Hartley vs Hartley Vale
Hartley is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 57 in Hartley Vale. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Hartley, most households are couple families. In Hartley Vale, most households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Hartley: a median of $1.37 million, against $1.25 million in Hartley Vale, though rent is higher in Hartley Vale. On these figures, Hartley tends to suit families with children and couples, while Hartley Vale suits 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
Hartley Vale
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 43/100)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (119% vs 90%)
- But Hartley is already more of a family suburb (63% vs 42%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
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
Hartley Vale
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 5/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (129.4 km vs 158.4 km)
- has a shorter drive in (118 min vs 143 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Hartley Vale
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (0/100 vs 43/100)
- is more walkable (13/100 vs 5/100)
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
Hartley and Hartley Vale 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
Hartley has more residents (478 vs 84); Hartley Vale skews older (57 vs 48).
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 478 +82% vs other | 84 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +16.9% | +20.0% |
| Median age | 48 | 57 |
| Median household income | $99,112/yr +10% vs other | $88,816/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $283/wk | $300/wk +6% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.3%).
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.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (9.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,367,500 | $1,245,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Hartley Vale has more land zoned for conservation (74% vs 23%); Hartley has more rural and farming land (70% vs 23%).
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 23% | 74% |
| Rural and farming | 70% | 23% |
| Residential | 5% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 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
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 55 across Lithgow same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +0% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 70% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 67% of NSW | Higher than 57% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 45% of NSW | Higher than 62% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 38% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 46% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 44% of NSW | Higher than 32% of NSW |
Liveability
Hartley Vale is more walkable (13 vs 5).
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 7/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 |
Risk profile
Hartley carries more crime risk (43 vs 0).
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 88/100 | High 91/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 43/100 | 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 3 | 1 |
| Waterways | 14 | 5 |
Mobility
Hartley sits further from the CBD (158.4 km vs 129.4 km).
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 5/100 | 13/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 158.4 km +18% vs other | 129.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 143 min | 118 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.5% postcode 2790 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 36 postcode 2790 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 (68.8%).
Setting
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 761 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 811 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 186 premises | 0% 32 premises |
Climate
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,147 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 23.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 3.2°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,150/yr same for both | |
| Council | Lithgow same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Calare same for both | |
| Member | Andrew Gee same for both | |
| Party | Independent same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Hartley | Hartley Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Hartley
Other comparisons with Hartley Vale
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.