Bethel vs Fords
Fords is the younger of the two, with a median age of 39 against 49 in Bethel. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Bethel, the large majority of households are people living alone. In Fords, most households are couple families. On these figures, Bethel tends to suit people living alone, while Fords suits families with children 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Bethel carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 60/100)
- Fords is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 25%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Bethel
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (13% vs 19%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Too close to call
Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Fords
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (59 min vs 66 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (77.5 km vs 84.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Bethel
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (32/100 vs 60/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (17% vs 10%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Fords
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (8.0% vs -3.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Bethel and Fords 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
Fords has more residents (81 vs 52); Bethel skews older (49 vs 39).
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 52 | 81 +56% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.7% | +8.0% |
| Median age | 49 | 39 |
| Median household income | $97,500/yr | $108,316/yr +11% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $250/wk | $248/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.0%).
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 (9.6%).
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 (15.4%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Zoning mix
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 278 across Light same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +43% same for both | |
Ranking within SA
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — same for both | |
| Income | Higher than 76% of SA | Higher than 85% of SA |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 21% of SA | Higher than 49% of SA |
| Affordability | — same for both | |
| EV adoption | Higher than 39% of SA | Higher than 40% of SA |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 42% of SA | Higher than 67% of SA |
Liveability
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | advantaged area decile 8/10 |
Risk profile
Fords carries more crime risk (60 vs 32).
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 84/100 | High 86/100 |
| Crime | Low 32/100 | Moderate 60/100 |
| Flood | — 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 | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 1 | 0 |
Mobility
Bethel sits further from the CBD (84.7 km vs 77.5 km).
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Adelaide | 84.7 km +9% vs other | 77.5 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 66 min | 59 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 5373 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 5373 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (84.1%).
Setting
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 251 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 208 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 48.2 km | 47.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 28/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 30 premises | 0% 29 premises |
Climate
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 460 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $2,297/yr same for both | |
| Council | Light same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Barker same for both | |
| Member | Tony Pasin same for both | |
| Party | Liberal same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Bethel | Fords | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $15,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | — same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Bethel
Other comparisons with Fords
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.