Official statistics · 21 of 21 measures compare directly
Islington and Merton compared
Every measure Civometry publishes for both areas, side by side. Each figure is its publisher’s own for the period named beside it, and the difference between the two is stated in the middle. Neither area is called better: which direction counts as better depends on what you are asking, and the page does not decide that for you. Where the two figures are not comparable — a different period, or nothing published for one side — the row says so instead of showing a difference.
Islington
E09000019 · Metropolitan Police Service
Merton
E09000024 · Metropolitan Police Service
Getting better or worse
+1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
2 more in Islington
−1
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
224,551
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
5,660 more in Islington
218,891
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£50,692
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£152 more in Merton
£50,844
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£673,384
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£60,703 more in Islington
£612,681
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£2,854
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£701 more in Islington
£2,153
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
5.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.9 percentage points higher in Islington
4.5%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
+783
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
57 more in Islington
+726
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Band D council tax
£2,108
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
£39 more in Merton
£2,147
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Outstanding borrowing
£444m
MHCLG: Local authorities borrowing and investments: UK live table
£406m more in Islington
£38m
MHCLG: Local authorities borrowing and investments: UK live table
Supported asylum seekers
66
Home Office: Immigration system statistics: asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority (Asy_D11)
143 more in Merton
209
Home Office: Immigration system statistics: asylum seekers in receipt of support by local authority (Asy_D11)
Borrowing per resident
£1,975
MHCLG: Local authorities borrowing and investments: UK live table
£1,801 more in Islington
£174
MHCLG: Local authorities borrowing and investments: UK live table
IMD average score
26.7
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
12.3 more in Islington
14.4
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Income deprivation
0.30
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: domain summaries by district
0.10 more in Islington
0.20
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: domain summaries by district
Income-deprived residents
30.4%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
10.1 percentage points higher in Islington
20.3%
MHCLG: English Indices of Deprivation: local authority district summaries
Women's pay as a share of men's
88.1%
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence, men and women full-time
3.7 percentage points higher in Islington
84.4%
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence, men and women full-time
Recorded crime
181.1
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
105.5 more in Islington
75.6
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
13.3 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
1.2 years more in Islington
12.1 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
67.6%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
16.8 percentage points higher in Islington
50.8%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
4.16%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
0.06 percentage points higher in Merton
4.22%
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
9,299
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
3,025 more in Merton
12,324
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
2,730
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
653 more in Merton
3,383
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 224,551 in Islington and 218,891 in Merton (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £50,692 in Islington and £50,844 in Merton (2025); and average house price was £673,384 in Islington and £612,681 in Merton (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 224,551 in Islington and 218,891 in Merton (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £50,692 in Islington and £50,844 in Merton (2025); and average house price was £673,384 in Islington and £612,681 in Merton (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
Recorded crime by category
Offences per 1,000 residents in the 12 months to June 2026, from the same archive and the same window for both areas.
| Category | Islington per 1,000 | offences | Merton per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 181.1 | 40,669 | 75.6 | 16,554 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 3.6 | 800 | 1.1 | 241 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 6.9 | 1,552 | 3.2 | 701 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 5.8 | 1,300 | 3.6 | 797 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 8.7 | 1,944 | 3.0 | 655 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 1.4 | 325 | 1.0 | 217 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 16.6 | 3,735 | 5.3 | 1,154 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 1.1 | 244 | 0.5 | 104 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 10.2 | 2,291 | 4.3 | 952 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 5.7 | 1,279 | 1.5 | 335 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 17.3 | 3,890 | 5.9 | 1,300 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 16.0 | 3,599 | 1.4 | 307 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 7.9 | 1,766 | 5.8 | 1,278 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 38.9 | 8,743 | 22.6 | 4,952 | 34.7 |
| Violent crime | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Police-recorded crime counts offences reported to and recorded by the police. It is affected by whether people report crime and by changes in police recording practice, so it does not measure all crime that happens. The Crime Survey for England and Wales is the better guide to long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Police recorded crime is not designated as National Statistics.
What this comparison rests on
Two figures are only subtracted when they are the same measure over the same period. Populations differ (224,551 and 218,891 residents on the latest estimates used here), so counts are shown alongside rates rather than instead of them. Nothing on this page is weighted, indexed or scored: every difference is one published number minus another, and the rows that cannot be compared say why.