Merrylands, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Merrylands is a suburb of Western Sydney, lying about twenty-five kilometres west of the central business district within the Cumberland City Council area. It takes its name from the former English home of Arthur Todd Holroyd, a nineteenth-century settler who acquired land here in 1855 and whose name also lives on in the neighbouring suburb of Holroyd. The commercial heart of Merrylands gathers around its railway station on Merrylands Road, where a cluster of art deco buildings from the 1930s and 1940s still stands, alongside the Stockland Merrylands shopping centre. Green space is generous: the Central Gardens nature reserve, entered from Merrylands Road, is home to kangaroos, emus and birdlife among its lake and waterfalls, while parks such as Merrylands Park and Granville Park offer sporting fields and a swim centre. The suburb has produced notable Australians including the track-and-field athlete Betty Cuthbert, who was born here, and the rapper Barkaa, who grew up locally.
Less advantaged than the national average
Merrylands is more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 933, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Merrylands at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 32,472
- Median age
- 33
- Median weekly household income
- $1,470
- SEIFA score
- 933
- Coordinates
- -33.8341, 150.9851
Merrylands demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Merrylands using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 34%, 47% of homes are rented, and 55% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 6,732 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 4,337 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 10,912 | 34% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 6,846 | 21% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,643 | 11% |
Share of the 32,470 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,216 | 22% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,633 | 27% |
| Rented | 4,662 | 47% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4,842 | 49% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,347 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 3,630 | 37% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 9,928 occupied private dwellings in Merrylands.
- Median weekly rent
- $400
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,100
- Average household size
- 3 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,656
- Median weekly personal income
- $607
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 16,281 (55%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 20,714 (71%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 214 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 14,516 (59%)
- Labour-force participation
- 45.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 9.5%
- Employed full-time
- 5,388
- Employed part-time
- 3,300
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Merrylands
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Merrylands is January (average daytime high around 28.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.8°C). The area receives roughly 854 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.4°C | 18.6°C | 85 mm |
| Feb | 27.1°C | 18.1°C | 92 mm |
| Mar | 25.4°C | 16.9°C | 139 mm |
| Apr | 22.9°C | 13.6°C | 72 mm |
| May | 19.7°C | 10°C | 37 mm |
| Jun | 16.7°C | 8°C | 57 mm |
| Jul | 16.8°C | 7.1°C | 56 mm |
| Aug | 17.9°C | 7.6°C | 52 mm |
| Sep | 20.9°C | 9.8°C | 44 mm |
| Oct | 23.7°C | 12.6°C | 77 mm |
| Nov | 25.2°C | 14.7°C | 73 mm |
| Dec | 27.5°C | 16.9°C | 70 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Merrylands
Where is Merrylands?
Merrylands is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Merrylands?
At the 2021 Census, Merrylands had a population of about 32,472.
Is Merrylands an advantaged area?
Merrylands has an ABS SEIFA score of 933, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 22 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Merrylands?
Merrylands has average daytime highs of about 22.7°C and overnight lows of about 12.8°C, with roughly 854 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
How big is Merrylands?
Merrylands is one of the most populous suburbs in New South Wales — the 9th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 32,472 usual residents).
Where Merrylands ranks
Merrylands appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
More suburb guides in New South Wales
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.