Empire Vale vs Keith Hall

In both, the large majority of 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 Keith Hall: a median of $925,000, against $750,000 in Empire Vale, though rent is higher in Empire Vale. On these figures, Empire Vale tends to suit older residents and 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

Empire Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($749,500 vs $925,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Keith Hall

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($313/wk vs $520/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (24% vs 36%)

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

Commuting to the city

Empire Vale

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 11/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (719.9 km vs 722.6 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Empire Vale

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 11/100)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 15%)

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

Investors

Empire Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (6.9% vs -8.8%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Empire Vale and Keith Hall 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 Vale Keith Hall
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 Vale Keith Hall
Walkability 23 / 11
Empire Vale — Walkability: 23/100 Keith Hall — Walkability: 11/100
Safety 29 / 32
Empire Vale — Safety: 29/100 Keith Hall — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 79 / 58
Empire Vale — Low fire risk: 79/100 Keith Hall — Low fire risk: 58/100

Demographics

Empire Vale rents higher ($520/wk vs $313/wk); Empire Vale has higher household incomes ($74,256 vs $66,872).

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Population 185
+16% vs other
 156
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +6.9% -8.8%
Median age 48 46
Median household income $74,256/yr
+10% vs other
 $66,872/yr
Median weekly rent $520/wk
+40% vs other
 $313/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Empire Vale Keith Hall
0-4 1.6% / 4.5%
Empire Vale — 0-4: 1.6% Keith Hall — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 9.7% / 12.8%
Empire Vale — 5-14: 9.7% Keith Hall — 5-14: 12.8%
15-19 9.7% / 6.4%
Empire Vale — 15-19: 9.7% Keith Hall — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 4.3% / 10.3%
Empire Vale — 20-24: 4.3% Keith Hall — 20-24: 10.3%
25-34 11.4% / 8.3%
Empire Vale — 25-34: 11.4% Keith Hall — 25-34: 8.3%
35-44 6.5% / 7.1%
Empire Vale — 35-44: 6.5% Keith Hall — 35-44: 7.1%
45-54 16.2% / 12.8%
Empire Vale — 45-54: 16.2% Keith Hall — 45-54: 12.8%
55-64 15.7% / 20.5%
Empire Vale — 55-64: 15.7% Keith Hall — 55-64: 20.5%
65-74 16.2% / 12.8%
Empire Vale — 65-74: 16.2% Keith Hall — 65-74: 12.8%
75-84 7.6% / 2.6%
Empire Vale — 75-84: 7.6% Keith Hall — 75-84: 2.6%
85+ 2.2% / —
Empire Vale — 85+: 2.2% Keith Hall — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.5%).

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.

Empire Vale Keith Hall
England 3.8% / 5.8%
Empire Vale — England: 3.8% Keith Hall — England: 5.8%
New Zealand 2.2% / —
Empire Vale — New Zealand: 2.2% Keith Hall — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Empire Vale 52.1% couple families
Empire Vale — Couple Families: 52.1% Empire Vale — Lone Person: 31.2% Empire Vale — One Parent Families: 16.7% Empire Vale — Group Household: 0.0%
Keith Hall 43.8% couple families
Keith Hall — Couple Families: 43.8% Keith Hall — Lone Person: 27.1% Keith Hall — One Parent Families: 18.8% Keith Hall — Group Household: 10.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Empire Vale 100.0% houses
Empire Vale — Houses: 100.0%
Keith Hall 101.9% houses
Keith Hall — Houses: 101.9%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Certificate III & IV 24.9% / 14.7%
Empire Vale — Certificate III & IV: 24.9% Keith Hall — Certificate III & IV: 14.7%
Bachelor Degree 7.0% / 12.8%
Empire Vale — Bachelor Degree: 7.0% Keith Hall — Bachelor Degree: 12.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.9% / 7.1%
Empire Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9% Keith Hall — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.1%
Postgraduate Degree 2.2% / —
Empire Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2% Keith Hall — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Empire Vale 11.3% renting
Empire Vale — Owned Outright: 48.4% Empire Vale — Mortgage: 40.3% Empire Vale — Renting: 11.3%
Keith Hall 15.7% renting
Keith Hall — Owned Outright: 47.1% Keith Hall — Mortgage: 37.3% Keith Hall — Renting: 15.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Median house price $749,500 $925,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) — 67 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Rural and farming 81% 82%
Other and special use 19% 15%
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

Empire Vale Keith Hall
New dwellings approved 238
across Ballina
same for both
Approvals change year on year +210%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Empire Vale Keith Hall
House price Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW
Income Higher than 41% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 72% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 56% of NSW Higher than 36% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 82% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 59% of NSW Higher than 52% of NSW

Liveability

Empire Vale is more walkable (23 vs 11).

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 6/10

Risk profile

Keith Hall carries more bushfire risk (42 vs 21).

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Bushfire Low
21/100
 Moderate
42/100
Crime High
71/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion Low
11/100
 Low
10/100
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Empire Vale

  • Empire Vale Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Keith Hall

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

Amenities in the suburb

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Waterways 1 7

Mobility

Keith Hall sits further from the CBD (722.6 km vs 719.9 km).

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Walkability score 23/100 11/100
Distance to Sydney 719.9 km 722.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 475 min 479 min
Electric vehicle share 1.1%
postcode 2478
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 66
postcode 2478
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 Vale Keith Hall
Car (driver) 74.4% / 59.2%
Empire Vale — Car (driver): 74.4% Keith Hall — Car (driver): 59.2%
Worked from Home 16.7% / 31.6%
Empire Vale — Worked from Home: 16.7% Keith Hall — Worked from Home: 31.6%
Car (passenger) 9.0% / 9.2%
Empire Vale — Car (passenger): 9.0% Keith Hall — Car (passenger): 9.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.4%).

Setting

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Elevation 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 1.7 km 1.9 km
3.5 km to a named beach

NBN connectivity

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
81 premises
 0%
58 premises

Council rates

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Average residential rate $1,264/yr
same for both
Council Ballina
same for both

Federal electorate

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Division Page Richmond
Member Kevin Hogan Justine Elliot
Party The Nationals Australian Labor Party

First Home Owner Grant

Empire Vale Keith Hall
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Empire Vale

Coastal Retirees Rural

Keith Hall

Coastal Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Empire Vale

Empire Vale vs Wardell Empire Vale vs Pimlico Empire Vale vs East Wardell

Other comparisons with Keith Hall

Keith Hall vs Ballina Keith Hall vs West Ballina Keith Hall vs Pimlico
Full data on Empire Vale Full data on Keith Hall
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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