Merriwa vs Ridgewood

Ridgewood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 40 in Merriwa. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ridgewood, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Merriwa tends to suit people living alone and older residents, while Ridgewood suits couples.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Merriwa has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • Ridgewood has more separate houses rather than flats (96% vs 76%)

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

First-home buyers

Ridgewood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($840,000 vs $1,511,095)

Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Merriwa

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (81/100 vs 55/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Merriwa

ahead on 4 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (24% vs 4%)
  • has more GPs (2 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 16%)

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

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Merriwa Ridgewood
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.

Merriwa Ridgewood
Walkability 81 / 55
Merriwa — Walkability: 81/100 Ridgewood — Walkability: 55/100
Safety 43 / 40
Merriwa — Safety: 43/100 Ridgewood — Safety: 40/100
Low fire risk 12 / 11
Merriwa — Low fire risk: 12/100 Ridgewood — Low fire risk: 11/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Merriwa — Low flood risk: 100/100 Ridgewood — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Ridgewood has higher household incomes ($80,808 vs $65,260); Merriwa skews older (40 vs 36).

Merriwa Ridgewood
Population 5,587
+17% vs other
 4,623
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.8% -1.1%
Median age 40 36
Median household income $65,260/yr $80,808/yr
+24% vs other
Median weekly rent $330/wk $350/wk
+6% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Merriwa Ridgewood
0-4 5.7% / 5.9%
Merriwa — 0-4: 5.7% Ridgewood — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 13.8% / 14.8%
Merriwa — 5-14: 13.8% Ridgewood — 5-14: 14.8%
15-19 6.1% / 7.5%
Merriwa — 15-19: 6.1% Ridgewood — 15-19: 7.5%
20-24 5.8% / 6.4%
Merriwa — 20-24: 5.8% Ridgewood — 20-24: 6.4%
25-34 11.7% / 13.6%
Merriwa — 25-34: 11.7% Ridgewood — 25-34: 13.6%
35-44 12.3% / 13.5%
Merriwa — 35-44: 12.3% Ridgewood — 35-44: 13.5%
45-54 11.4% / 13.1%
Merriwa — 45-54: 11.4% Ridgewood — 45-54: 13.1%
55-64 8.4% / 9.1%
Merriwa — 55-64: 8.4% Ridgewood — 55-64: 9.1%
65-74 8.1% / 7.0%
Merriwa — 65-74: 8.1% Ridgewood — 65-74: 7.0%
75-84 9.3% / 7.4%
Merriwa — 75-84: 9.3% Ridgewood — 75-84: 7.4%
85+ 7.2% / 1.5%
Merriwa — 85+: 7.2% Ridgewood — 85+: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Merriwa 33.5% couple families
Merriwa — Couple Families: 33.5% Merriwa — Lone Person: 38.1% Merriwa — One Parent Families: 23.0% Merriwa — Group Household: 3.2% Merriwa — Other Families: 2.1%
Ridgewood 47.5% couple families
Ridgewood — Couple Families: 47.5% Ridgewood — Lone Person: 28.8% Ridgewood — One Parent Families: 20.2% Ridgewood — Group Household: 1.8% Ridgewood — Other Families: 1.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Merriwa 29.5% renting
Merriwa — Owned Outright: 19.2% Merriwa — Mortgage: 51.3% Merriwa — Renting: 29.5%
Ridgewood 28.7% renting
Ridgewood — Owned Outright: 15.6% Ridgewood — Mortgage: 55.7% Ridgewood — Renting: 28.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Merriwa Ridgewood
England 12.1% / 15.0%
Merriwa — England: 12.1% Ridgewood — England: 15.0%
New Zealand 4.4% / 4.6%
Merriwa — New Zealand: 4.4% Ridgewood — New Zealand: 4.6%
South Africa 2.5% / 2.7%
Merriwa — South Africa: 2.5% Ridgewood — South Africa: 2.7%
Scotland 1.1% / 1.5%
Merriwa — Scotland: 1.1% Ridgewood — Scotland: 1.5%
Philippines 1.3% / 0.9%
Merriwa — Philippines: 1.3% Ridgewood — Philippines: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.0%).

Qualifications

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

Merriwa Ridgewood
Certificate III & IV 17.2% / 16.7%
Merriwa — Certificate III & IV: 17.2% Ridgewood — Certificate III & IV: 16.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.8% / 8.3%
Merriwa — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8% Ridgewood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.3%
Bachelor Degree 4.9% / 7.0%
Merriwa — Bachelor Degree: 4.9% Ridgewood — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 0.9% / 1.4%
Merriwa — Postgraduate Degree: 0.9% Ridgewood — Postgraduate Degree: 1.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.9% / 1.4%
Merriwa — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9% Ridgewood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Merriwa 75.5% houses
Merriwa — Houses: 75.5% Merriwa — Townhouses: 23.6% Merriwa — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Ridgewood 95.9% houses
Ridgewood — Houses: 95.9% Ridgewood — Townhouses: 4.2% Ridgewood — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Merriwa Ridgewood
Median house price $770,000 $825,500
Median unit price $425,250 —
Median land price $1,511,095 $840,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 19 days
from 33 sales
 27 days
from 25 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Merriwa Ridgewood
3 bed $730K / $710K
Merriwa — 3 bed: $730K (35 sales) Ridgewood — 3 bed: $710K (22 sales)

35 vs 22 sales

4 bed $775K / $880K
Merriwa — 4 bed: $775K (75 sales) Ridgewood — 4 bed: $880K (41 sales)

75 vs 41 sales

Development activity

Merriwa Ridgewood
New dwellings approved 4,125
across Wanneroo
same for both
Approvals change year on year +17%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Merriwa Ridgewood
Houses 4.4%
$700/wk on $824K
 4.6%
$745/wk on $844K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within WA

Merriwa Ridgewood
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 23% of WA Higher than 43% of WA
Schools Higher than 25% of WA —
Walkability Higher than 95% of WA Higher than 84% of WA
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 74% of WA
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 78% of WA Higher than 83% of WA
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 52% of WA Higher than 66% of WA

Liveability

Merriwa is more walkable (81 vs 55).

Merriwa Ridgewood
Grade C
same for both
Score 31/100 35/100
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Merriwa Ridgewood
Bushfire High
88/100
 High
89/100
Crime Moderate
57/100
 Moderate
60/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 4
within 5 km
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Merriwa Ridgewood
Inside the suburb 4 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 1
ECU Joondalup Campus, 9.8 km
 1
ECU Joondalup Campus, 9.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.0% 1.5%

Schools in Merriwa

  • Alkimos Baptist College Independent · Combined below peers
  • Merriwa Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • Alta-1 College - Merriwa Campus Independent · Secondary · Special school
  • Merriwa Education Support Centre Government · Primary · Special school

Schools in Ridgewood

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Merriwa Ridgewood
Supermarkets 1 0
Parks & reserves 6 8
Childcare 4 1
GPs 2 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0

Mobility

Merriwa Ridgewood
Walkability score 81/100 55/100
Distance to Perth 38.1 km 38 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 32 min 31 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 86.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 64.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 6030
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 6030
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.

Merriwa Ridgewood
Car (driver) 77.0% / 77.0%
Merriwa — Car (driver): 77.0% Ridgewood — Car (driver): 77.0%
Train 6.2% / 7.0%
Merriwa — Train: 6.2% Ridgewood — Train: 7.0%
Worked from Home 6.1% / 7.0%
Merriwa — Worked from Home: 6.1% Ridgewood — Worked from Home: 7.0%
Car (passenger) 6.6% / 6.4%
Merriwa — Car (passenger): 6.6% Ridgewood — Car (passenger): 6.4%
Bus 2.2% / 2.1%
Merriwa — Bus: 2.2% Ridgewood — Bus: 2.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.0%).

Setting

Merriwa Ridgewood
Elevation 21 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 48 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 2.2 km
3.7 km to a named beach
 3.1 km
4.4 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Merriwa Ridgewood
Connectivity score 65/100 71/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 37%
2,368 premises
 42%
1,627 premises

Climate

Merriwa Ridgewood
Annual rainfall 592 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 33.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 8.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Merriwa Ridgewood
Average residential rate $2,060/yr
same for both
Council Wanneroo
same for both

Federal electorate

Merriwa Ridgewood
Division Pearce
same for both
Member Tracey Roberts
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Merriwa Ridgewood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $800,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Merriwa

Coastal Outer Parks Townhouses

Ridgewood

Outer Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Merriwa

Merriwa vs Clarkson Merriwa vs Butler Merriwa vs Quinns Rocks Merriwa vs Mindarie

Other comparisons with Ridgewood

Ridgewood vs Clarkson Ridgewood vs Butler Ridgewood vs Nowergup Ridgewood vs Neerabup
Full data on Merriwa Full data on Ridgewood
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or