Essington vs Norway
Essington is the younger of the two, with a median age of 47 against 65 in Norway. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Essington, about half of households are couple families. In Norway, the large majority of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Norway: a median of $950,000, against $715,000 in Essington, though rent is higher in Essington. On these figures, Essington tends to suit couples and buyers on a tighter budget, while Norway 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
They split
one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here
- Essington is already more of a family suburb (64% vs 22%)
- Norway carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 11/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Essington
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (24% vs 47%)
- has cheaper houses ($715,000 vs $950,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Norway
ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $600/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 32%)
Weighs rent and rental stress.
Commuting to the city
Norway
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (199 min vs 204 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (214.4 km vs 218.6 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Norway
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 11/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (47% vs 12%)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Essington
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.2% vs -1.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Essington and Norway 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
Essington rents higher ($600/wk vs $200/wk); Essington has higher household incomes ($97,448 vs $55,224).
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 99 +41% vs other | 58 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +4.2% | -1.7% |
| Median age | 47 | 65 |
| Median household income | $97,448/yr +43% vs other | $55,224/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $600/wk +67% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (39.7%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).
Property market
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $715,000 | $950,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% same for both | |
| 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
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 21 across Oberon same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -33% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 47% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 42% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 83% of NSW | Higher than 25% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 29% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 29% of NSW | Higher than 44% of NSW |
Liveability
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Essington carries more bushfire risk (33 vs 0); Essington carries more crime risk (11 vs 0).
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 33/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | Low 11/100 | None 0/100 |
| 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 | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 23 | 18 |
Mobility
Essington sits further from the CBD (218.6 km vs 214.4 km).
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 same for both | |
| Distance to Sydney | 218.6 km +2% vs other | 214.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 204 min | 199 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2787 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 44 postcode 2787 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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (68.9%).
Setting
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 994 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 1,153 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 19/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fixed wireless |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 38 premises | 0% 36 premises |
Climate
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 738 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Council rates
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $975/yr same for both | |
| Council | Oberon same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Essington | Norway | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Essington
Other comparisons with Norway
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.