Official statistics · 12 of 13 measures compare directly
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf 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.
Merthyr Tydfil
W06000024 · South Wales Police
Rhondda Cynon Taf
W06000016 · South Wales Police
Getting better or worse
+4
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
4 more in Merthyr Tydfil
0
Civometry calculation on Home Office, ONS, HM Land Registry and MHCLG figures
Population
58,362
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
182,653 more in Rhondda Cynon Taf
241,015
ONS: Population estimates for the UK and constituent countries: historical time series
Median annual pay, full-time employees
£35,152
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
£315 more in Merthyr Tydfil
£34,837
ONS: ASHE Table 8.7a: annual gross pay by place of residence
Average house price
£146,611
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
£20,948 more in Rhondda Cynon Taf
£167,559
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
All private rents
£755
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
£2 more in Merthyr Tydfil
£753
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
All claimants
3.4%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
0.2 percentage points higher in Merthyr Tydfil
3.2%
ONS: Claimant count by sex and age (Nomis)
Net international migration
−72
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
409 more in Rhondda Cynon Taf
+337
ONS: Components of population change by local authority (ONS mid-year estimates, sheet MYE3)
Recorded crime
108.3
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
23.4 more in Merthyr Tydfil
84.9
Home Office: data.police.uk street-level crime, cumulative monthly archive
House price to pay ratio
4.2 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
0.6 years more in Rhondda Cynon Taf
4.8 years
HM Land Registry: UK House Price Index: average prices
Annual rent as a share of pay
25.8%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
0.1 percentage points higher in Rhondda Cynon Taf
25.9%
ONS: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics
Band D council tax as a share of pay
No published figure
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
No published figure for Merthyr Tydfil.
No published figure
MHCLG: Council tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027
Mean domestic gas use per meter
11,801
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
774 more in Merthyr Tydfil
11,027
DESNZ: Regional and local authority gas consumption statistics
Mean domestic electricity use per meter
2,778
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
4 more in Rhondda Cynon Taf
2,782
DESNZ: Regional and local authority electricity consumption statistics
In one sentence
In the latest published figures, population was 58,362 in Merthyr Tydfil and 241,015 in Rhondda Cynon Taf (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £35,152 in Merthyr Tydfil and £34,837 in Rhondda Cynon Taf (2025); and average house price was £146,611 in Merthyr Tydfil and £167,559 in Rhondda Cynon Taf (June 2026). (Civometry, from official statistics; each figure is the publisher's own.)
In the latest published figures, population was 58,362 in Merthyr Tydfil and 241,015 in Rhondda Cynon Taf (mid-2025); median annual pay, full-time employees was £35,152 in Merthyr Tydfil and £34,837 in Rhondda Cynon Taf (2025); and average house price was £146,611 in Merthyr Tydfil and £167,559 in Rhondda Cynon Taf (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 | Merthyr Tydfil per 1,000 | offences | Rhondda Cynon Taf per 1,000 | offences | E&W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime | 108.3 | 6,322 | 84.9 | 20,468 | 97.4 |
| Bicycle theft | 0.1 | 7 | 0.1 | 29 | 0.8 |
| Burglary | 2.8 | 165 | 2.0 | 475 | 3.6 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.6 | 561 | 6.5 | 1,557 | 6.9 |
| Drugs | 3.2 | 186 | 2.2 | 534 | 3.4 |
| Other crime | 3.1 | 181 | 2.5 | 595 | 2.2 |
| Other theft | 5.5 | 322 | 3.9 | 933 | 6.5 |
| Possession of weapons | 0.8 | 49 | 0.7 | 179 | 1.0 |
| Public disorder and weapons | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Public order | 10.9 | 636 | 10.2 | 2,466 | 6.8 |
| Robbery | 0.7 | 43 | 0.4 | 99 | 1.4 |
| Shoplifting | 10.3 | 603 | 4.5 | 1,091 | 8.3 |
| Theft from the person | 0.5 | 29 | 0.4 | 87 | 1.7 |
| Vehicle crime | 5.0 | 294 | 3.1 | 756 | 5.0 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 41.1 | 2,401 | 38.2 | 9,215 | 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 (58,362 and 241,015 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.