East Wardell vs Empire Vale
East Wardell is the younger of the two, with a median age of 44 against 48 in Empire Vale. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Empire Vale, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in East Wardell: a median of $855,000, against $750,000 in Empire Vale, though rent is higher in Empire Vale. On these figures, Empire Vale tends to suit 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
Empire Vale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 89/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 58%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Empire Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($749,500 vs $855,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
East Wardell
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (27% vs 11%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 36%)
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $520/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
East Wardell
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (466 min vs 475 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (712.4 km vs 719.9 km)
- But Empire Vale is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Empire Vale
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (23/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 18%)
- carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 89/100)
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
East Wardell and Empire 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
East Wardell has more residents (312 vs 185); Empire Vale rents higher ($520/wk vs $350/wk).
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 312 +41% vs other | 185 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.3% | +6.9% |
| Median age | 44 | 48 |
| Median household income | $80,600/yr +8% vs other | $74,256/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $520/wk +49% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.6%).
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 (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $855,000 | $749,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 172 days from 4 sales | — |
Zoning mix
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 79% | 81% |
| Other and special use | 15% | 19% |
| Environmental | 6% | 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
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 48% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 51% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
Liveability
Empire Vale is more walkable (23 vs 0).
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 3/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
East Wardell carries more crime risk (89 vs 71).
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 12/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | High 89/100 | High 71/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 30/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 | 1 |
Schools in East Wardell
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in Empire Vale
- Empire Vale Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Empire Vale sits further from the CBD (719.9 km vs 712.4 km).
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 23/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 712.4 km | 719.9 km +1% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 466 min | 475 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 | 1.1% postcode 2478 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 | 66 postcode 2478 |
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 (74.4%).
Setting
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 3 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 1.7 km same for both | |
NBN connectivity
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 131 premises | 0% 81 premises |
Council rates
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| East Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with East Wardell
Other comparisons with Empire 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.