Big Springs vs Maxwell
Maxwell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 49 in Big Springs. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Maxwell tends to suit families with children.
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
- Big Springs carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 59/100)
- Maxwell is already more of a family suburb (86% vs 75%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Big Springs
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($150/wk vs $470/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 22%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Big Springs
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (298 min vs 304 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (468.4 km vs 477 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Big Springs
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (22/100 vs 59/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (22% vs 17%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Big Springs
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (15.4% vs 0.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Big Springs and Maxwell 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
Maxwell rents higher ($470/wk vs $150/wk); Big Springs has more residents (135 vs 90).
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 135 +33% vs other | 90 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +15.4% | +0.0% |
| Median age | 49 | 36 |
| Median household income | $88,816/yr | $112,632/yr +27% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $150/wk | $470/wk +213% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 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 (14.4%).
Property market
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $975,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $413,964 |
Zoning mix
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 94% | 100% |
| Environmental | 6% | 0% |
| 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
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 548 across Wagga Wagga same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +139% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 49% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 78% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 50% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 57% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 33% of NSW | Higher than 37% of NSW |
Liveability
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Big Springs carries more bushfire risk (25 vs 0); Maxwell carries more crime risk (59 vs 22).
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 25/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 22/100 | Moderate 59/100 |
| 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
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 12 | 17 |
Mobility
Maxwell sits further from the CBD (477 km vs 468.4 km).
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 468.4 km | 477 km +2% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 298 min | 304 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.4% postcode 2650 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 45 postcode 2650 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 (66.1%).
Setting
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 279 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 280 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 23/100 | 26/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 47 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 565 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 31.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.4°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 7.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 23.1 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,254/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wagga Wagga same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Big Springs | Maxwell | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Big Springs
Other comparisons with Maxwell
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.