Merrivale Gardens, Reading, RG2 8AR

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding RG2 8AR, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 55.1% of residents being female. Several factors can contribute to this. Women generally live longer than men, resulting in a higher proportion of women in neighborhoods with significant elderly populations. Typically, as people grow older, they tend to relocate from city center addresses to suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural locations. Consequently, these areas often have a higher number of females. A higher female population can also be found in areas with industries that employ more women, such as healthcare, education, and retail.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	55.5%	55.1%	-0.4%	51.0%	4.1%
Male	44.5%	44.9%	0.4%	49.0%	-4.1%

Partnership Status

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

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	46.9%	39.8%	-7.1%	37.9%	1.9%
Married: Opposite sex	36.3%	45.9%	9.6%	44.2%	1.7%
Civil partnership: Same sex	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.1%	0.3%
Separated	4.4%	2%	-2.4%	2.2%	-0.2%
Divorced	9.3%	9.3%	0.0%	9.1%	0.2%
Widowed	3.1%	2.4%	-0.7%	6.1%	-3.7%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	47.1%	50.3%	3.2%	48.4%	1.9%
Good health	35.1%	33%	-2.1%	33.6%	-0.6%
Fair health	13.3%	12.9%	-0.4%	12.7%	0.2%
Bad health	1.9%	2%	0.1%	4.0%	-2.0%
Very bad health	2.6%	1.8%	-0.8%	1.2%	0.6%

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 RG2 8AR this area, 29.4% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly higher than the UK average of 18.2%. This area stands out for its low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 22.6%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	31.9%	29.4%	-2.5%	18.2%	11.2%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	20.8%	14.9%	-5.9%	9.6%	5.3%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	13.3%	9.7%	-3.6%	13.4%	-3.7%
Apprenticeship	1.8%	3.6%	1.8%	5.3%	-1.7%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	8.8%	16.1%	7.3%	16.9%	-0.8%
Degree or Similar	16.8%	22.6%	5.8%	33.8%	-11.2%
Other	6.6%	3.6%	-3.0%	2.8%	0.8%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 64.7% 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	1.6%	0%	-1.6%	1.1%	-1.1%
Chinese	0.6%	0.6%	0.0%	0.7%	-0.1%
Indian	0.3%	2.9%	2.6%	3.1%	-0.2%
Pakistani	1.6%	2.3%	0.7%	2.7%	-0.4%
Other Asian	3.9%	4.1%	0.2%	1.6%	2.5%
Black African	6.8%	13.7%	6.9%	2.5%	11.2%
Black Caribbean	1.3%	1.7%	0.4%	1.0%	0.7%
Other Black	1.3%	0%	-1.3%	0.5%	-0.5%
Mixed White and Asian	0%	1.5%	1.5%	0.8%	0.7%
Mixed White and African	1%	1.5%	0.5%	0.4%	1.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	3.9%	4.4%	0.5%	0.9%	3.5%
Mixed Other	1%	0%	-1.0%	0.8%	-0.8%
White	76.6%	64.7%	-11.9%	81.4%	-16.7%
Other	0%	2.6%	2.6%	1.6%	1.0%

Country of Birth

In this area, 72.3% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is lower than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	82.8%	72.3%	-10.5%	83.2%	-10.9%
European Union	3.6%	8.2%	4.6%	6.1%	2.1%
Rest of Europe	0%	0.6%	0.6%	0.8%	-0.2%
Africa	6.2%	9%	2.8%	2.7%	6.3%
Middle East and Asia	6.8%	7.6%	0.8%	5.6%	2.0%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0%	2.3%	2.3%	1.3%	1.0%
British Overseas	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.0%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	81.5%	72.3%	-9.2%	83.2%	-10.9%
10+ Years	1.9%	20.1%	18.2%	9.8%	10.3%
5-10 Years	6.5%	4.7%	-1.8%	2.9%	1.8%
2-5 Years	4.9%	1.2%	-3.7%	2.2%	-1.0%
Less than 2 years	5.2%	1.7%	-3.5%	1.9%	-0.2%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	64.2%	76.7%	-12.5%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Italy	1.2%	0.6%	0.6%
Portugal	0.9%	0.5%	0.4%
Spain	0.3%	0.4%	-0.1%
Poland	1.8%	1.3%	0.5%
Romania	1.8%	0.9%	0.9%
Other EU countries	2.9%	1.5%	1.4%
Other Europe	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
Central and Western Africa	1.8%	0.3%	1.5%
South and Eastern Africa	0.9%	0.2%	0.7%
Southern Asia	2.1%	1.2%	0.9%
South-East Asia	0.3%	0.2%	0.1%
No passport held	21.4%	13.5%	7.9%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	37.8%	37.2%	0.6%
Christian	40.4%	46.2%	-5.8%
Buddhist	3.5%	0.5%	3.0%
Hindu	4.4%	1.7%	2.7%
Muslim	7.6%	6.5%	1.1%
Other religion	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Not answered	6.1%	6.0%	0.1%

Safety

Is Merrivale Gardens Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merrivale Gardens was 91.5 per 1,000 residents, which is 4.5% higher than the Church average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Merrivale Gardens has the 29th highest crime rate of 76 local areas in Church and the 171st highest crime rate of 482 local areas in Reading .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 47.2 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -56.0%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 73% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£52,100

Income Rank
8/10

Household Income in RG2 8AR, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 9/10 (very high )
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 - 10/10 (very high )
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 - 9/10 (very 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 - 8/10 (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 - 9/10 (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 - 4/10 (below 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) - 9/10 (very high )
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 Merrivale Gardens are based on 16 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 Merrivale Gardens, Reading, RG2 8AR

Estimated Average Property Prices for RG2 8AR

Average Price
£303,187

Semi-Detached
£308,496

Terraced
£284,605

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merrivale Gardens

Average Price
£285,336

Semi-Detached
£286,777

Terraced
£275,254

Detached
no sales

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merrivale GardensStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
7 Merivale Gardens, Reading, Reading Terraced, an established residential building	£270,000	2021-06-17	£310,453
5 Merivale Gardens, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£278,000	2020-06-26	£340,696
9 Merrivale Gardens, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£267,000	2019-02-08	£316,243
8 Merrivale Gardens, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£272,500	2016-12-05	£328,261
4 Merrivale Gardens, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£210,000	2014-01-23	£348,473

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for RG2 8AR

Employment

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	101
Part-Time Employee	40
Retired	20
Looking after home or family	19
Long-Term Sick or disabled	14
Unemployed	13
Self-Employed	11
Student (economically inactive)	11
Other	9
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	40
Human health and social work activities	19
Accommodation and food service activities	15
Transport and storage	13
Information and communication	10
Construction	10
Other	9
Manufacturing	7
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	6
Education	5
Administrative and support service activities	4
Financial and insurance activities	2
Professional, scientific and technical activities	2
Real estate activities	1
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1

Schools

Nursery

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Blagdon Nursery School Blagdon Road , Whitley RG2 7NT	4out of 4	659 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
New Bridge Nursery School Montague Street , Caversham RG4 5AU	4out of 4	4,756 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Caversham Nursery School 114 Amersham Road , Caversham RG4 5NA	4out of 4	4,836 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Whitley Park Junior School Basingstoke Road , RG2 0JA	- not rated	378 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Whitley Park Primary and Nursery School Brixham Road , RG2 7RB	3out of 4	415 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Whitley Park Infant and Nursery School Basingstoke Road , RG2 0JA	- not rated	588 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Christ The King Catholic Primary School Lulworth Road , RG2 8LX	3out of 4	642 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Geoffrey Field Junior School Exbourne Road , RG2 8RH	3out of 4	743 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
John Madejski Academy 125 Hartland Road , RG2 8AF	- not rated	338 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Hartland High School 125 Hartland Road , RG2 8AF	1out of 4	354 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School
Thamesbridge College Northumberland Avenue , RG2 8DJ	- not rated	364 yd	Community school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Reading Girls' School Northumberland Avenue , RG2 7PY	3out of 4	1,144 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Girls	More About School
Reading Girls' School Northumberland Avenue , RG2 7PY	- not rated	1,144 yd	Foundation school	No	Girls	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Reading College and School of Arts and Design Crescent Road , RG1 5RQ	- not rated	3,159 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
OneSchool Global Reading Senior Campus 14 Arkwright Road , Reading RG2 0LU	- not rated	1,231 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Redland Education Centre 11 Arkwright Road , RG2 0LU	- not rated	1,334 yd	Miscellaneous	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Redlands Education Centre Arkwright , RG2 0LU	- not rated	1,334 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Crosfields School Shinfield Road , RG2 9BL	- not rated	1,391 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Leighton Park School Shinfield Road , RG2 7ED	- not rated	1,489 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sodexo at Gillette	452 Basingstoke Road	542 yd
The Hexagon	Queens Walk	680 yd
Turkish Mangal	228 Northumberland Avenue	750 yd
Gymfinity Kids Reading	Gillette Way	791 yd
Fidget & Bob	Whale Avenue	883 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
World Turned Upside Down	387 Basingstoke Road	341 yd
BJ's Luxury Bingo Club	Gillette Way	791 yd
The Victoria Cross	350 Basingstoke Road	937 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sakthi trading	439 Basingstoke Road	288 yd
Curry Chef	469 Northumberland Avenue	685 yd
Dragon Garden	471 Northumberland Avenue	685 yd
Deep Blue Sea + Little Bao	579 Basingstoke Road	695 yd
Crispy Fish	232 Northumberland Avenue	750 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Lidl	565-575 Basingstoke Road	695 yd
Aldi	350 Basingstoke Road	771 yd
WM Morrisons Supermarkets Ltd	Basingstoke Road	937 yd
Co-operative Food	164-168 Whitley Wood Road	1,058 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
John Madejski Academy HARTLAND ROAD	artificial grass pitch, tennis courts	355 yd
South Reading Leisure Centre NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	451 yd
Whitley Wood Recreation Ground WHITLEY WOOD RECREATION GROUND PAVILION WHITLEY WOOD RECREATION GROUND PAVILION BASINGSTOKE ROAD	grass pitches	565 yd
Christ The King Catholic Primary School CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL LULWORTH ROAD	grass pitches	638 yd
Spirit Health Club (Reading South) BASINGSTOKE ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	777 yd
Pure Gym (Basingstoke Road, Reading) BASINGSTOKE ROAD	health and fitness suite	779 yd
Livingwell Health Club (Reading) DRAKE WAY	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	1,004 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	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

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	80 Mbit/s
Average download speed	80.4 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	200 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	200 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	10 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	11.9 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	20 Mbit/s

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