Findings where this place differs most from its surroundings, with the evidence behind each one. A difference is not a verdict: it is a prompt to look closer.
Homesmedium confidence
Higher than England: Households that own their home
Households that own their home is 81.2% in Bearwood & Merley (2021), compared with 61.3% in England (19.8 percentage points higher; n = 5,786).
81.2% here61.3% England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics (Census 2021): Census 2021 housing and household summary by Output Area (tenure, accommodation type, cars, overcrowding, household size, general health) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2021
- Geography
- Ward, compared with England
- Method
- Census 2021 housing summary. Percentages by output area are converted back to counts using the OA household total (or usual residents for health) and rolled up as in the area apportioning method, so area figures are household-weighted. England only: Welsh OAs are not in the loaded table, so Welsh and Scottish places have no value. Labelled 2021.
- Limitations
- This figure is an estimate; see the methodology.
- Census 2021 is a snapshot taken in March 2021 and may have changed since.
Neighbourhoodsmedium confidence
Lower than England: Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall)
Share of residents living in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England (overall) is 0.0% in Bearwood & Merley (2025), compared with 20.3% in England (20.3 percentage points lower; n = 14,414).
0% here20.3% England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (LSOA 2021 ranks and deciles) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2025
- Geography
- Ward, compared with England
- Method
- Summarising deprivation for an area. The Indices of Deprivation rank every LSOA in England; decile 1 contains the most deprived 10 per cent of LSOAs nationally. Ranks and deciles are ordinal, so they are never averaged. An area is described by (1) how many of its LSOAs fall in each national decile, (2) how many of its residents live in LSOAs of each decile (mid-2024 population apportioned to output areas, see the area apportioning method), (3) the share of residents in the most deprived 10 and 20 per cent of LSOAs nationally, and (4) the median decile of residents. IoD is a relative measure of small areas, not of individuals: most people in a deprived LSOA are not deprived and many deprived people live elsewhere. England only. Where an area straddles the England-Wales border the figures cover the English part only and are not published unless 90 per cent of residents are covered.
- Limitations
- This figure is an estimate; see the methodology.
Homesmedium confidence
Higher than similar council areas: Average monthly private rent (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figure)
Average monthly private rent is £1,398 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (Aug 2026), compared with £979 across five council areas with a similar profile (Wiltshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Shropshire, Somerset); 43% higher. It lies outside the range of all five (£823 to £1,082).
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figure
£1,398 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figure£979 five similar council areas: Wiltshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Shropshire, Somerset
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics: Price Index of Private Rents, UK: monthly price statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- Aug 2026
- Geography
- Council area, compared with five similar council areas: Wiltshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Shropshire, Somerset
- Method
- Private rents (PIPR). The ONS Price Index of Private Rents measures the change in rents paid by private tenants, and publishes an average (mean) monthly rent per local authority from the same data. The figure is a mean, not a median, so a few very high rents pull it up, especially in London and where there are few lettings. It covers rents paid for homes let on the private market (not social rents) and reflects all tenancies in the stock, not only new lets, except in Scotland where the underlying data are mainly advertised new lets, which makes Scotland not directly comparable with England and Wales. Annual change is the change in the rental price index, not in the cash average. Rents are in cash terms, not adjusted for inflation. Averages by number of bedrooms are held for the latest month only.
- Limitations
- Mean, not median.
- This figure is for the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area, not for Bearwood & Merley itself.
- Similar areas are the five council areas closest on population size, share aged 65 and over, share aged under 16, share of neighbourhoods in the most deprived 20%, median house price (standardised); this is a convenience comparison, not a like-for-like guarantee.
Peoplehigh confidence
Wide range between neighbourhoods in Bearwood & Merley: Residents aged 65 and over
Residents aged 65 and over (2024) varies within Bearwood & Merley: from 11.2% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 008B to 45.0% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 005D, across 10 neighbourhoods. The upper tenth of neighbourhoods is 22.8 percentage points above the lower tenth.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 005D figure
45% Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 005D11.2% Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 008B
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics: Lower layer Super Output Area mid-year population estimates by single year of age (mid-2022 revised, mid-2023, mid-2024) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2024
- Geography
- Neighbourhood (LSOA), compared with lowest-value neighbourhood (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 008B)
- Method
- Mid-year population estimates. ONS mid-year estimates are modelled from the 2021 Census, births, deaths and migration. Mid-2022 is the revised series. Ages are grouped: 0-15 means ages 0 to 15 inclusive, working age 16-64, 65 and over. Change 2022-2024 compares the revised mid-2022 with mid-2024 estimates for the same boundaries. Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-year estimates for council areas published by ONS from National Records of Scotland and NISRA (via Nomis), for 2022 to 2024, to match the England and Wales years. No small-area (ward or neighbourhood) estimates are held for them.
- Limitations
- Ward and neighbourhood boundaries differ in size; the range shows variation within the area, not a ranking of places.
Economymedium confidence
Lower than England: Change in jobs located in the area over five years (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figure)
Change in jobs located in the area over five years is -1.0% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area (2019..2024), compared with 4.7% in England (5.7 percentage points lower).
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figure
-1% Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole figure4.7% England
How do we know this?
- Source
- Office for National Statistics: Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES), open access, via Nomis (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2019..2024
- Geography
- Council area, compared with England
- Method
- Employment by industry (BRES). BRES is the official source of employee and employment estimates by detailed industry and area. Employment is employees plus working owners, counted at the place of work and in the survey week in September. It covers all sectors except small farm agriculture, and the self-employed who are not registered for PAYE or VAT. ONS rounds BRES employment and suppresses small cells, so industry sums may not add to the total. Jobs here are not residents: people may live elsewhere. Part-time and full-time jobs count equally (they are not full-time equivalents).
- Limitations
- Rounded inputs; the 2020 to 2021 pandemic years lie inside this window.
- This figure is for the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area, not for Bearwood & Merley itself.
Neighbourhoodsmedium confidence
Lower than South West: Share of residents living in the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England, judged on access to housing and services
Share of residents living in the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England, judged on access to housing and services is 0.0% in Bearwood & Merley (2025), compared with 15.0% in South West (15.0 percentage points lower; n = 14,414).
0% here15% South West
How do we know this?
- Source
- Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (LSOA 2021 ranks and deciles) (Open Government Licence v3.0)
- Period
- 2025
- Geography
- Ward, compared with South West
- Method
- Summarising deprivation for an area. The Indices of Deprivation rank every LSOA in England; decile 1 contains the most deprived 10 per cent of LSOAs nationally. Ranks and deciles are ordinal, so they are never averaged. An area is described by (1) how many of its LSOAs fall in each national decile, (2) how many of its residents live in LSOAs of each decile (mid-2024 population apportioned to output areas, see the area apportioning method), (3) the share of residents in the most deprived 10 and 20 per cent of LSOAs nationally, and (4) the median decile of residents. IoD is a relative measure of small areas, not of individuals: most people in a deprived LSOA are not deprived and many deprived people live elsewhere. England only. Where an area straddles the England-Wales border the figures cover the English part only and are not published unless 90 per cent of residents are covered.
- Limitations
- This figure is an estimate; see the methodology.