Backmede vs Bentley
Backmede is the younger of the two, with a median age of 46 against 53 in Bentley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Backmede, most households are couple families. In Bentley, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Backmede tends to suit share households and couples.
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
Backmede
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 46/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Backmede
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 29%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Backmede
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (20% vs 9%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 21%)
- But Bentley has cheaper rent ($250/wk vs $276/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Backmede
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (725.2 km vs 749.9 km)
- has a shorter drive in (492 min vs 498 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Backmede
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
- carries lower crime risk (31/100 vs 46/100)
- But Bentley has more residents already 65 and over (34% vs 27%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Bentley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (14.2% vs 2.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Backmede and Bentley 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
Backmede has higher household incomes ($95,836 vs $63,024); Bentley has more residents (225 vs 153).
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 153 | 225 +47% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.0% | +14.2% |
| Median age | 46 | 53 |
| Median household income | $95,836/yr +34% vs other | $63,024/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $276/wk +9% vs other | $250/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
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 (2.0%).
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 (20.3%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,300,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $600,000 | — |
Zoning mix
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 90% |
| Environmental | 0% | 10% |
| 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
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley | 138 across Lismore |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 67% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 63% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 54% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 41% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 40% of NSW |
Liveability
Backmede is more walkable (8 vs 0).
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Bentley carries more bushfire risk (34 vs 0); Bentley carries more crime risk (46 vs 31).
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Crime | Low 31/100 | Moderate 46/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Backmede
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Bentley
- Manifold Public School Government · Primary
Amenities in the suburb
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 0 | 2 |
| Waterways | 1 | 12 |
Mobility
Bentley sits further from the CBD (749.9 km vs 725.2 km).
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 8/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 725.2 km | 749.9 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 492 min | 498 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2470 | 0.6% postcode 2480 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2470 | 69 postcode 2480 |
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 (69.1%).
Setting
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 50 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 82 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 27/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 55 premises | 0% 85 premises |
Council rates
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr | $1,487/yr |
| Council | Richmond Valley | Lismore |
Federal electorate
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Backmede | Bentley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Backmede
Other comparisons with Bentley
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.