Emerton vs Whalan

In both, the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Emerton, most households rent. In Whalan, about half of households rent.

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

Whalan

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (7 vs 2)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (89% vs 78%)
  • carries lower crime risk (87/100 vs 97/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Too close to call

Nothing among the 3 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

Commuting to the city

Too close to call

Nothing among the 4 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Emerton has more units and townhouses to downsize into (22% vs 12%)
  • Whalan carries lower crime risk (87/100 vs 97/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, 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

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

Emerton Whalan
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.

Emerton Whalan
Walkability 81 / 79
Emerton — Walkability: 81/100 Whalan — Walkability: 79/100
Safety 3 / 13
Emerton — Safety: 3/100 Whalan — Safety: 13/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Emerton — Low fire risk: 100/100 Whalan — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Whalan has more residents (5,929 vs 2,295); Whalan skews older (34 vs 32).

Emerton Whalan
Population 2,295 5,929
+158% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +1.9% -0.7%
Median age 32 34
Median household income $64,376/yr
+6% vs other
 $60,320/yr
Median weekly rent $320/wk
+6% vs other
 $300/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Emerton Whalan
0-4 7.8% / 7.6%
Emerton — 0-4: 7.8% Whalan — 0-4: 7.6%
5-14 17.5% / 16.8%
Emerton — 5-14: 17.5% Whalan — 5-14: 16.8%
15-19 6.9% / 7.7%
Emerton — 15-19: 6.9% Whalan — 15-19: 7.7%
20-24 7.4% / 6.1%
Emerton — 20-24: 7.4% Whalan — 20-24: 6.1%
25-34 14.5% / 12.3%
Emerton — 25-34: 14.5% Whalan — 25-34: 12.3%
35-44 10.2% / 12.4%
Emerton — 35-44: 10.2% Whalan — 35-44: 12.4%
45-54 11.7% / 11.4%
Emerton — 45-54: 11.7% Whalan — 45-54: 11.4%
55-64 10.7% / 10.8%
Emerton — 55-64: 10.7% Whalan — 55-64: 10.8%
65-74 7.8% / 9.0%
Emerton — 65-74: 7.8% Whalan — 65-74: 9.0%
75-84 5.1% / 5.0%
Emerton — 75-84: 5.1% Whalan — 75-84: 5.0%
85+ 0.9% / 1.0%
Emerton — 85+: 0.9% Whalan — 85+: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Emerton 34.0% couple families
Emerton — Couple Families: 34.0% Emerton — One Parent Families: 31.3% Emerton — Lone Person: 27.2% Emerton — Group Household: 4.5% Emerton — Other Families: 3.0%
Whalan 32.8% couple families
Whalan — Couple Families: 32.8% Whalan — One Parent Families: 31.0% Whalan — Lone Person: 30.6% Whalan — Group Household: 2.8% Whalan — Other Families: 2.8%
Couple Families One Parent Families Lone Person Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Emerton 55.8% renting
Emerton — Owned Outright: 19.8% Emerton — Mortgage: 24.4% Emerton — Renting: 55.8%
Whalan 54.3% renting
Whalan — Owned Outright: 22.7% Whalan — Mortgage: 22.9% Whalan — Renting: 54.3%
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.

Emerton Whalan
New Zealand 6.0% / 3.7%
Emerton — New Zealand: 6.0% Whalan — New Zealand: 3.7%
Philippines 4.9% / 3.5%
Emerton — Philippines: 4.9% Whalan — Philippines: 3.5%
Fiji 1.2% / 1.8%
Emerton — Fiji: 1.2% Whalan — Fiji: 1.8%
England 1.6% / 1.1%
Emerton — England: 1.6% Whalan — England: 1.1%
India 0.8% / 1.1%
Emerton — India: 0.8% Whalan — India: 1.1%

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

Qualifications

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

Emerton Whalan
Certificate III & IV 10.1% / 10.3%
Emerton — Certificate III & IV: 10.1% Whalan — Certificate III & IV: 10.3%
Bachelor Degree 4.2% / 4.1%
Emerton — Bachelor Degree: 4.2% Whalan — Bachelor Degree: 4.1%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 3.7% / 4.1%
Emerton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 3.7% Whalan — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.1%
Postgraduate Degree 1.0% / 1.5%
Emerton — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0% Whalan — Postgraduate Degree: 1.5%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.4% / 0.4%
Emerton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.4% Whalan — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (10.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Emerton 78.5% houses
Emerton — Houses: 78.5% Emerton — Townhouses: 16.2% Emerton — Flats / Apartments: 5.3%
Whalan 88.6% houses
Whalan — Houses: 88.6% Whalan — Townhouses: 5.5% Whalan — Flats / Apartments: 6.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Emerton Whalan
Median house price $894,444 $920,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 21 days
from 10 sales
 22 days
from 31 sales

Zoning mix

Emerton Whalan
Residential 62% 63%
Parks and recreation 19% 27%
Infrastructure and transport 14% 9%
Commercial 5% 0%
Environmental 0% 2%
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

Emerton Whalan
New dwellings approved 2,325
across Blacktown
same for both
Approvals change year on year -18%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Emerton Whalan
Houses — 3.4%
$550/wk on $850K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Emerton Whalan
House price Higher than 42% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Income Higher than 27% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 2% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 93% of NSW Higher than 92% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 32% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 82% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 38% of NSW

Liveability

Emerton Whalan
Grade C
same for both
Score 39/100 36/100
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
same for both

Risk profile

Emerton carries more crime risk (97 vs 87).

Emerton Whalan
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime High
97/100
 High
87/100
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 7
within 5 km
 8
within 5 km

Schools

Emerton Whalan
Inside the suburb 2 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 2 0
Universities within 10 km 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 7.9 km
 1
Western Sydney University - Penrith, 7.5 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 1.2%
same for both

Schools in Emerton

  • Emerton Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Holy Family Primary School Catholic · Primary below peers

Schools in Whalan

  • Madang Avenue Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Whalan Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Halinda School Government · Combined · Special school

Amenities in the suburb

Emerton Whalan
Supermarkets 1
same for both
Cafes & restaurants 7 0
Parks & reserves 2 4
Childcare 2 7
GPs 2 1
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0
Waterways 0 1

Mobility

Emerton Whalan
Walkability score 81/100 79/100
Distance to Sydney 46.6 km
+4% vs other
 44.9 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 46 min 44 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
same for both
Peak arrivals per hour 54.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 119.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
 0 min
scheduled, not actual
Electric vehicle share 0.3%
postcode 2770
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 37
postcode 2770
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.

Emerton Whalan
Car (driver) 66.0% / 62.7%
Emerton — Car (driver): 66.0% Whalan — Car (driver): 62.7%
Worked from Home 17.7% / 20.6%
Emerton — Worked from Home: 17.7% Whalan — Worked from Home: 20.6%
Car (passenger) 9.2% / 8.1%
Emerton — Car (passenger): 9.2% Whalan — Car (passenger): 8.1%
Train 5.2% / 5.5%
Emerton — Train: 5.2% Whalan — Train: 5.5%
Bus 1.3% / 1.8%
Emerton — Bus: 1.3% Whalan — Bus: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (66.0%).

Setting

Emerton Whalan
Elevation 50 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 40 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 40.2 km 39.6 km

NBN connectivity

Emerton Whalan
Connectivity score 75/100
same for both
Most common technology Hybrid fibre-coaxial
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
901 premises
 9%
2,202 premises

Climate

Emerton Whalan
Annual rainfall 822 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Emerton Whalan
PM2.5 5.6 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.6 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.55 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Emerton Whalan
Average residential rate $1,157/yr
same for both
Council Blacktown
same for both

Federal electorate

Emerton Whalan
Division Chifley
same for both
Member Ed Husic
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Emerton Whalan
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Emerton

Family Outer Parks

Whalan

Family Outer Parks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Emerton

Emerton vs Lethbridge Park Emerton vs Tregear Emerton vs Blackett Emerton vs Dharruk

Other comparisons with Whalan

Whalan vs Mount Druitt Whalan vs North St Marys Whalan vs Tregear Whalan vs Dharruk
Full data on Emerton Full data on Whalan
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or