Forbes vs Kilmore

Kilmore is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 49 in Forbes. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Forbes, most households are couple families. On these figures, Forbes tends to suit couples, while Kilmore suits families with children.

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

Kilmore

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (11 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (8 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)
  • But Forbes carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 68/100)

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

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Kilmore

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($340/wk vs $425/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Kilmore

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (63 min vs 75 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (72.7 km vs 80.8 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Kilmore

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (71/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • But Forbes carries lower crime risk (19/100 vs 68/100)

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

Investors

Forbes

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (25.4% vs 15.7%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Forbes Kilmore
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.

Forbes Kilmore
Walkability 0 / 71
Forbes — Walkability: 0/100 Kilmore — Walkability: 71/100
Safety 81 / 32
Forbes — Safety: 81/100 Kilmore — Safety: 32/100
Low fire risk 20 / 16
Forbes — Low fire risk: 20/100 Kilmore — Low fire risk: 16/100
Low flood risk 100 / 100
Forbes — Low flood risk: 100/100 Kilmore — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Kilmore has more residents (9,207 vs 158); Forbes rents higher ($425/wk vs $340/wk).

Forbes Kilmore
Population 158 9,207
+5727% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +25.4% +15.7%
Median age 49 40
Median household income $84,500/yr
+5% vs other
 $80,548/yr
Median weekly rent $425/wk
+20% vs other
 $340/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forbes Kilmore
0-4 — / 6.1%
Forbes — 0-4: not among its largest Kilmore — 0-4: 6.1%
5-14 12.0% / 13.1%
Forbes — 5-14: 12.0% Kilmore — 5-14: 13.1%
15-19 8.2% / 6.5%
Forbes — 15-19: 8.2% Kilmore — 15-19: 6.5%
20-24 4.4% / 5.6%
Forbes — 20-24: 4.4% Kilmore — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 8.2% / 12.4%
Forbes — 25-34: 8.2% Kilmore — 25-34: 12.4%
35-44 6.3% / 11.7%
Forbes — 35-44: 6.3% Kilmore — 35-44: 11.7%
45-54 20.9% / 13.0%
Forbes — 45-54: 20.9% Kilmore — 45-54: 13.0%
55-64 15.2% / 11.4%
Forbes — 55-64: 15.2% Kilmore — 55-64: 11.4%
65-74 9.5% / 10.5%
Forbes — 65-74: 9.5% Kilmore — 65-74: 10.5%
75-84 8.2% / 7.2%
Forbes — 75-84: 8.2% Kilmore — 75-84: 7.2%
85+ — / 2.7%
Forbes — 85+: not among its largest Kilmore — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forbes 61.5% couple families
Forbes — Couple Families: 61.5% Forbes — Lone Person: 38.5% Forbes — One Parent Families: 0.0% Forbes — Group Household: 0.0% Forbes — Other Families: 0.0%
Kilmore 43.1% couple families
Kilmore — Couple Families: 43.1% Kilmore — Lone Person: 35.6% Kilmore — One Parent Families: 17.4% Kilmore — Group Household: 2.7% Kilmore — Other Families: 1.3%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forbes 14.3% renting
Forbes — Owned Outright: 42.9% Forbes — Mortgage: 42.9% Forbes — Renting: 14.3%
Kilmore 20.9% renting
Kilmore — Owned Outright: 33.7% Kilmore — Mortgage: 45.4% Kilmore — Renting: 20.9%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Forbes Kilmore
Certificate III & IV 15.2% / 17.7%
Forbes — Certificate III & IV: 15.2% Kilmore — Certificate III & IV: 17.7%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 10.1% / 7.8%
Forbes — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.1% Kilmore — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.8%
Bachelor Degree 7.0% / 7.5%
Forbes — Bachelor Degree: 7.0% Kilmore — Bachelor Degree: 7.5%
Postgraduate Degree 3.2% / 2.1%
Forbes — Postgraduate Degree: 3.2% Kilmore — Postgraduate Degree: 2.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 3.2% / 1.8%
Forbes — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 3.2% Kilmore — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

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.

Forbes Kilmore
England 3.2% / 3.3%
Forbes — England: 3.2% Kilmore — England: 3.3%
Ireland 1.9% / 0.4%
Forbes — Ireland: 1.9% Kilmore — Ireland: 0.4%
India — / 1.3%
Forbes — India: not among its largest Kilmore — India: 1.3%
New Zealand — / 1.2%
Forbes — New Zealand: not among its largest Kilmore — New Zealand: 1.2%
Italy — / 0.6%
Forbes — Italy: not among its largest Kilmore — Italy: 0.6%
Philippines — / 0.5%
Forbes — Philippines: not among its largest Kilmore — Philippines: 0.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.3%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forbes 100.0% houses
Forbes — Houses: 100.0% Forbes — Townhouses: 0.0% Forbes — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Kilmore 86.4% houses
Kilmore — Houses: 86.4% Kilmore — Townhouses: 12.2% Kilmore — Flats / Apartments: 1.5%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Forbes Kilmore
Median house price — $615,000
Median unit price — $447,500
Median land price — $557,500
Typical days to sell (houses) — 47 days
from 136 sales

Zoning mix

Forbes has more rural and farming land (99% vs 73%).

Forbes Kilmore
Rural and farming 99% 73%
Residential 0% 17%
Parks and recreation 0% 3%
Infrastructure and transport 1% 3%
Other and special use 0% 2%
Industrial 0% 1%
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

Forbes Kilmore
New dwellings approved 1,074
across Mitchell
same for both
Approvals change year on year +70%
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.

Forbes Kilmore
Houses — 3.9%
$520/wk on $700K
Units — 4.6%
$420/wk on $475K

Ranking within VIC

Forbes Kilmore
House price — Higher than 30% of VIC
Income Higher than 53% of VIC —
Schools — Higher than 32% of VIC
Walkability Higher than 24% of VIC Higher than 90% of VIC
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 34% of VIC
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 56% of VIC Higher than 86% of VIC
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 59% of VIC
Rental yield (units) — Higher than 38% of VIC

Liveability

Kilmore is more walkable (71 vs 0).

Forbes Kilmore
Grade — C
Score — 36/100
Socio-economic band advantaged area
decile 7/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Kilmore carries more crime risk (68 vs 19).

Forbes Kilmore
Bushfire High
80/100
 High
84/100
Crime Low
19/100
 Moderate
68/100
Flood None
0/100
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
 3
within 5 km

Schools

Forbes Kilmore
Inside the suburb 0 4
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Forbes

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

Schools in Kilmore

  • Assumption College Catholic · Secondary at peers
  • St Patrick's Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Kilmore Primary School Government · Primary below peers
  • International Maarif Schools of Australia – Melbourne Campus Independent · Primary

Amenities in the suburb

Forbes Kilmore
Supermarkets 0 3
Cafes & restaurants 0 3
Parks & reserves 0 11
Childcare 0 8
GPs 0 5
Pharmacies 0 2
Hospitals 0 1
Police stations 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 4
Fuel stations 0 4
EV chargers 0 1
Waterways 0 9

Mobility

Forbes sits further from the CBD (80.8 km vs 72.7 km).

Forbes Kilmore
Walkability score 0/100 71/100
Distance to Melbourne 80.8 km
+10% vs other
 72.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 75 min 63 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 3764
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 46
postcode 3764
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.

Forbes Kilmore
Car (driver) 63.1% / 74.2%
Forbes — Car (driver): 63.1% Kilmore — Car (driver): 74.2%
Worked from Home 30.8% / 18.1%
Forbes — Worked from Home: 30.8% Kilmore — Worked from Home: 18.1%
Walked Only 6.2% / 2.1%
Forbes — Walked Only: 6.2% Kilmore — Walked Only: 2.1%
Car (passenger) — / 4.2%
Forbes — Car (passenger): not among its largest Kilmore — Car (passenger): 4.2%
Train — / 1.3%
Forbes — Train: not among its largest Kilmore — Train: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.2%).

Setting

Forbes Kilmore
Elevation 371 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
same for both

NBN connectivity

Forbes Kilmore
Connectivity score 30/100 76/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
60 premises
 59%
4,630 premises

Climate

Forbes Kilmore
Annual rainfall 778 mm 540 mm
Summer max (Jan) —
same for both
Winter min (Jul) —
same for both

Council rates

Forbes Kilmore
Average residential rate $1,947/yr
same for both
Council Mitchell
same for both

Federal electorate

Forbes Kilmore
Division Nicholls
same for both
Member Sam Birrell
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forbes Kilmore
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $750,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forbes

Rural

Kilmore

Regional Centre

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forbes

Forbes vs Willowmavin Forbes vs Springfield Forbes vs Bylands

Other comparisons with Kilmore

Kilmore vs Wandong Kilmore vs Kilmore East Kilmore vs Clonbinane Kilmore vs Willowmavin Kilmore vs Moranding Kilmore vs Bylands
Full data on Forbes Full data on Kilmore
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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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