Coraki vs Ruthven
Ruthven is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 46 in Coraki. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Ruthven, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Ruthven: a median of $890,000, against $435,000 in Coraki. On these figures, Coraki tends to suit people living alone and buyers on a tighter budget, while Ruthven 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
Ruthven
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (86% vs 52%)
- carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 91/100)
- But Coraki has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Coraki
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($435,000 vs $890,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Ruthven
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 28%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Coraki
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (28/100 vs 8/100)
- has a shorter drive in (459 min vs 466 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (708.2 km vs 716.2 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Coraki is more walkable (28/100 vs 8/100)
- Ruthven carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 91/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Coraki and Ruthven 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
Coraki has more residents (1,373 vs 114); Ruthven has higher household incomes ($114,816 vs $55,744).
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,373 +92% vs other | 114 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +7.5% | +10.7% |
| Median age | 46 | 40 |
| Median household income | $55,744/yr | $114,816/yr +106% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk | $313/wk +4% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (14.9%).
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 (20.2%).
Property market
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $435,000 | $890,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 49 days from 13 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 90% | 97% |
| Environmental | 7% | 3% |
| Parks and recreation | 2% | 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
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley | 138 across Lismore |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% | +0% |
Ranking within NSW
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 16% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 74% of NSW | Higher than 80% of NSW |
| EV adoption | — | Higher than 58% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 53% of NSW |
Liveability
Coraki is more walkable (28 vs 8).
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 18/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | high-need area decile 1/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 |
Risk profile
Coraki carries more bushfire risk (29 vs 0); Coraki carries more crime risk (91 vs 58).
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 29/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 91/100 | Moderate 58/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Coraki
- St Joseph's Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
- Coraki Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Ruthven
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 5 | 1 |
Mobility
Ruthven sits further from the CBD (716.2 km vs 708.2 km).
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 28/100 | 8/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 708.2 km | 716.2 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 459 min | 466 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.0% postcode 2471 | 0.6% postcode 2480 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 73 postcode 2471 | 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 (81.7%).
Setting
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 4 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 18 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 18.0 km | 21.1 km |
NBN connectivity
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 564 premises | 0% 44 premises |
Council rates
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr | $1,487/yr |
| Council | Richmond Valley | Lismore |
Federal electorate
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Coraki | Ruthven | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Coraki
Ruthven
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Coraki
Other comparisons with Ruthven
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.