Ashtonfield vs Metford

Metford is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 39 in Ashtonfield. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ashtonfield, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Ashtonfield: a median of $886,000, against $800,000 in Metford, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Ashtonfield tends to suit couples, while Metford suits 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

Ashtonfield

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 82/100)
  • is already more of a family suburb (75% vs 60%)
  • But Metford has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 2)

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

First-home buyers

Metford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper units ($480,000 vs $630,000)
  • has cheaper houses ($800,000 vs $886,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Metford

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Metford

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (73/100 vs 42/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (117 min vs 147 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (159 km vs 164.7 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Ashtonfield carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 82/100)
  • Metford is more walkable (73/100 vs 42/100)

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

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

Ashtonfield Metford
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.

Ashtonfield Metford
Walkability 42 / 73
Ashtonfield — Walkability: 42/100 Metford — Walkability: 73/100
Safety 65 / 18
Ashtonfield — Safety: 65/100 Metford — Safety: 18/100
Low fire risk 100 / 80
Ashtonfield — Low fire risk: 100/100 Metford — Low fire risk: 80/100

Demographics

Ashtonfield has higher household incomes ($111,696 vs $77,168); Ashtonfield rents higher ($440/wk vs $350/wk).

Ashtonfield Metford
Population 4,589 4,707
+3% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -1.2%
same for both
Median age 39 35
Median household income $111,696/yr
+31% vs other
 $77,168/yr
Median weekly rent $440/wk
+20% vs other
 $350/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Ashtonfield Metford
0-4 4.9% / 5.9%
Ashtonfield — 0-4: 4.9% Metford — 0-4: 5.9%
5-14 15.9% / 14.2%
Ashtonfield — 5-14: 15.9% Metford — 5-14: 14.2%
15-19 7.9% / 5.8%
Ashtonfield — 15-19: 7.9% Metford — 15-19: 5.8%
20-24 5.6% / 7.5%
Ashtonfield — 20-24: 5.6% Metford — 20-24: 7.5%
25-34 10.7% / 15.7%
Ashtonfield — 25-34: 10.7% Metford — 25-34: 15.7%
35-44 13.0% / 12.7%
Ashtonfield — 35-44: 13.0% Metford — 35-44: 12.7%
45-54 14.4% / 12.2%
Ashtonfield — 45-54: 14.4% Metford — 45-54: 12.2%
55-64 12.8% / 12.3%
Ashtonfield — 55-64: 12.8% Metford — 55-64: 12.3%
65-74 9.3% / 9.1%
Ashtonfield — 65-74: 9.3% Metford — 65-74: 9.1%
75-84 4.2% / 3.6%
Ashtonfield — 75-84: 4.2% Metford — 75-84: 3.6%
85+ 1.2% / 1.2%
Ashtonfield — 85+: 1.2% Metford — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (15.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Ashtonfield 58.9% couple families
Ashtonfield — Couple Families: 58.9% Ashtonfield — Lone Person: 22.5% Ashtonfield — One Parent Families: 16.3% Ashtonfield — Group Household: 1.8% Ashtonfield — Other Families: 0.4%
Metford 36.9% couple families
Metford — Couple Families: 36.9% Metford — Lone Person: 32.4% Metford — One Parent Families: 23.0% Metford — Group Household: 5.6% Metford — Other Families: 2.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Ashtonfield 21.7% renting
Ashtonfield — Owned Outright: 34.2% Ashtonfield — Mortgage: 44.0% Ashtonfield — Renting: 21.7%
Metford 38.5% renting
Metford — Owned Outright: 24.3% Metford — Mortgage: 37.2% Metford — Renting: 38.5%
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.

Ashtonfield Metford
England 2.0% / 1.1%
Ashtonfield — England: 2.0% Metford — England: 1.1%
New Zealand 1.4% / 1.3%
Ashtonfield — New Zealand: 1.4% Metford — New Zealand: 1.3%
India 1.2% / 0.8%
Ashtonfield — India: 1.2% Metford — India: 0.8%
Philippines 0.8% / 1.0%
Ashtonfield — Philippines: 0.8% Metford — Philippines: 1.0%
China 0.9% / 0.5%
Ashtonfield — China: 0.9% Metford — China: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.0%).

Qualifications

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

Ashtonfield Metford
Certificate III & IV 17.8% / 20.2%
Ashtonfield — Certificate III & IV: 17.8% Metford — Certificate III & IV: 20.2%
Bachelor Degree 10.9% / 5.8%
Ashtonfield — Bachelor Degree: 10.9% Metford — Bachelor Degree: 5.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 6.1%
Ashtonfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% Metford — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.1%
Postgraduate Degree 3.7% / 1.2%
Ashtonfield — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7% Metford — Postgraduate Degree: 1.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / 0.9%
Ashtonfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Metford — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Ashtonfield 93.9% houses
Ashtonfield — Houses: 93.9% Ashtonfield — Townhouses: 5.8% Ashtonfield — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Metford 84.3% houses
Metford — Houses: 84.3% Metford — Townhouses: 12.7% Metford — Flats / Apartments: 2.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Ashtonfield Metford
Median house price $886,500 $800,000
Median unit price $630,000 $480,000
Median land price $1,115,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 21 days
from 41 sales
 17 days
from 27 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.

Ashtonfield Metford
3 bed $820K / $770K
Ashtonfield — 3 bed: $820K (21 sales) Metford — 3 bed: $770K (51 sales)

21 vs 51 sales

4 bed $892K / $830K
Ashtonfield — 4 bed: $892K (54 sales) Metford — 4 bed: $830K (33 sales)

54 vs 33 sales

5 bed $985K / $895K
Ashtonfield — 5 bed: $985K (10 sales) Metford — 5 bed: $895K (7 sales)

10 vs 7 sales

Zoning mix

Ashtonfield has more rural and farming land (48% vs 0%); Ashtonfield has more land zoned for conservation (18% vs 1%).

Ashtonfield Metford
Residential 29% 78%
Rural and farming 48% 0%
Environmental 18% 1%
Parks and recreation 2% 13%
Industrial 0% 6%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 1%
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

Ashtonfield Metford
New dwellings approved 1,413
across Maitland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +20%
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.

Ashtonfield Metford
Houses 4.4%
$755/wk on $888K
 4.3%
$668/wk on $804K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Ashtonfield Metford
House price Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 28% of NSW
Income Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 45% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 6% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 68% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 56% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 99% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW

Liveability

Ashtonfield scores higher overall (61 vs 31); Metford is more walkable (73 vs 42).

Ashtonfield Metford
Grade B C
Score 61/100 31/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 high-need area
decile 1/10

Risk profile

Metford carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0); Metford carries more crime risk (82 vs 35).

Ashtonfield Metford
Bushfire None
0/100
 Low
20/100
Crime Low
35/100
 High
82/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Ashtonfield Metford
Inside the suburb 2 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 1
Rated below peers 0 2

Schools in Ashtonfield

  • Ashtonfield Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Hunter Valley Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers

Schools in Metford

  • Maitland Christian School Independent · Combined at peers
  • Metford Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Arise Christian College Independent · Combined · Special school below peers
  • Hunter River Community School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Ashtonfield Metford
Parks & reserves 3 4
Childcare 5 6
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Fuel stations 0 3
Waterways 1 6

Mobility

Ashtonfield sits further from the CBD (164.7 km vs 159 km).

Ashtonfield Metford
Walkability score 42/100 73/100
Distance to Sydney 164.7 km
+3% vs other
 159 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 147 min 117 min
Public transport score 77/100
Bus
 79/100
Rail · Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 72.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 73.8
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2323
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 2323
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.

Ashtonfield Metford
Car (driver) 69.8% / 77.3%
Ashtonfield — Car (driver): 69.8% Metford — Car (driver): 77.3%
Worked from Home 24.1% / 15.2%
Ashtonfield — Worked from Home: 24.1% Metford — Worked from Home: 15.2%
Car (passenger) 4.5% / 4.3%
Ashtonfield — Car (passenger): 4.5% Metford — Car (passenger): 4.3%
Walked Only 1.0% / 1.3%
Ashtonfield — Walked Only: 1.0% Metford — Walked Only: 1.3%
Train 0.4% / 1.2%
Ashtonfield — Train: 0.4% Metford — Train: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.3%).

Setting

Ashtonfield Metford
Elevation 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 29 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 17.8 km 17.5 km

NBN connectivity

Ashtonfield Metford
Connectivity score 99/100 100/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 98%
1,704 premises
 100%
1,967 premises

Climate

Ashtonfield Metford
Annual rainfall 996 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Ashtonfield Metford
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.72 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Ashtonfield Metford
Average residential rate $1,908/yr
same for both
Council Maitland
same for both

Federal electorate

Ashtonfield Metford
Division Paterson
same for both
Member Meryl Swanson
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Ashtonfield Metford
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Ashtonfield

Large Blocks

Metford

Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Ashtonfield

Ashtonfield vs East Maitland Ashtonfield vs Thornton Ashtonfield vs Black Hill

Other comparisons with Metford

Metford vs East Maitland Metford vs Thornton
Full data on Ashtonfield Full data on Metford
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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.

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