27.2%	-7.7%	83.2%	-56.0%
10+ Years	25.9%	13.2%	-12.7%	9.8%	3.4%
5-10 Years	19.8%	14.2%	-5.6%	2.9%	11.3%
2-5 Years	10.4%	18.4%	8.0%	2.2%	16.2%
Less than 2 years	9%	26.9%	17.9%	1.9%	25.0%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	33.9%	76.7%	-42.8%
Ireland	0.8%	0.6%	0.2%
France	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
Germany	1%	0.2%	0.8%
Italy	1%	0.6%	0.4%
Portugal	2.6%	0.5%	2.1%
Spain	3.1%	0.4%	2.7%
Lithuania	0.8%	0.3%	0.5%
Poland	1.6%	1.3%	0.3%
Romania	2.1%	0.9%	1.2%
Other EU countries	8%	1.5%	6.5%
Turkey	0.8%	0.1%	0.7%
Other Europe	1.6%	0.2%	1.4%
North Africa	0.3%	0.1%	0.2%
Central and Western Africa	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
South and Eastern Africa	2.3%	0.2%	2.1%
Middle East	2.3%	0.1%	2.2%
Eastern Asia	2.6%	0.3%	2.3%
Southern Asia	21.8%	1.2%	20.6%
South-East Asia	1.3%	0.2%	1.1%
North America and the Caribbean	1.3%	0.3%	1.0%
Central and South America	2.1%	0.2%	1.9%
Oceania	0.5%	0.1%	0.4%
No passport held	5.7%	13.5%	-7.8%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	27.8%	37.2%	-9.4%
Christian	36.8%	46.2%	-9.4%
Buddhist	1.8%	0.5%	1.3%
Hindu	18.5%	1.7%	16.8%
Muslim	7.2%	6.5%	0.7%
Other religion	1.5%	0.6%	0.9%
Not answered	6.4%	6.0%	0.4%

Safety

Is Merchants Place Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merchants Place was 761.8 per 1,000 residents, which is 98.7% higher than the Abbey average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Merchants Place has the 3rd highest crime rate of 100 local areas in Abbey and the 5th highest crime rate of 488 local areas in Reading .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 431.9 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -47.8%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a much higher level of wealth compared to the average household in England and Wales. 93% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£64,800

Income Rank
10/10

Household Income in RG1 1EG, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 7/10 (above average )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 9/10 (very high )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 10/10 (very high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 7/10 (above average )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 4/10 (below average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 10/10 (very high )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Merchants Place are based on 117 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Reading.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Merchants Place, Reading, RG1 1EG

Estimated Average Property Prices for RG1 1EG

Average Price
£271,519

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£271,519

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merchants Place

Average Price
£269,288

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
£269,288

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merchants PlaceStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
Flat 4 Projection East Merchants Place, Reading, Reading Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£275,000	2017-03-07	£283,675
Flat 10 Projection East Merchants Place, Reading, Reading Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£220,000	2015-08-19	£266,774
Flat 9 Projection East Merchants Place, Reading, Reading Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£189,995	2014-12-19	£245,567
Flat 1 Projection East Merchants Place, Reading, Reading Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£189,000	2014-07-11	£256,799
Flat 19 Projection East Merchants Place, Reading, Reading Flats/Maisonettes, an established residential building	£175,000	2014-04-17	£248,085

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for RG1 1EG

Employment

The percentage of student residents living in RG1 1EG area is much higher than the country's average. Usually places with high percentage of students are near Universities and near entertainment places.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	214
Student (economically inactive)	42
Looking after home or family	15
Self-Employed	14
Unemployed	14
Retired	13
Other	11
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	10
Part-Time Employee	7
Long-Term Sick or disabled	4

Employment Industry

Information and communication	49
Human health and social work activities	16
Professional, scientific and technical activities	16
Education	14
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	13
Accommodation and food service activities	8
Financial and insurance activities	6
Construction	5
Manufacturing	5
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	4
Other	3
Mining and quarrying	3
Transport and storage	2
Administrative and support service activities	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
New Bridge Nursery School Montague Street , Caversham RG4 5AU	4out of 4	1,438 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Caversham Nursery School 114 Amersham Road , Caversham RG4 5NA	4out of 4	1,830 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Blagdon Nursery School Blagdon Road , Whitley RG2 7NT	4out of 4	3,563 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Norcot Early Years Centre 82 Lyndhurst Road , Tilehurst RG30 6UB	4out of 4	3,822 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Blagrave Nursery School Recreation Road , Tilehurst RG30 4UA	4out of 4	4,640 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Civitas Academy 90a Great Knollys Street , RG1 7HL	3out of 4	491 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
E P Collier Primary School Ross Road , RG1 8DZ	3out of 4	561 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Oxford Road Community School 146 Oxford Road , RG1 7PJ	3out of 4	973 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Coley Primary School Wolseley Street , RG1 6AZ	3out of 4	1,002 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Thameside Primary School Harley Road , Caversham RG4 8DB	3out of 4	1,004 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Kendrick School London Road , RG1 5BN	4out of 4	1,120 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School
Reading School Erleigh Road , RG1 5LW	4out of 4	1,909 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
The WREN School 61-63 Bath Road , RG30 2BB	3out of 4	2,347 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School Fawley Road , Southcote RG30 3EP	3out of 4	2,732 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Reading Girls' School Northumberland Avenue , RG2 7PY	1out of 4	2,822 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Girls	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
The Deenway Montessori School 3-5 Sidmouth Street , Reading RG1 4QZ	- not rated	1,048 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Red Balloon Learner Centre Reading 220-222 Kings Road , RG1 4JJ	- not rated	1,381 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Abbey School Reading 17 Kendrick Road , RG1 5DZ	- not rated	1,455 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Girls	More About School
Queen Anne's School 6 Henley Road , Caversham RG4 6DX	- not rated	1,611 yd	Other independent school	No	Girls	More About School
Hemdean House School Hemdean Road , Caversham RG4 7SD	- not rated	1,619 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Shed	8 Merchants Place	39 yd
Treatz Dessert Parlour	29 Friar Street	48 yd
Wendy's Restaurant	1 Station Road	72 yd
Nando's	30-31 Friar Street	73 yd
Cafe Local	Platforms 8 & 9 Reading Railway Station	84 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
Milk Bar Reading	8 Merchants Place	39 yd
Revolucion De Cuba	138-141 Friar Street	104 yd
Club Era	16 Friar Street	132 yd
Signal Box	18 Friar Street	132 yd
Slug & Lettuce / Loco Loco / El Rodeo Mexicano / Burrito Bandits	7-9 Friar Street	132 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Anonymous Coffee Co at Thames Tower	37-45 Station Road	88 yd
Pierre's Baguettes	16-17 Harris Arcade	107 yd
Zorbas Shisha and Kebabs	16-17 Harris Arcade	107 yd
Black Sheep Coffee	1-3 Queen Victoria Street	115 yd
Cafe Local at Platform 7 Reading Rail Station	Station Approach	121 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sainsbury's	52-55 Friar Street	96 yd
Marks & Spencer	12 Broad Street	276 yd
Sainsbury's	7-8 Broad Street	276 yd
Tesco	4 Market Place	361 yd
Tesco	28-34 Oxford Road	371 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Buzz Intensity (Closed) 106 106 Friar Street	health and fitness suite	162 yd
St Laurence Reading ST LAURENCES CHURCH ST LAURENCES CHURCH FRIAR STREET		300 yd
The Gym (Reading Central) ST. MARYS BUTTS	health and fitness suite	342 yd
Pure Gym (Reading Caversham Road) CAVERSHAM ROAD	health and fitness suite	458 yd
Millennium Spa Health & Leisure Club (Closed) Oxford Road	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	500 yd
Anytime Fitness (Reading) Chatham Place	health and fitness suite	566 yd
Hmp & Yoi Reading (Closed) Forbury Road	artificial grass pitch, health and fitness suite	672 yd
Buzz Gym (Reading) KINGS ROAD	health and fitness suite	740 yd
Crossfit Reading Hodsoll Road		744 yd
Reading Central Swimming Pool (Closed) Battle Street	swimming pool	876 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	0.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	0.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	41.3 Mbit/s
Average download speed	46.2 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	80 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	80 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	10 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	10.4 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	20 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.

Overview of RG1 1EG