Falls Creek vs Parma

Falls Creek is the younger of the two, with a median age of 49 against 53 in Parma. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Falls Creek, about half of households are couple families. In Parma, most households are couple families. On these figures, Parma tends to suit people living alone.

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

Parma

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 34%)

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

Falls Creek

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 10/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (147 min vs 153 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (175.6 km vs 180.1 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Falls Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (23/100 vs 10/100)

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

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

Falls Creek Parma
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.

Falls Creek Parma
Walkability 23 / 10
Falls Creek — Walkability: 23/100 Parma — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 55 / 60
Falls Creek — Safety: 55/100 Parma — Safety: 60/100
Low fire risk 10 / 8
Falls Creek — Low fire risk: 10/100 Parma — Low fire risk: 8/100

Demographics

Falls Creek has more residents (939 vs 167); Parma skews older (53 vs 49).

Falls Creek Parma
Population 939
+82% vs other
 167
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.4% -1.2%
Median age 49 53
Median household income $78,416/yr $84,448/yr
+8% vs other
Median weekly rent $350/wk $375/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek Parma
0-4 3.4% / —
Falls Creek — 0-4: 3.4% Parma — 0-4: not among its largest
5-14 11.2% / 10.2%
Falls Creek — 5-14: 11.2% Parma — 5-14: 10.2%
15-19 5.3% / 9.0%
Falls Creek — 15-19: 5.3% Parma — 15-19: 9.0%
20-24 4.5% / 4.2%
Falls Creek — 20-24: 4.5% Parma — 20-24: 4.2%
25-34 9.7% / 1.8%
Falls Creek — 25-34: 9.7% Parma — 25-34: 1.8%
35-44 9.3% / 8.4%
Falls Creek — 35-44: 9.3% Parma — 35-44: 8.4%
45-54 14.7% / 18.6%
Falls Creek — 45-54: 14.7% Parma — 45-54: 18.6%
55-64 16.9% / 26.9%
Falls Creek — 55-64: 16.9% Parma — 55-64: 26.9%
65-74 15.5% / 13.8%
Falls Creek — 65-74: 15.5% Parma — 65-74: 13.8%
75-84 8.1% / 7.8%
Falls Creek — 75-84: 8.1% Parma — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 1.3% / 1.8%
Falls Creek — 85+: 1.3% Parma — 85+: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek 53.9% couple families
Falls Creek — Couple Families: 53.9% Falls Creek — Lone Person: 27.9% Falls Creek — One Parent Families: 11.3% Falls Creek — Group Household: 4.4% Falls Creek — Other Families: 2.5%
Parma 62.5% couple families
Parma — Couple Families: 62.5% Parma — Lone Person: 37.5% Parma — One Parent Families: 0.0% Parma — Group Household: 0.0% Parma — 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.

Falls Creek 9.9% renting
Falls Creek — Owned Outright: 48.1% Falls Creek — Mortgage: 42.0% Falls Creek — Renting: 9.9%
Parma 6.9% renting
Parma — Owned Outright: 60.3% Parma — Mortgage: 32.8% Parma — Renting: 6.9%
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.

Falls Creek Parma
England 5.9% / 2.4%
Falls Creek — England: 5.9% Parma — England: 2.4%
Germany 0.9% / —
Falls Creek — Germany: 0.9% Parma — Germany: not among its largest
Scotland 0.7% / —
Falls Creek — Scotland: 0.7% Parma — Scotland: not among its largest
Canada 0.5% / —
Falls Creek — Canada: 0.5% Parma — Canada: not among its largest
New Zealand 0.4% / —
Falls Creek — New Zealand: 0.4% Parma — New Zealand: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (5.9%).

Qualifications

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

Falls Creek Parma
Certificate III & IV 21.8% / 19.2%
Falls Creek — Certificate III & IV: 21.8% Parma — Certificate III & IV: 19.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.9% / 12.0%
Falls Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.9% Parma — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 12.0%
Bachelor Degree 7.2% / 11.4%
Falls Creek — Bachelor Degree: 7.2% Parma — Bachelor Degree: 11.4%
Postgraduate Degree 1.7% / 2.4%
Falls Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 1.7% Parma — Postgraduate Degree: 2.4%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.4% / —
Falls Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4% Parma — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.8%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Falls Creek 98.5% houses
Falls Creek — Houses: 98.5% Falls Creek — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Parma 100.0% houses
Parma — Houses: 100.0% Parma — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Falls Creek Parma
Median house price $1,250,000 $1,200,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $1,625,000 —

Zoning mix

Parma has more rural and farming land (85% vs 64%).

Falls Creek Parma
Rural and farming 64% 85%
Residential 23% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 3% 15%
Environmental 10% 0%
Parks and recreation 1% 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

Falls Creek Parma
New dwellings approved 854
across Shoalhaven
same for both
Approvals change year on year -10%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Falls Creek Parma
House price Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Income Higher than 46% of NSW Higher than 52% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 23% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 54% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 55% of NSW Higher than 48% of NSW

Liveability

Falls Creek is more walkable (23 vs 10).

Falls Creek Parma
Grade D —
Score 26/100 —
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 very advantaged area
decile 9/10

Risk profile

Falls Creek Parma
Bushfire High
90/100
 High
92/100
Crime Moderate
45/100
 Moderate
40/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
 High
91/100
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Falls Creek Parma
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 Falls Creek

  • Falls Creek Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Parma

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

Amenities in the suburb

Falls Creek Parma
Parks & reserves 1 0
Childcare 1 0
Waterways 1
same for both

Mobility

Parma sits further from the CBD (180.1 km vs 175.6 km).

Falls Creek Parma
Walkability score 23/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 175.6 km 180.1 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 147 min 153 min
Electric vehicle share 0.5%
postcode 2540
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 44
postcode 2540
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.

Falls Creek Parma
Car (driver) 75.7% / 64.1%
Falls Creek — Car (driver): 75.7% Parma — Car (driver): 64.1%
Worked from Home 17.2% / 29.7%
Falls Creek — Worked from Home: 17.2% Parma — Worked from Home: 29.7%
Walked Only 1.2% / 6.2%
Falls Creek — Walked Only: 1.2% Parma — Walked Only: 6.2%
Car (passenger) 5.9% / —
Falls Creek — Car (passenger): 5.9% Parma — Car (passenger): not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (75.7%).

Setting

Falls Creek Parma
Elevation 68 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 63 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.9 km 13.4 km

NBN connectivity

Falls Creek Parma
Connectivity score 30/100 29/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
360 premises
 0%
67 premises

Climate

Falls Creek Parma
Annual rainfall 1,302 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 23.9°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 9.6°C
same for both

Council rates

Falls Creek Parma
Average residential rate $1,501/yr
same for both
Council Shoalhaven
same for both

Federal electorate

Falls Creek Parma
Division Gilmore
same for both
Member Fiona Phillips
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Falls Creek Parma
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Falls Creek

Acreage

Parma

Rural

More comparisons

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Falls Creek vs Nowra Hill Falls Creek vs Tomerong Falls Creek vs Huskisson Falls Creek vs Woollamia

Other comparisons with Parma

Parma vs Nowra Hill
Full data on Falls Creek Full data on Parma
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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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