Broke vs Howes Valley
Broke is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 51 in Howes Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Broke, about half of households are couple families. In Howes Valley, the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Broke: a median of $900,000, against $475,000 in Howes Valley, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Howes Valley tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
Broke
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (62% vs 21%)
- has more schools rated above their peers (1 vs 0)
- But Howes Valley carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
They split
one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here
- Broke leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 31%)
- Howes Valley has cheaper houses ($475,000 vs $900,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Howes Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $365/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Broke
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- sits closer to the CBD (156.2 km vs 179.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (143 min vs 163 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Howes Valley
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 71/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Broke
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (-3.8% vs -35.5%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Broke and Howes Valley 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
Broke has more residents (557 vs 80); Broke has higher household incomes ($89,336 vs $38,948).
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 557 +86% vs other | 80 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -3.8% | -35.5% |
| Median age | 43 | 51 |
| Median household income | $89,336/yr +56% vs other | $38,948/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $365/wk +52% vs other | $175/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
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 (20.0%).
Property market
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $900,000 | $475,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $1,630,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 180 days from 7 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Howes Valley has more land zoned for conservation (54% vs 25%); Broke has more rural and farming land (73% vs 46%).
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 73% | 46% |
| Environmental | 25% | 54% |
| 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
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 121 across Singleton same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +46% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 42% of NSW | Higher than 14% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 4% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 49% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 49% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 26% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 17% of NSW |
Liveability
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 20/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | below-average income decile 3/10 |
Risk profile
Broke carries more crime risk (71 vs 42).
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 86/100 same for both | |
| Crime | High 71/100 | Moderate 42/100 |
| 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
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Broke
- Broke Public School Government · Primary above peers
Schools in Howes Valley
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 3 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 same for both | |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 96 |
Mobility
Howes Valley sits further from the CBD (179.4 km vs 156.2 km).
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 6/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 156.2 km | 179.4 km +15% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 143 min | 163 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2330 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 54 postcode 2330 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 (68.2%).
Setting
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 84 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 301 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 15/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 286 premises | 0% 55 premises |
Climate
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 804 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 30.0°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 5.1°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | — same for both | |
| PM10 | 16.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,287/yr same for both | |
| Council | Singleton same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Hunter same for both | |
| Member | Dan Repacholi same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Broke | Howes Valley | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Broke
Howes Valley
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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.