Empire Bay vs St Huberts Island

Empire Bay is the younger of the two, with a median age of 42 against 58 in St Huberts Island. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Empire Bay, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in St Huberts Island: a median of $1.93 million, against $1.17 million in Empire Bay, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Empire Bay tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget, while St Huberts Island suits people living alone and older residents.

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 Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 55%)

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

First-home buyers

Empire Bay

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($1,167,500 vs $1,925,000)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (26% vs 40%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Empire Bay

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 35%)
  • has cheaper rent ($410/wk vs $560/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Empire Bay is more walkable (51/100 vs 43/100)
  • St Huberts Island sits closer to the CBD (88.7 km vs 91 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Empire Bay is more walkable (51/100 vs 43/100)
  • St Huberts Island has more residents already 65 and over (39% vs 20%)

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

Investors

Empire Bay

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (6.0% vs 3.0%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

Empire Bay and St Huberts Island drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
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.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Walkability 51 / 43
Empire Bay — Walkability: 51/100 St Huberts Island — Walkability: 43/100
Safety 82 / 74
Empire Bay — Safety: 82/100 St Huberts Island — Safety: 74/100
Low fire risk 36 / 100
Empire Bay — Low fire risk: 36/100 St Huberts Island — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Empire Bay has more residents (2,522 vs 1,080); St Huberts Island skews older (58 vs 42).

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Population 2,522
+57% vs other
 1,080
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +5.1% +2.1%
Median age 42 58
Median household income $97,968/yr
+15% vs other
 $83,460/yr
Median weekly rent $410/wk $560/wk
+37% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
0-4 5.9% / 2.8%
Empire Bay — 0-4: 5.9% St Huberts Island — 0-4: 2.8%
5-14 14.0% / 9.6%
Empire Bay — 5-14: 14.0% St Huberts Island — 5-14: 9.6%
15-19 6.8% / 4.2%
Empire Bay — 15-19: 6.8% St Huberts Island — 15-19: 4.2%
20-24 5.0% / 3.7%
Empire Bay — 20-24: 5.0% St Huberts Island — 20-24: 3.7%
25-34 8.7% / 5.0%
Empire Bay — 25-34: 8.7% St Huberts Island — 25-34: 5.0%
35-44 12.6% / 8.4%
Empire Bay — 35-44: 12.6% St Huberts Island — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 14.2% / 12.0%
Empire Bay — 45-54: 14.2% St Huberts Island — 45-54: 12.0%
55-64 13.3% / 16.0%
Empire Bay — 55-64: 13.3% St Huberts Island — 55-64: 16.0%
65-74 12.2% / 20.7%
Empire Bay — 65-74: 12.2% St Huberts Island — 65-74: 20.7%
75-84 5.8% / 13.1%
Empire Bay — 75-84: 5.8% St Huberts Island — 75-84: 13.1%
85+ 1.5% / 4.8%
Empire Bay — 85+: 1.5% St Huberts Island — 85+: 4.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Empire Bay 52.1% couple families
Empire Bay — Couple Families: 52.1% Empire Bay — Lone Person: 26.4% Empire Bay — One Parent Families: 17.7% Empire Bay — Group Household: 2.5% Empire Bay — Other Families: 1.3%
St Huberts Island 43.0% couple families
St Huberts Island — Couple Families: 43.0% St Huberts Island — Lone Person: 41.5% St Huberts Island — One Parent Families: 12.0% St Huberts Island — Group Household: 3.5% St Huberts Island — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Empire Bay 17.8% renting
Empire Bay — Owned Outright: 39.2% Empire Bay — Mortgage: 43.0% Empire Bay — Renting: 17.8%
St Huberts Island 8.9% renting
St Huberts Island — Owned Outright: 61.8% St Huberts Island — Mortgage: 29.4% St Huberts Island — Renting: 8.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Certificate III & IV 19.5% / 21.0%
Empire Bay — Certificate III & IV: 19.5% St Huberts Island — Certificate III & IV: 21.0%
Bachelor Degree 9.4% / 9.7%
Empire Bay — Bachelor Degree: 9.4% St Huberts Island — Bachelor Degree: 9.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 8.4% / 9.5%
Empire Bay — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4% St Huberts Island — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 9.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 3.6%
Empire Bay — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% St Huberts Island — Postgraduate Degree: 3.6%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 1.6%
Empire Bay — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% St Huberts Island — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.0%).

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.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
England 4.6% / 4.5%
Empire Bay — England: 4.6% St Huberts Island — England: 4.5%
New Zealand 1.3% / 2.2%
Empire Bay — New Zealand: 1.3% St Huberts Island — New Zealand: 2.2%
South Africa 0.5% / 1.3%
Empire Bay — South Africa: 0.5% St Huberts Island — South Africa: 1.3%
Italy 0.4% / 1.3%
Empire Bay — Italy: 0.4% St Huberts Island — Italy: 1.3%
Philippines 0.4% / 0.7%
Empire Bay — Philippines: 0.4% St Huberts Island — Philippines: 0.7%
China 0.4% / —
Empire Bay — China: 0.4% St Huberts Island — China: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.6%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Empire Bay 93.3% houses
Empire Bay — Houses: 93.3% Empire Bay — Townhouses: 3.9% Empire Bay — Flats / Apartments: 2.8%
St Huberts Island 96.9% houses
St Huberts Island — Houses: 96.9% St Huberts Island — Townhouses: 2.2% St Huberts Island — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Median house price $1,167,500 $1,925,000
Median unit price $817,500 —
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 43 days
from 19 sales
 54 days
from 18 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
3 bed $1.1M / $1.93M
Empire Bay — 3 bed: $1.1M (19 sales) St Huberts Island — 3 bed: $1.93M (12 sales)

19 vs 12 sales

4 bed $1.27M / $1.75M
Empire Bay — 4 bed: $1.27M (15 sales) St Huberts Island — 4 bed: $1.75M (17 sales)

15 vs 17 sales

5 bed $1.94M / $2.12M
Empire Bay — 5 bed: $1.94M (6 sales) St Huberts Island — 5 bed: $2.12M (13 sales)

6 vs 13 sales

Zoning mix

Empire Bay has more land zoned for conservation (77% vs 10%).

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Residential 16% 88%
Environmental 77% 10%
Parks and recreation 4% 2%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 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

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
New dwellings approved 1,441
across Central Coast (NSW)
same for both
Approvals change year on year +67%
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.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Houses 6.0%
$1,000/wk on $872K
 3.0%
$1,200/wk on $2.07M
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
House price Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 84% of NSW
Income Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 51% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 11% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 99% of NSW Higher than 22% of NSW

Liveability

St Huberts Island scores higher overall (69 vs 53); Empire Bay is more walkable (51 vs 43).

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Grade B
same for both
Score 53/100 69/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Empire Bay carries more bushfire risk (64 vs 0).

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Bushfire Moderate
64/100
 None
0/100
Crime Low
18/100
 Low
26/100
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

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Empire Bay

  • Empire Bay Public School Government · Primary at peers

Schools in St Huberts Island

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 4 0
Parks & reserves 2 1
Childcare 1 0
Fuel stations 1 0

Mobility

Empire Bay sits further from the CBD (91 km vs 88.7 km).

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Walkability score 51/100 43/100
Distance to Sydney 91 km
+3% vs other
 88.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 87 min 84 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus · Ferry
 76/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 94.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 54.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2257
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 31
postcode 2257
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.

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Car (driver) 58.7% / 53.1%
Empire Bay — Car (driver): 58.7% St Huberts Island — Car (driver): 53.1%
Worked from Home 34.3% / 43.3%
Empire Bay — Worked from Home: 34.3% St Huberts Island — Worked from Home: 43.3%
Car (passenger) 3.5% / 2.2%
Empire Bay — Car (passenger): 3.5% St Huberts Island — Car (passenger): 2.2%
Train 1.6% / 1.4%
Empire Bay — Train: 1.6% St Huberts Island — Train: 1.4%
Walked Only 1.4% / —
Empire Bay — Walked Only: 1.4% St Huberts Island — Walked Only: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.7%).

Setting

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Elevation -2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.5 km
3.3 km to a named beach
 1.6 km
4.3 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Connectivity score 63/100 74/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 32%
978 premises
 54%
537 premises

Climate

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Annual rainfall 1,272 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 26.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.6°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
PM2.5 5.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.8 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.36 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Average residential rate $1,409/yr
same for both
Council Central Coast (NSW)
same for both

Federal electorate

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Division Robertson
same for both
Member Gordon Reid
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Empire Bay St Huberts Island
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Empire Bay

Coastal Large Blocks Outer Quiet

St Huberts Island

Coastal Outer Premium Retirees

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Empire Bay

Empire Bay vs Davistown Empire Bay vs Bensville Empire Bay vs Killcare Heights Empire Bay vs Kincumber South Empire Bay vs Daleys Point Empire Bay vs Killcare

Other comparisons with St Huberts Island

St Huberts Island vs Woy Woy St Huberts Island vs Saratoga St Huberts Island vs Davistown St Huberts Island vs Blackwall St Huberts Island vs Daleys Point
Full data on Empire Bay Full data on St Huberts Island
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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