Raynes Park and West Barnes Residents' Association
Serving the community since 1928
A copy of "The Guide" from June 1934 states that the estimated population of Merton and Morden on 31 March 1934 was 57,270. A quick check on the results of the 2001 Census shows that the resident population of Merton 67 years later was 187,908. Having found this, why not delve a bit deeper and record the really interesting detail about Raynes Park in the 21st Century?
In 2001, the Raynes Park ward had a resident population of 9,395 of which 47% were male and 53% female. It had more people in the age bands 20-29 and 30-59 than the national average (59.9% in total v. 54.1%) but fewer under 16s or 16-19 (20.6% v. 25.1%). Raynes Park residents are also 25% more likely to be single than the national average!
Raynes Park is more multi-cultural than the national average, with a 14.9% "non-white" population, compared to 9.1% nationally. Amongst Raynes Park residents of working age (16-74), more were working (67.4% v. 60.6%) and fewer were unemployed (2.6% v. 3.4%) than the national averages and a lower population of retired people than the national average.
Raynes Park residents are also a clever bunch. Only 13.6% of residents had no qualifications, compared to a national average of 29.1% and 47.2% were qualified to degree level or higher compared to the national average of 19.8%!
Information on the make up of households is also interesting. We have more one-person households and fewer households containing dependent children than the national average. There are still 8.5% of households (1 in 12) with no central heating and, amazing as it may seem whenever you try to cross the road, 29.2% of Raynes Park households have no car or van.
As for crime, although the figures are calculated for the whole of Merton, we don't seem to fare too badly. In five out of the six recorded categories (robbery, sexual offences, burglary, motor theft, theft from vehicles) Merton's crime rates are lower than the national average, with only violence offences scoring higher.
Finally, we should just mention house types and house prices. I suppose anybody reading this in another 75 years will think these prices piffling, but in 2001 the average prices of each house type in Merton, compared to the national average, were:
| Merton | National | |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £843,978 | £178,806 |
| Semi-detached | £280,903 | £101,733 |
| Terraced | £193,804 | £89,499 |
| Flat | £143,725 | £120,185 |
| Overall | £204,522 | £119,436 |
Given that we can't all be millionaires it is lucky that only 5.9% of the housing stock in Merton is detached!
More information is available from the 2001 Census, or from Merton Council's Census and Population Figures page.
Martin Eales