Population 3,991 · Census ACS 2020–24
Choose a measure to map it.Tap a measure to map it. Swipe the row for more. Arrows show the change since 2006–10.
Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Younger residents
Older residents
Colorblind friendly
off
More maps of Merriwood: Best Neighborhoods · Walk Grade · Household income · Home prices · Race · Politics · Traffic noise · Internet
Population and households in Merriwood
Household size in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.33 | 2.66 | 2.74 | 3.04 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.25 | 2.72 | 2.79 | 3.10 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.43 | 2.73 | 2.83 | 3.09 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.31 | 2.62 | 2.75 | 3.01 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.02 | −0.04 | +0.01 | −0.03 | −0.03 |
Merriwood is a place of small households, averaging 2.31 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Merriwood has smaller households than most Oakland neighborhoods.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.3 | 36.3 | 38.6 | 35.8 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 46.6 | 36.6 | 39.4 | 36.8 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 43.1 | 37.5 | 40.1 | 37.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 45.2 | 38.7 | 41.3 | 39.0 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.9 | +2.4 | +2.7 | +3.1 | +2.3 |
Merriwood skews older: half of its residents are older than 45.2, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 43.3, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change. Of Oakland's 61 neighborhoods, only four are older.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.5% | 15.6% | 10.3% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 8.4% | 15.6% | 9.9% | 13.5% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 5.5% | 12.8% | 9.1% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.2% | 12.8% | 8.8% | 12.3% | 11.6% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | −2.8 pts | −1.5 pts | −1.2 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Merriwood: 3.2% of households, against 11.6% nationally. Merriwood has the lowest share of single-parent households of any Oakland neighborhood.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Merriwood
Renters in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.0% | 57.8% | 43.7% | 42.6% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 15.7% | 60.3% | 46.2% | 45.2% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.7% | 59.5% | 45.3% | 45.2% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 57.9% | 44.5% | 44.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −3.8 pts | +0.2 pts | +0.8 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Merriwood is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 11.1% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 30.7% have no mortgage at all, below the national share of 39.8%. Of Oakland's 61 neighborhoods, only three have a lower share of renters.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 10.0% | 12.2% | 8.6% | 8.7% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.3% | 9.7% | 7.1% | 8.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.7% | 7.3% | 6.5% | 7.5% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 5.7% | 8.1% | 7.5% | 7.3% | 9.6% |
| Change | −4.4 pts | −4.1 pts | −1.1 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Merriwood than nationally: 5.7%, against 9.6% for the U.S. Compared with other Oakland neighborhoods, Merriwood has a lower vacancy rate than most.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1973 | 1951 | 1964 | 1972 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1970 | 1953 | 1965 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1974 | 1954 | 1966 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1975 | 1958 | 1968 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +7 | +4 | +4 | +6 |
Housing in Merriwood leans a little older: the median home dates to 1975, against 1980 nationally. Locally, though, homes here are newer than in Oakland overall, where the median home dates to 1958. Merriwood has newer homes than the great majority of Oakland neighborhoods.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,692 | $1,120 | $1,452 | $1,298 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,932 | $1,201 | $1,551 | $1,379 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $3,051 | $1,591 | $2,139 | $1,721 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $3,501 | $2,124 | $2,666 | $2,229 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$1,809 | +$1,004 | +$1,214 | +$931 | +$606 |
Rent in Merriwood runs $3,501 a month at the median, utilities included, well above the U.S. median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 36.3% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched. Only one other Oakland neighborhood has higher rents.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Merriwood
Bachelor's degrees in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 79.3% | 32.4% | 42.5% | 29.1% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 79.2% | 35.0% | 44.1% | 30.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 80.8% | 41.1% | 48.9% | 32.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 87.2% | 45.9% | 52.2% | 36.3% | 35.6% |
| Change | +7.9 pts | +13.5 pts | +9.7 pts | +7.1 pts | +7.2 pts |
Merriwood is highly educated: nearly nine in ten adults 25 and older (87.2%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. No other Oakland neighborhood has a higher share of college graduates.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 98.1% | 75.9% | 86.8% | 79.9% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 99.3% | 78.2% | 87.5% | 80.7% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 97.0% | 80.6% | 88.8% | 82.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 98.3% | 82.9% | 89.1% | 84.2% | 89.3% |
| Change | +0.2 pts | +7.1 pts | +2.3 pts | +4.3 pts | +4.3 pts |
Finishing high school is nearly universal in Merriwood: 98.3% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. Only four of Oakland's 61 neighborhoods have a higher share of high school graduates.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Merriwood
| Period | Merriwood | Oakland | San Francisco area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.0% | 10.9% | 7.8% | 9.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 1.7% | 12.6% | 8.9% | 11.3% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 2.0% | 6.4% | 4.6% | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.4% | 6.5% | 5.8% | 6.6% | 5.4% |
| Change | +1.4 pts | −4.4 pts | −2.0 pts | −2.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in Merriwood than nationally: unemployment was 4.4%, against 5.4%. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Merriwood compared with nearby neighborhoods
| Neighborhood | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merriwood | 2.31 | 45.2 | 3.2% | 11.1% | 5.7% | 1975 | $3,501 | 87.2% | 98.3% | 4.4% |
| Upper Rockridge | 2.51 | 47.4 | 8.4% | 10.5% | 5.8% | 1958 | $3,306 | 85.4% | 98.8% | 5.0% |
| Montclair | 2.48 | 48.0 | 6.0% | 6.0% | 3.8% | 1957 | $3,292 | 83.9% | 98.5% | 3.8% |
| Claremont | 2.53 | 49.7 | 7.3% | 18.7% | 10.3% | 1955 | $3,023 | 84.4% | 98.5% | 5.6% |
| Rockridge | 2.27 | 46.0 | 5.4% | 39.9% | 4.4% | 1942 | $2,631 | 85.5% | 97.7% | 3.9% |
| Piedmont Pines | 2.46 | 49.4 | 4.9% | 9.6% | 6.4% | 1961 | $3,501 | 82.3% | 97.5% | 8.1% |
| Shafter | 2.30 | 39.1 | 10.3% | 56.6% | 7.0% | 1952 | $2,120 | 76.8% | 96.1% | 7.2% |
| Piedmont Avenue | 1.71 | 44.3 | 3.7% | 69.5% | 11.8% | 1954 | $2,386 | 76.8% | 97.1% | 4.3% |
| Fairview Park | 2.52 | 37.8 | 10.4% | 49.8% | 11.4% | 1939 | $2,571 | 79.3% | 97.5% | 2.8% |
| Elmwood | 2.51 | 27.1 | 4.1% | 70.0% | 21.6% | 1958 | $2,127 | 78.9% | 98.3% | 9.1% |
| Temescal | 1.95 | 35.8 | 8.6% | 70.6% | 7.4% | 1964 | $2,695 | 72.4% | 94.7% | 8.3% |
All figures 2020–24.
Neighborhoods with similar populations: Babcock, Buffalo, NY · Wedgemere Historic District, Winchester, MA · Wayne State, Detroit, MI · Waterway Village, Kissimmee, FL · Sayles Boulevard Area, Abilene, TX · Saint Joseph, Louisville, KY · Miramar, Jacksonville, FL · Lakeview, Buffalo, NY · Holden-Parramore, Orlando, FL · Glen Elder, Sacramento, CA
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Merriwood. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
No other site shows detail at this level for free. We are able to keep this site free by receiving a small commission from the referring links on this page. Please share or cite this page if you aren’t able to otherwise support our work.