Clements Gap vs Merriton

Clements Gap is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 45 in Merriton. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Merriton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 30/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Clements Gap

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (14% vs 27%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

Merriton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (125 min vs 134 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (190.7 km vs 203.2 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Merriton

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 30/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 20%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Merriton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (12.2% vs 3.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Clements Gap and Merriton drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Clements Gap Merriton
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Clements Gap Merriton
Walkability 0 / 0
Clements Gap — Walkability: 0/100 Merriton — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 70 / 89
Clements Gap — Safety: 70/100 Merriton — Safety: 89/100
Low fire risk 100 / 83
Clements Gap — Low fire risk: 100/100 Merriton — Low fire risk: 83/100

Demographics

Merriton has higher household incomes ($86,632 vs $71,500); Merriton skews older (45 vs 38).

Clements Gap Merriton
Population 54 55
+2% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.8% +12.2%
Median age 38 45
Median household income $71,500/yr $86,632/yr
+21% vs other
Median weekly rent —
same for both

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Clements Gap Merriton
0-4 9.3% / 9.1%
Clements Gap — 0-4: 9.3% Merriton — 0-4: 9.1%
5-14 14.8% / 12.7%
Clements Gap — 5-14: 14.8% Merriton — 5-14: 12.7%
15-19 7.4% / 9.1%
Clements Gap — 15-19: 7.4% Merriton — 15-19: 9.1%
20-24 7.4% / —
Clements Gap — 20-24: 7.4% Merriton — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 14.8% / 5.5%
Clements Gap — 25-34: 14.8% Merriton — 25-34: 5.5%
35-44 5.6% / 18.2%
Clements Gap — 35-44: 5.6% Merriton — 35-44: 18.2%
45-54 — / 18.2%
Clements Gap — 45-54: not among its largest Merriton — 45-54: 18.2%
55-64 16.7% / 7.3%
Clements Gap — 55-64: 16.7% Merriton — 55-64: 7.3%
65-74 7.4% / 21.8%
Clements Gap — 65-74: 7.4% Merriton — 65-74: 21.8%
75-84 13.0% / 5.5%
Clements Gap — 75-84: 13.0% Merriton — 75-84: 5.5%
85+ — / —
Clements Gap — 85+: not among its largest Merriton — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Clements Gap 72.7% couple families
Clements Gap — Couple Families: 72.7% Clements Gap — Lone Person: 27.3%
Merriton 76.9% couple families
Merriton — Couple Families: 76.9% Merriton — Lone Person: 23.1%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Clements Gap 0.0% renting
Clements Gap — Owned Outright: 53.8% Clements Gap — Mortgage: 46.2% Clements Gap — Renting: 0.0%
Merriton 0.0% renting
Merriton — Owned Outright: 73.7% Merriton — Mortgage: 26.3% Merriton — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Clements Gap 100.0% houses
Clements Gap — Houses: 100.0%
Merriton 100.0% houses
Merriton — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Clements Gap Merriton
Certificate III & IV 22.2% / 12.7%
Clements Gap — Certificate III & IV: 22.2% Merriton — Certificate III & IV: 12.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 13.0% / 10.9%
Clements Gap — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 13.0% Merriton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.9%
Bachelor Degree — / 10.9%
Clements Gap — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest Merriton — Bachelor Degree: 10.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 5.5%
Clements Gap — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Merriton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.2%).

Zoning mix

Clements Gap Merriton
Rural and farming 92% 100%
Environmental 8% 0%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Clements Gap Merriton
New dwellings approved 29
across Barunga West
 53
across Port Pirie
Approvals change year on year +233% +75%

Ranking within SA

Clements Gap Merriton
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 41% of SA Higher than 64% of SA
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 2% of SA Higher than 7% of SA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 41% of SA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 41% of SA
same for both

Liveability

Clements Gap Merriton
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Merriton carries more bushfire risk (17 vs 0); Clements Gap carries more crime risk (30 vs 11).

Clements Gap Merriton
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
17/100
Crime Low
30/100
 Low
11/100
Flood —
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Clements Gap Merriton
Inside the suburb 0
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Amenities in the suburb

Clements Gap Merriton
Parks & reserves 1 0
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Clements Gap sits further from the CBD (203.2 km vs 190.7 km).

Clements Gap Merriton
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Adelaide 203.2 km
+6% vs other
 190.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 134 min 125 min
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 5523
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 62
postcode 5523
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Clements Gap Merriton
Car (driver) 45.8% / 50.0%
Clements Gap — Car (driver): 45.8% Merriton — Car (driver): 50.0%
Worked from Home 54.2% / 37.5%
Clements Gap — Worked from Home: 54.2% Merriton — Worked from Home: 37.5%
Walked Only — / 12.5%
Clements Gap — Walked Only: not among its largest Merriton — Walked Only: 12.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (54.2%).

Setting

Clements Gap Merriton
Elevation 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 64 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.6 km 20.0 km

NBN connectivity

Clements Gap Merriton
Connectivity score 28/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
25 premises
 0%
24 premises

Climate

Clements Gap Merriton
Annual rainfall 472 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Clements Gap Merriton
Average residential rate $1,540/yr $1,855/yr
Council Barunga West Port Pirie

Federal electorate

Clements Gap Merriton
Division Grey
same for both
Member Tom Venning
same for both
Party Liberal
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Clements Gap Merriton
Grant amount $15,000
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Clements Gap

Family Rural Young Families

Merriton

Retirees Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Clements Gap

Clements Gap vs Redhill Clements Gap vs Fisherman Bay Clements Gap vs Mundoora Clements Gap vs Wandearah East

Other comparisons with Merriton

Merriton vs Crystal Brook Merriton vs Redhill Merriton vs Wandearah East
Full data on Clements Gap Full data on Merriton
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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