Dargan vs Clarence

Clarence is the younger of the two, with a median age of 52 against 62 in Dargan. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Dargan, most households are people living alone. In Clarence, most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Clarence: a median of $1.08 million, against $895,000 in Dargan, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Dargan tends to suit people living alone, older residents, and buyers on a tighter budget, while Clarence suits 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

Clarence

ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here

  • is already more of a family suburb (67% vs 29%)
  • carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 58/100)

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

First-home buyers

Dargan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($895,000 vs $1,080,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Dargan

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($0/wk vs $320/wk)

Weighs rent.

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Dargan sits closer to the CBD (133 km vs 137.4 km)
  • Clarence is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Clarence

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (14/100 vs 0/100)
  • carries lower crime risk (48/100 vs 58/100)
  • But Dargan has more residents already 65 and over (36% vs 27%)

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

Investors

Clarence

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (0.0% vs -11.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Dargan Clarence
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.

Dargan Clarence
Walkability 0 / 14
Dargan — Walkability: 0/100 Clarence — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 42 / 52
Dargan — Safety: 42/100 Clarence — Safety: 52/100
Low fire risk 2 / 3
Dargan — Low fire risk: 2/100 Clarence — Low fire risk: 3/100

Demographics

Clarence rents higher ($320/wk vs $0/wk); Clarence has more residents (200 vs 83).

Dargan Clarence
Population 83 200
+141% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -11.7% +0.0%
Median age 62 52
Median household income $60,320/yr $93,132/yr
+54% vs other
Median weekly rent — $320/wk
(not reported on the other side)

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Dargan Clarence
0-4 — / 3.5%
Dargan — 0-4: not among its largest Clarence — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 3.6% / 8.5%
Dargan — 5-14: 3.6% Clarence — 5-14: 8.5%
15-19 7.2% / 6.5%
Dargan — 15-19: 7.2% Clarence — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 — / 1.5%
Dargan — 20-24: not among its largest Clarence — 20-24: 1.5%
25-34 4.8% / 9.5%
Dargan — 25-34: 4.8% Clarence — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 3.6% / 7.0%
Dargan — 35-44: 3.6% Clarence — 35-44: 7.0%
45-54 19.3% / 19.0%
Dargan — 45-54: 19.3% Clarence — 45-54: 19.0%
55-64 24.1% / 15.0%
Dargan — 55-64: 24.1% Clarence — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 32.5% / 21.0%
Dargan — 65-74: 32.5% Clarence — 65-74: 21.0%
75-84 3.6% / 3.5%
Dargan — 75-84: 3.6% Clarence — 75-84: 3.5%
85+ — / 2.5%
Dargan — 85+: not among its largest Clarence — 85+: 2.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (32.5%).

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.

Dargan Clarence
England 6.0% / 4.0%
Dargan — England: 6.0% Clarence — England: 4.0%
New Zealand — / 1.5%
Dargan — New Zealand: not among its largest Clarence — New Zealand: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (6.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Dargan 71.4% lone person
Dargan — Lone Person: 71.4% Dargan — Couple Families: 14.3% Dargan — One Parent Families: 14.3%
Clarence 32.6% lone person
Clarence — Lone Person: 32.6% Clarence — Couple Families: 60.9% Clarence — One Parent Families: 6.5%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Dargan 100.0% houses
Dargan — Houses: 100.0%
Clarence 100.0% houses
Clarence — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Dargan Clarence
Certificate III & IV 16.9% / 22.5%
Dargan — Certificate III & IV: 16.9% Clarence — Certificate III & IV: 22.5%
Bachelor Degree 16.9% / 5.5%
Dargan — Bachelor Degree: 16.9% Clarence — Bachelor Degree: 5.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 9.6% / 7.0%
Dargan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.6% Clarence — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0%
Postgraduate Degree 9.6% / —
Dargan — Postgraduate Degree: 9.6% Clarence — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.8% / 1.5%
Dargan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.8% Clarence — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.5%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Dargan 0.0% renting
Dargan — Owned Outright: 59.5% Dargan — Mortgage: 40.5% Dargan — Renting: 0.0%
Clarence 0.0% renting
Clarence — Owned Outright: 54.9% Clarence — Mortgage: 45.1% Clarence — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Dargan Clarence
Median house price $895,000 $1,080,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Dargan Clarence
Environmental 73% 78%
Residential 18%
same for both
Infrastructure and transport 9% 5%
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

Dargan Clarence
New dwellings approved 55
across Lithgow
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Dargan Clarence
House price Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Income Higher than 22% of NSW Higher than 60% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 64% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 40% of NSW Higher than 53% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 80% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW

Liveability

Clarence is more walkable (14 vs 0).

Dargan Clarence
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Dargan carries more crime risk (58 vs 48).

Dargan Clarence
Bushfire High
98/100
 High
97/100
Crime Moderate
58/100
 Moderate
48/100
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 2
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Dargan Clarence
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

Dargan Clarence
Parks & reserves 2 1
Waterways 6 11

Mobility

Clarence sits further from the CBD (137.4 km vs 133 km).

Dargan Clarence
Walkability score 0/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 133 km 137.4 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 118 min 122 min
Electric vehicle share 1.0%
postcode 2786
 0.5%
postcode 2790
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 39
postcode 2786
 36
postcode 2790

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.

Dargan Clarence
Car (driver) 74.1% / 73.1%
Dargan — Car (driver): 74.1% Clarence — Car (driver): 73.1%
Worked from Home 25.9% / 26.9%
Dargan — Worked from Home: 25.9% Clarence — Worked from Home: 26.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.1%).

Setting

Dargan Clarence
Elevation 1,016 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 1,146 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Dargan Clarence
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
66 premises
 0%
117 premises

Climate

Dargan Clarence
Annual rainfall 1,147 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 23.8°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 3.2°C
same for both

Council rates

Dargan Clarence
Average residential rate $1,150/yr
same for both
Council Lithgow
same for both

Federal electorate

Dargan Clarence
Division Calare
same for both
Member Andrew Gee
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Dargan Clarence
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Dargan

Retirees Rural

Clarence

Retirees Rural Trains

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Dargan

Dargan vs Hartley Dargan vs Hartley Vale

Other comparisons with Clarence

Clarence vs Hartley Clarence vs Vale Of Clwydd Clarence vs Oakey Park Clarence vs Corney Town
Full data on Dargan Full data on Clarence
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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