Dalton vs Lade Vale
In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dalton, about half of households are couple families. In Lade Vale, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Lade Vale: a median of $900,000, against $410,000 in Dalton. On these figures, Dalton tends to suit 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
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Dalton
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper houses ($410,000 vs $900,000)
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (20% vs 29%)
- But Lade Vale has cheaper land ($20,198 vs $420,000)
Weighs house prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.
Renters
Lade Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves renters under less rental stress (14% vs 20%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Dalton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (252.8 km vs 260 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Too close to call
Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Lade Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.4% vs 17.9%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Dalton and Lade Vale 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
Dalton has more residents (230 vs 158); Lade Vale has higher household incomes ($110,500 vs $79,612).
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 230 +31% vs other | 158 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +17.9% | +23.4% |
| Median age | 48 same for both | |
| Median household income | $79,612/yr | $110,500/yr +39% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $300/wk same for both | |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (7.6%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $410,000 | $900,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $420,000 | $20,198 |
Zoning mix
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 98% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 0% | 1% |
| 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
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 44 across Upper Lachlan same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +175% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 11% of NSW | Higher than 43% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 47% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 60% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 92% of NSW | Higher than 78% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 81% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 14% of NSW | Higher than 12% of NSW |
Liveability
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Lade Vale carries more bushfire risk (49 vs 0).
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Moderate 49/100 |
| Crime | Low 24/100 | Low 20/100 |
| 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
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Dalton
- Dalton Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Lade Vale
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Childcare | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 13 | 21 |
Mobility
Lade Vale sits further from the CBD (260 km vs 252.8 km).
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 12/100 | 5/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 252.8 km | 260 km +3% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 166 min | 170 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.0% postcode 2581 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2581 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 (67.9%).
Setting
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 567 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 593 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 45 premises | 0% 23 premises |
Council rates
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $636/yr same for both | |
| Council | Upper Lachlan same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Riverina same for both | |
| Member | Michael Mccormack same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Dalton | Lade Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Dalton
Lade Vale
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Dalton
Other comparisons with Lade Vale
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.