Merton vs Woodfield
Woodfield is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 53 in Merton. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Woodfield, most households are people living alone. On these figures, Woodfield tends to suit people living alone.
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
- Merton is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 27%)
- Woodfield carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Woodfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 32%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Merton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $276/wk)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Merton
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (130 min vs 149 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (151.2 km vs 166.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Merton
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (29% vs 23%)
- But Woodfield carries lower crime risk (11/100 vs 88/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Woodfield
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (72.2% vs 13.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Merton and Woodfield drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
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.
Demographics
Merton has more residents (216 vs 62); Woodfield rents higher ($276/wk vs $200/wk).
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 216 +71% vs other | 62 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +13.7% | +72.2% |
| Median age | 53 | 47 |
| Median household income | $56,732/yr | $71,500/yr +26% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $200/wk | $276/wk +38% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (29.0%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 97% | 95% |
| Parks and recreation | 1% | 4% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 1% same for both | |
| 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
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 76 across Mansfield same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -50% same for both | |
Ranking within VIC
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 15% of VIC | Higher than 35% of VIC |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 81% of VIC | Higher than 25% of VIC |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 58% of VIC same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 13% of VIC | Higher than 17% of VIC |
Liveability
Merton is more walkable (23 vs 0).
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Merton carries more crime risk (88 vs 11); Merton carries more bushfire risk (65 vs 14).
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 65/100 | Low 14/100 |
| Crime | High 88/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Flood | Low 32/100 | Low 30/100 |
| 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
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 1 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 3 | 5 |
Mobility
Woodfield sits further from the CBD (166.2 km vs 151.2 km).
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 23/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Melbourne | 151.2 km | 166.2 km +10% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 130 min | 149 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 3715 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 35 postcode 3715 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (100.0%).
Setting
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 343 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 473 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 16/100 | 20/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 63 premises | 0% 33 premises |
Climate
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 865 mm | 648 mm |
| Summer max (Jan) | 27.2°C | — |
| Winter min (Jul) | 2.0°C | — |
Council rates
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,697/yr same for both | |
| Council | Mansfield same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Indi same for both | |
| Member | Helen Haines same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Merton | Woodfield | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $750,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Merton
Other comparisons with Woodfield
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.