Merton Road North, Reading, RG2 8BA

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around RG2 8BA is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 48.7%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	55.8%	51.3%	-4.5%	51.0%	0.3%
Male	44.2%	48.7%	4.5%	49.0%	-0.3%

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 RG2 8BA, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 44.5% 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	38.6%	44.5%	5.9%	37.9%	6.6%
Married: Opposite sex	44.4%	39.6%	-4.8%	44.2%	-4.6%
Civil partnership: Opposite sex	0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.1%	0.7%
Separated	4.8%	2%	-2.8%	2.2%	-0.2%
Divorced	7.2%	10.6%	3.4%	9.1%	1.5%
Widowed	4.8%	2.4%	-2.4%	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	47.9%	43.3%	-4.6%	48.4%	-5.1%
Good health	34.7%	36.4%	1.7%	33.6%	2.8%
Fair health	12.3%	12.9%	0.6%	12.7%	0.2%
Bad health	3.5%	6%	2.5%	4.0%	2.0%
Very bad health	1.6%	1.4%	-0.2%	1.2%	0.2%

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 RG2 8BA this area, 34.9% 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 17.7%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	41.5%	34.9%	-6.6%	18.2%	16.7%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	19.3%	16.1%	-3.2%	9.6%	6.5%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	15.5%	17.7%	2.2%	13.4%	4.3%
Apprenticeship	2.4%	2.8%	0.4%	5.3%	-2.5%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	4.8%	8%	3.2%	16.9%	-8.9%
Degree or Similar	10.1%	17.7%	7.6%	33.8%	-16.1%
Other	6.3%	2.8%	-3.5%	2.8%	0.0%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is more ethnically diverse compared to the UK average. While 62.4% 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)
Chinese	0%	2%	2.0%	0.7%	1.3%
Indian	0.3%	4%	3.7%	3.1%	0.9%
Pakistani	4.4%	5.2%	0.8%	2.7%	2.5%
Other Asian	1.6%	6.9%	5.3%	1.6%	5.3%
Black African	6%	4.9%	-1.1%	2.5%	2.4%
Black Caribbean	0.6%	0.9%	0.3%	1.0%	-0.1%
Other Black	0.9%	1.4%	0.5%	0.5%	0.9%
Mixed White and Asian	1.3%	0.9%	-0.4%	0.8%	0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	8.8%	10.7%	1.9%	0.9%	9.8%
Mixed Other	1.3%	0.6%	-0.7%	0.8%	-0.2%
White	74.4%	62.4%	-12.0%	81.4%	-19.0%
Other	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.6%	-1.6%

Country of Birth

In this area, 81% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	90.9%	81%	-9.9%	83.2%	-2.2%
European Union	1.3%	4%	2.7%	6.1%	-2.1%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Africa	3.5%	4%	0.5%	2.7%	1.3%
Middle East and Asia	3.8%	10.3%	6.5%	5.6%	4.7%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0%	0.6%	0.6%	1.3%	-0.7%
Oceania	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	90.2%	80.8%	-9.4%	83.2%	-2.4%
10+ Years	0.6%	8.6%	8.0%	9.8%	-1.2%
5-10 Years	0.9%	6%	5.1%	2.9%	3.1%
2-5 Years	4.1%	3.2%	-0.9%	2.2%	1.0%
Less than 2 years	4.1%	1.4%	-2.7%	1.9%	-0.5%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	63.8%	76.7%	-12.9%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Italy	1.4%	0.6%	0.8%
Spain	0.9%	0.4%	0.5%
Poland	0.3%	1.3%	-1.0%
Other EU countries	0.9%	1.5%	-0.6%
Central and Western Africa	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
South and Eastern Africa	1.4%	0.2%	1.2%
Eastern Asia	1.4%	0.3%	1.1%
Southern Asia	3.8%	1.2%	2.6%
No passport held	25.5%	13.5%	12.0%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	47.7%	37.2%	10.5%
Christian	28.4%	46.2%	-17.8%
Buddhist	2.3%	0.5%	1.8%
Hindu	5.5%	1.7%	3.8%
Muslim	9.8%	6.5%	3.3%
Sikh	0.6%	0.9%	-0.3%
Not answered	5.7%	6.0%	-0.3%

Safety

Is Merton Road North dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merton Road North was 55.7 per 1,000 residents, which is 47.1% lower than the Church average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Merton Road North has the 28th lowest crime rate of 77 local areas in Church and the 214th lowest crime rate of 488 local areas in Reading .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 38.1 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -54.3%.

🔎 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 8BA, 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 Merton Road North are based on 24 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 Merton Road North, Reading, RG2 8BA

Estimated Average Property Prices for RG2 8BA

Average Price
£297,093

Semi-Detached
£292,581

Terraced
£288,526

Detached
£345,357

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merton Road North

Average Price
£286,520

Semi-Detached
£285,788

Terraced
£278,528

Detached
£339,643

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merton Road North

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
16 Merton Road North, Reading, Reading Detached, an established residential building	£350,000	2022-10-05	£339,643
20 Merton Road North, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£280,000	2016-07-08	£325,279
13 Merton Road North, Reading, Reading Terraced, an established residential building	£188,000	2014-06-06	£281,567
20 Merton Road North, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£155,000	2011-10-07	£284,118
10 Merton Road North, Reading, Reading Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£168,500	2011-06-28	£314,770

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for RG2 8BA

Employment

RG2 8BA area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 3% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	85
Part-Time Employee	28
Retired	27
Looking after home or family	25
Long-Term Sick or disabled	20
Self-Employed	19
Student (economically inactive)	14
Other	13
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	8
Unemployed	8

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	23
Construction	10
Education	10
Human health and social work activities	9
Accommodation and food service activities	9
Transport and storage	8
Manufacturing	7
Information and communication	6
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	6
Administrative and support service activities	5
Other	3
Professional, scientific and technical activities	3
Real estate activities	2
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	2

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	797 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
New Bridge Nursery School Montague Street , Caversham RG4 5AU	4out of 4	4,649 yd	Local authority nursery school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Caversham Nursery School 114 Amersham Road , Caversham RG4 5NA	4out of 4	4,753 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 Primary and Nursery School Brixham Road , RG2 7RB	2out of 4	328 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Christ The King Catholic Primary School Lulworth Road , RG2 8LX	2out of 4	883 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Geoffrey Field Junior School Exbourne Road , RG2 8RH	3out of 4	963 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Geoffrey Field Infant School Exbourne Road , Whitley Wood RG2 8RH	4out of 4	963 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
The Ridgeway Primary School Hillbrow , RG2 8JD	3out of 4	1,311 yd	Community school	Yes	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	2out of 4	594 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Reading Girls' School Northumberland Avenue , RG2 7PY	1out of 4	1,107 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Girls	More About School
Reading School Erleigh Road , RG1 5LW	4out of 4	2,694 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
Kendrick School London Road , RG1 5BN	4out of 4	2,824 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School
Oakbank Hyde End Lane , Ryeish Green RG7 1ER	3out of 4	3,020 yd	Free schools	No	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	1,067 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
The Avenue Special School The Avenue Centre, Conwy Close , Tilehurst RG30 4BZ	4out of 4	1,577 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Crosfields School Shinfield Road , RG2 9BL	- not rated	1,649 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Leighton Park School Shinfield Road , RG2 7ED	- not rated	1,676 yd	Other independent school	No	Mixed	More About School
Trinity Christian School 11 Glebe Road , RG2 7AG	- not rated	1,924 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	412 yd
The Hexagon	Queens Walk	557 yd
Gymfinity Kids Reading	Gillette Way	672 yd
Turkish Mangal	228 Northumberland Avenue	727 yd
Fidget & Bob	Whale Avenue	752 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
World Turned Upside Down	387 Basingstoke Road	216 yd
BJ's Luxury Bingo Club	Gillette Way	672 yd
The Victoria Cross	350 Basingstoke Road	832 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Sakthi trading	439 Basingstoke Road	177 yd
New City Fish Bar	52 Buckland Road	718 yd
Crispy Fish	232 Northumberland Avenue	727 yd
Eastern Vegan	242 Northumberland Avenue	727 yd
The Golden Dragon	230 Northumberland Avenue	727 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Aldi	350 Basingstoke Road	671 yd
Lidl	565-575 Basingstoke Road	747 yd
WM Morrisons Supermarkets Ltd	Basingstoke Road	832 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
John Madejski Academy HARTLAND ROAD	artificial grass pitch, tennis courts	486 yd
Whitley Wood Recreation Ground WHITLEY WOOD RECREATION GROUND PAVILION WHITLEY WOOD RECREATION GROUND PAVILION BASINGSTOKE ROAD	grass pitches	538 yd
South Reading Leisure Centre NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE	artificial grass pitch, grass pitches, health and fitness suite, swimming pool	560 yd
Pure Gym (Basingstoke Road, Reading) BASINGSTOKE ROAD	health and fitness suite	678 yd
Christ The King Catholic Primary School CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC PRIMARY SCHOOL LULWORTH ROAD	grass pitches	760 yd
Spirit Health Club (Reading South) BASINGSTOKE ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	801 yd
Livingwell Health Club (Reading) DRAKE WAY	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	874 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	79.5 Mbit/s
Average download speed	135.8 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	18.8 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	16.1 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

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