Forest Grove vs Kelso

Kelso is the younger of the two, with a median age of 36 against 48 in Forest Grove. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Forest Grove: a median of $1.1 million, against $810,000 in Kelso, though rent is higher in Kelso. On these figures, Forest Grove tends to suit share households, while Kelso suits families with children 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

Kelso

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (15 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (6 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
  • But Forest Grove carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 85/100)

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

First-home buyers

They split

one each way, out of the 2 things we measure here

  • Forest Grove leaves households under less mortgage stress (16% vs 24%)
  • Kelso has cheaper houses ($810,000 vs $1,100,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Forest Grove

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (9% vs 21%)
  • has cheaper rent ($288/wk vs $360/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Kelso

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (42/100 vs 8/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (170 min vs 180 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (203.5 km vs 206 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Forest Grove carries lower crime risk (58/100 vs 85/100)
  • Kelso is more walkable (42/100 vs 8/100)

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

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

Forest Grove Kelso
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.

Forest Grove Kelso
Walkability 8 / 42
Forest Grove — Walkability: 8/100 Kelso — Walkability: 42/100
Safety 42 / 15
Forest Grove — Safety: 42/100 Kelso — Safety: 15/100
Low fire risk 100 / 100
Forest Grove — Low fire risk: 100/100 Kelso — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Kelso has more residents (10,039 vs 115); Forest Grove has higher household incomes ($164,632 vs $90,324).

Forest Grove Kelso
Population 115 10,039
+8630% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.6% +11.9%
Median age 48 36
Median household income $164,632/yr
+45% vs other
 $90,324/yr
Median weekly rent $288/wk $360/wk
+25% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Forest Grove Kelso
0-4 — / 6.9%
Forest Grove — 0-4: not among its largest Kelso — 0-4: 6.9%
5-14 13.9% / 15.6%
Forest Grove — 5-14: 13.9% Kelso — 5-14: 15.6%
15-19 4.3% / 7.0%
Forest Grove — 15-19: 4.3% Kelso — 15-19: 7.0%
20-24 5.2% / 5.9%
Forest Grove — 20-24: 5.2% Kelso — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 11.3% / 13.0%
Forest Grove — 25-34: 11.3% Kelso — 25-34: 13.0%
35-44 7.0% / 12.0%
Forest Grove — 35-44: 7.0% Kelso — 35-44: 12.0%
45-54 18.3% / 12.3%
Forest Grove — 45-54: 18.3% Kelso — 45-54: 12.3%
55-64 12.2% / 10.6%
Forest Grove — 55-64: 12.2% Kelso — 55-64: 10.6%
65-74 16.5% / 8.9%
Forest Grove — 65-74: 16.5% Kelso — 65-74: 8.9%
75-84 5.2% / 5.5%
Forest Grove — 75-84: 5.2% Kelso — 75-84: 5.5%
85+ — / 2.4%
Forest Grove — 85+: not among its largest Kelso — 85+: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.3%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Forest Grove 51.9% couple families
Forest Grove — Couple Families: 51.9% Forest Grove — Lone Person: 18.5% Forest Grove — One Parent Families: 11.1% Forest Grove — Group Household: 18.5% Forest Grove — Other Families: 0.0%
Kelso 45.0% couple families
Kelso — Couple Families: 45.0% Kelso — Lone Person: 28.1% Kelso — One Parent Families: 22.2% Kelso — Group Household: 3.2% Kelso — Other Families: 1.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Forest Grove 0.0% renting
Forest Grove — Owned Outright: 50.0% Forest Grove — Mortgage: 50.0% Forest Grove — Renting: 0.0%
Kelso 28.4% renting
Kelso — Owned Outright: 32.6% Kelso — Mortgage: 39.0% Kelso — Renting: 28.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Forest Grove Kelso
Certificate III & IV 19.1% / 18.0%
Forest Grove — Certificate III & IV: 19.1% Kelso — Certificate III & IV: 18.0%
Bachelor Degree 15.7% / 8.9%
Forest Grove — Bachelor Degree: 15.7% Kelso — Bachelor Degree: 8.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 11.3% / 6.3%
Forest Grove — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.3% Kelso — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.3%
Postgraduate Degree 6.1% / 2.2%
Forest Grove — Postgraduate Degree: 6.1% Kelso — Postgraduate Degree: 2.2%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 2.6% / 1.3%
Forest Grove — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 2.6% Kelso — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.1%).

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.

Forest Grove Kelso
England 3.5% / 1.4%
Forest Grove — England: 3.5% Kelso — England: 1.4%
South Africa 3.5% / 0.3%
Forest Grove — South Africa: 3.5% Kelso — South Africa: 0.3%
New Zealand — / 0.9%
Forest Grove — New Zealand: not among its largest Kelso — New Zealand: 0.9%
India — / 0.6%
Forest Grove — India: not among its largest Kelso — India: 0.6%
Philippines — / 0.5%
Forest Grove — Philippines: not among its largest Kelso — Philippines: 0.5%
Scotland — / 0.4%
Forest Grove — Scotland: not among its largest Kelso — Scotland: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (3.5%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Forest Grove 100.0% houses
Forest Grove — Houses: 100.0% Forest Grove — Townhouses: 0.0% Forest Grove — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Kelso 92.6% houses
Kelso — Houses: 92.6% Kelso — Townhouses: 6.3% Kelso — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Forest Grove Kelso
Median house price $1,100,000 $810,000
Median unit price — $280,000
Median land price — $410,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 37 days
from 135 sales

Zoning mix

Forest Grove has more rural and farming land (100% vs 58%).

Forest Grove Kelso
Rural and farming 100% 58%
Residential 0% 23%
Industrial 0% 9%
Parks and recreation 0% 7%
Infrastructure and transport 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

Forest Grove Kelso
New dwellings approved 177
across Bathurst
same for both
Approvals change year on year -23%
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.

Forest Grove Kelso
Houses — 4.0%
$655/wk on $859K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Forest Grove Kelso
House price Higher than 58% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Income Higher than 97% of NSW Higher than 58% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 4% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 53% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 86% of NSW Higher than 76% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 43% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 55% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) — Higher than 71% of NSW

Liveability

Kelso is more walkable (42 vs 8).

Forest Grove Kelso
Grade — C
Score — 34/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 9/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Kelso carries more crime risk (85 vs 58).

Forest Grove Kelso
Bushfire None
0/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
58/100
 High
85/100
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 3
within 5 km
 9
within 5 km

Schools

Forest Grove Kelso
Inside the suburb 0 3
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0 2
Rated below peers 0 1

Schools in Forest Grove

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

Schools in Kelso

  • Denison College of Secondary Education, Kelso High Campus Government · Secondary at peers
  • Holy Family Catholic Primary School Kelso Catholic · Primary at peers
  • Kelso Public School Government · Primary below peers

Amenities in the suburb

Forest Grove Kelso
Supermarkets 0 2
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 0 15
Childcare 0 6
GPs 0 1
Pharmacies 0 1
Fuel stations 0 6
Waterways 0 42

Mobility

Forest Grove sits further from the CBD (206 km vs 203.5 km).

Forest Grove Kelso
Walkability score 8/100 42/100
Distance to Sydney 206 km
+1% vs other
 203.5 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 180 min 170 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2795
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 47
postcode 2795
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.

Forest Grove Kelso
Car (driver) 71.7% / 79.8%
Forest Grove — Car (driver): 71.7% Kelso — Car (driver): 79.8%
Worked from Home 22.6% / 11.6%
Forest Grove — Worked from Home: 22.6% Kelso — Worked from Home: 11.6%
Walked Only 5.7% / 1.7%
Forest Grove — Walked Only: 5.7% Kelso — Walked Only: 1.7%
Car (passenger) — / 6.3%
Forest Grove — Car (passenger): not among its largest Kelso — Car (passenger): 6.3%
Bicycle — / 0.3%
Forest Grove — Bicycle: not among its largest Kelso — Bicycle: 0.3%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.8%).

Setting

Forest Grove Kelso
Elevation 739 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 683 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Forest Grove Kelso
Connectivity score 30/100 78/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
44 premises
 61%
4,953 premises

Climate

Forest Grove Kelso
Annual rainfall 644 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 1.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Forest Grove Kelso
PM2.5 5.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 —
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Forest Grove Kelso
Average residential rate $1,301/yr
same for both
Council Bathurst
same for both

Federal electorate

Forest Grove Kelso
Division Calare
same for both
Member Andrew Gee
same for both
Party Independent
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Forest Grove Kelso
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Forest Grove

Rural

Kelso

Family Regional Centre River

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Forest Grove

Forest Grove vs Raglan Forest Grove vs Glanmire Forest Grove vs Laffing Waters

Other comparisons with Kelso

Kelso vs Bathurst Kelso vs West Bathurst Kelso vs Eglinton Kelso vs Raglan Kelso vs Gormans Hill Kelso vs White Rock
Full data on Forest Grove Full data on Kelso
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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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