Bylands vs Forbes

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, Bylands 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

Forbes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 92/100)

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

First-home buyers

Bylands

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 27%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Bylands

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 26%)
  • has cheaper rent ($210/wk vs $425/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Bylands

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (61 min vs 75 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (68.8 km vs 80.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Forbes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 92/100)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Forbes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.4% vs -10.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Bylands Forbes
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.

Bylands Forbes
Walkability 0 / 0
Bylands — Walkability: 0/100 Forbes — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 8 / 81
Bylands — Safety: 8/100 Forbes — Safety: 81/100
Low fire risk 21 / 20
Bylands — Low fire risk: 21/100 Forbes — Low fire risk: 20/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Bylands — Low flood risk: 100/100 Forbes — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Forbes rents higher ($425/wk vs $210/wk); Forbes has more residents (158 vs 117).

Bylands Forbes
Population 117 158
+35% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -10.7% +25.4%
Median age 48 49
Median household income $105,872/yr
+20% vs other
 $84,500/yr
Median weekly rent $210/wk $425/wk
+102% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Bylands Forbes
0-4 6.0% / —
Bylands — 0-4: 6.0% Forbes — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 16.2% / 12.0%
Bylands — 5-14: 16.2% Forbes — 5-14: 12.0%
15-19 2.6% / 8.2%
Bylands — 15-19: 2.6% Forbes — 15-19: 8.2%
20-24 3.4% / 4.4%
Bylands — 20-24: 3.4% Forbes — 20-24: 4.4%
25-34 12.8% / 8.2%
Bylands — 25-34: 12.8% Forbes — 25-34: 8.2%
35-44 6.0% / 6.3%
Bylands — 35-44: 6.0% Forbes — 35-44: 6.3%
45-54 15.4% / 20.9%
Bylands — 45-54: 15.4% Forbes — 45-54: 20.9%
55-64 21.4% / 15.2%
Bylands — 55-64: 21.4% Forbes — 55-64: 15.2%
65-74 13.7% / 9.5%
Bylands — 65-74: 13.7% Forbes — 65-74: 9.5%
75-84 2.6% / 8.2%
Bylands — 75-84: 2.6% Forbes — 75-84: 8.2%
85+ 5.1% / —
Bylands — 85+: 5.1% Forbes — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Bylands 63.2% couple families
Bylands — Couple Families: 63.2% Bylands — Lone Person: 36.8%
Forbes 61.5% couple families
Forbes — Couple Families: 61.5% Forbes — Lone Person: 38.5%
Couple Families Lone Person

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Bylands 15.9% renting
Bylands — Owned Outright: 43.2% Bylands — Mortgage: 40.9% Bylands — Renting: 15.9%
Forbes 14.3% renting
Forbes — Owned Outright: 42.9% Forbes — Mortgage: 42.9% Forbes — Renting: 14.3%
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.

Bylands Forbes
England 6.8% / 3.2%
Bylands — England: 6.8% Forbes — England: 3.2%
Fiji 2.6% / —
Bylands — Fiji: 2.6% Forbes — Fiji: not among its largest
Ireland — / 1.9%
Bylands — Ireland: not among its largest Forbes — Ireland: 1.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.8%).

Qualifications

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

Bylands Forbes
Certificate III & IV 16.2% / 15.2%
Bylands — Certificate III & IV: 16.2% Forbes — Certificate III & IV: 15.2%
Bachelor Degree 12.0% / 7.0%
Bylands — Bachelor Degree: 12.0% Forbes — Bachelor Degree: 7.0%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.4% / 10.1%
Bylands — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.4% Forbes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1%
Postgraduate Degree 9.4% / 3.2%
Bylands — Postgraduate Degree: 9.4% Forbes — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.3% / 3.2%
Bylands — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.3% Forbes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Bylands 100.0% houses
Bylands — Houses: 100.0%
Forbes 100.0% houses
Forbes — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Zoning mix

Bylands Forbes
Rural and farming 99%
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

Bylands Forbes
New dwellings approved 1,074
across Mitchell
same for both
Approvals change year on year +70%
same for both

Ranking within VIC

Bylands Forbes
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 78% of VIC Higher than 53% of VIC
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 35% of VIC Higher than 24% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption — Higher than 34% of VIC
NBN connectivity Higher than 43% of VIC Higher than 56% of VIC

Liveability

Bylands Forbes
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 8/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Bylands carries more crime risk (92 vs 19).

Bylands Forbes
Bushfire High
79/100
 High
80/100
Crime High
92/100
 Low
19/100
Flood None
0/100
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 1
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Bylands Forbes
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

Bylands Forbes
Waterways 1 0

Mobility

Forbes sits further from the CBD (80.8 km vs 68.8 km).

Bylands Forbes
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Melbourne 68.8 km 80.8 km
+17% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 61 min 75 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 3762
 0.4%
postcode 3764
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings — 46
postcode 3764

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.

Bylands Forbes
Car (driver) 62.3% / 63.1%
Bylands — Car (driver): 62.3% Forbes — Car (driver): 63.1%
Worked from Home 32.1% / 30.8%
Bylands — Worked from Home: 32.1% Forbes — Worked from Home: 30.8%
Walked Only 5.7% / 6.2%
Bylands — Walked Only: 5.7% Forbes — Walked Only: 6.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (63.1%).

Setting

Bylands Forbes
Elevation 422 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 371 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Bylands Forbes
Connectivity score 29/100 30/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
61 premises
 0%
60 premises

Climate

Bylands Forbes
Annual rainfall 778 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Bylands Forbes
Average residential rate $1,947/yr
same for both
Council Mitchell
same for both

Federal electorate

Bylands Forbes
Division Mcewen Nicholls
Member Rob Mitchell Sam Birrell
Party Australian Labor Party The Nationals

First Home Owner Grant

Bylands Forbes
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Bylands

Family Rural

Forbes

Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Bylands

Bylands vs Wallan Bylands vs Kilmore Bylands vs Wandong Bylands vs Darraweit Guim Bylands vs Springfield

Other comparisons with Forbes

Forbes vs Kilmore Forbes vs Willowmavin Forbes vs Springfield
Full data on Bylands Full data on Forbes
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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