Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,489 in Dorset, South West.
Merley grades A overall against UK towns: better than 85% of UK towns, and #2 of 30 in Dorset. Its strongest subject is safety (A+): 8.4 violent and sexual offences and 2.8 home and vehicle crimes per 1,000 residents a year, averaged Sep 2023 to Aug 2026. Its weakest is cost of living (D−): median sale £435,000, 8.4 years of area income; rent £1,398 a month.
The 3 things Merley does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compared with the 2,160 UK towns with an overall grade (schools within England), ordered by how far Merley is from typical. American towns are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Historic England lists 24 buildings inside Merley’s built-up area, 4 of them Grade I, and 1 scheduled monument.
5% of its homes were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Merley.
Homes saw 2.8 burglaries and acts of damage per 1,000 residents a year, below both Dorset’s towns (8) and England’s towns (9.4). Police recorded 88 crimes inside Merley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, plus 15 reports of anti-social behaviour. Among the 1,308 UK towns of 2,500 to 10,000 people, Merley has less crime per resident than 99% of them.
Not gradedAnti-social behaviour, shoplifting and other theft are shown but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence and crimes against homes and vehicles per resident.
data.police.uk street-level crime · points inside the ONS built-up-area boundary · OGL
Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Pupils | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merley First SchoolLargest primary schoolPrimary | Primary | 292 | – |
Merley sits above both Dorset’s towns (66%) and England’s towns (61%) on this measure. 9% of households rent privately.
| By type | Median | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | £480,500 | 148 |
| Semi-detached | £400,000 | 43 |
| Terraced | £362,500 | 19 |
| Flat or maisonette | £245,000 | 18 |
HM Land Registry Price Paid · ONS private rents · MHCLG / Welsh Government council tax · ONS Census 2021 tenure · OGL
That puts Merley below both Dorset’s towns (5.3%) and England’s towns (5.2%). Merley has no GP practice of its own; the nearest is 1.3 miles away. These answers aren’t adjusted for age, so young towns look healthier; the Health Grade uses age-adjusted measures, including life expectancy and early deaths.
| Census 2021 | Merley | Dorset | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Good or very good health | 85% | 81% | 82% |
| Bad or very bad health | 3.5% | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Disabled (Equality Act) | 15% | 19% | 17% |
ONS Census 2021, general health and disability · OHID Fingertips, life expectancy 2019–23 · OGL
The heritage lists give each building’s grade but not its age, so we don’t say which is oldest.
Merley has 24 listed buildings inside its built-up area on Historic England’s list: 4 Grade I, 0 Grade II*. 5% of its homes were built before 1919.
Historic England list, October 2026 · Valuation Office Agency, homes by build period · OGL
The Census was taken on 21 March 2021, in lockdown, so 33% of workers were mainly at home; shares here are of those who travelled.
On this, Merley is below both Dorset’s towns (21%) and England’s towns (27%). 84% of commuters drove to work at the census.
ONS Census 2021, method of travel and distance to work · ONS small-area income · DWP claimant count · OGL
In the comparison, Merley comes above both Dorset’s towns (25%) and England’s towns (18%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 14% of residents. Half the people of Merley are older than 48.7.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Across England, 51% of residents are women.
| Merley | Dorset | England | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 15% | 18% |
| 15–24 | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 23% | 27% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 25% |
| 65+ | 30% | 25% | 18% |
| No qualifications | 12% | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship | 6.7% | 6.4% | 5.3% |
| A levels or similar | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Degree level | 36% | 31% | 34% |
ONS Census 2021 · Dorset and England: all residents of their built-up areas · OGL
Museums, castles, gardens and days out in and near Merley. Best known first.
Historic house · National TrustKingston Lacy Estate4.5 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumMuseum of East Dorset1.5 km outside town, to the northwest
Water parkSplashdown Water Park3.1 km outside town, to the southAttractionAttractionWalford Mill Crafts2.1 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionHoneyBrook Farm4.2 km outside town, to the northPhotos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
The nearest built-up areas, from ONS’s 2022 boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merley | 5,489 | — | A | D− | A+ | A |
| Wimborne Minster | 16,629 | 1.5 | C+ | D− | B− | A− |
| Bearwood | 4,134 | 1.9 | C | D | C+ | C |
| Corfe Mullen | 10,036 | 2.5 | A− | D− | A | A |
| Poole | 141,009 | 3.4 | C+ | D | C | C+ |
| Ferndown | 13,267 | 3.5 | B− | D− | A− | B+ |
| West Parley | 3,665 | 3.6 | A | D− | A | A |
| Upton | 8,401 | 4.2 | B− | D | B | C+ |
People: Census 2021. Miles: centre to centre.
Police recorded 88 crimes inside Merley’s built-up area in the 12 months to August 2026, 59% of them violence and sexual offences, a police category that includes harassment and stalking.
Homes cost more than in most UK towns: the median sale over three years was £435,000, against £277,000 in the typical UK town. By type: flats £245,000, terraced houses £362,500, semi-detached houses £400,000 and detached houses £480,500.
Secondary schools stand out: GCSE results beat 82% of towns in England. Primary results are closer to the middle, trailing 60%. One state school is inside the town; places are handled by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council.
Town in Dorset, England
Merley is a built-up area of 5,489 people, in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area. TownRatings uses ONS’s 2022 built-up areas as towns: the physical town, as people mean the word, rather than a council district, so its figures cover the town itself.
Built from ONS geography and Census 2021
Sources: ONS Census 2021, output areas summed to the ONS 2022 built-up area · HM Land Registry Price Paid (standard sales, September 2023 to August 2026) · ONS Price Index of Private Rents (August 2026, by council) · MHCLG and Welsh Government council tax, Band D 2026–27 (with parish precepts in England) · data.police.uk street-level crime, 36 months to August 2026, points inside the built-up-area boundary · ONS small-area life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, 2019 to 2023 (England and Wales), OHID Fingertips small-area indicators (England) and Census 2021 health, adjusted for age · ONS small-area income estimates (financial year ending 2023) · DWP claimant count via Nomis (January to August 2026) · Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.