Hebden vs Muscle Creek

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Hebden tends to suit families with children and couples.

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

  • Hebden is already more of a family suburb (100% vs 82%)
  • Muscle Creek carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 24/100)

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

First-home buyers

Hebden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (10% vs 18%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Muscle Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper rent ($243/wk vs $350/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Hebden

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a shorter drive in (167 min vs 181 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (234 km vs 252.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Muscle Creek

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 24/100)

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

Investors

Hebden

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (59.5% vs -0.6%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Hebden Muscle Creek
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.

Hebden Muscle Creek
Walkability 0 / 0
Hebden — Walkability: 0/100 Muscle Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 76 / 86
Hebden — Safety: 76/100 Muscle Creek — Safety: 86/100
Low fire risk 63 / 69
Hebden — Low fire risk: 63/100 Muscle Creek — Low fire risk: 69/100

Demographics

Muscle Creek has more residents (313 vs 67); Hebden rents higher ($350/wk vs $243/wk).

Hebden Muscle Creek
Population 67 313
+367% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +59.5% -0.6%
Median age 38
same for both
Median household income $177,632/yr
+10% vs other
 $160,316/yr
Median weekly rent $350/wk
+31% vs other
 $243/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Hebden Muscle Creek
0-4 6.0% / 3.5%
Hebden — 0-4: 6.0% Muscle Creek — 0-4: 3.5%
5-14 23.9% / 18.5%
Hebden — 5-14: 23.9% Muscle Creek — 5-14: 18.5%
15-19 — / 8.3%
Hebden — 15-19: not among its largest Muscle Creek — 15-19: 8.3%
20-24 6.0% / 4.5%
Hebden — 20-24: 6.0% Muscle Creek — 20-24: 4.5%
25-34 9.0% / 8.9%
Hebden — 25-34: 9.0% Muscle Creek — 25-34: 8.9%
35-44 17.9% / 17.3%
Hebden — 35-44: 17.9% Muscle Creek — 35-44: 17.3%
45-54 22.4% / 19.5%
Hebden — 45-54: 22.4% Muscle Creek — 45-54: 19.5%
55-64 10.4% / 14.1%
Hebden — 55-64: 10.4% Muscle Creek — 55-64: 14.1%
65-74 4.5% / 6.1%
Hebden — 65-74: 4.5% Muscle Creek — 65-74: 6.1%
75-84 4.5% / 1.9%
Hebden — 75-84: 4.5% Muscle Creek — 75-84: 1.9%
85+ — / —
Hebden — 85+: not among its largest Muscle Creek — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (23.9%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Hebden 100.0% couple families
Hebden — Couple Families: 100.0% Hebden — Lone Person: 0.0% Hebden — One Parent Families: 0.0% Hebden — Other Families: 0.0%
Muscle Creek 70.4% couple families
Muscle Creek — Couple Families: 70.4% Muscle Creek — Lone Person: 14.1% Muscle Creek — One Parent Families: 11.3% Muscle Creek — Other Families: 4.2%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Hebden 0.0% renting
Hebden — Owned Outright: 31.6% Hebden — Mortgage: 68.4% Hebden — Renting: 0.0%
Muscle Creek 7.1% renting
Muscle Creek — Owned Outright: 26.5% Muscle Creek — Mortgage: 66.3% Muscle Creek — Renting: 7.1%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Hebden 100.0% houses
Hebden — Houses: 100.0%
Muscle Creek 101.0% houses
Muscle Creek — Houses: 101.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Hebden Muscle Creek
Certificate III & IV 19.4% / 22.4%
Hebden — Certificate III & IV: 19.4% Muscle Creek — Certificate III & IV: 22.4%
Bachelor Degree 10.4% / 5.8%
Hebden — Bachelor Degree: 10.4% Muscle Creek — Bachelor Degree: 5.8%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.5% / 7.3%
Hebden — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.5% Muscle Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate — / 1.3%
Hebden — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest Muscle Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.3%
Postgraduate Degree — / 1.0%
Hebden — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Muscle Creek — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.4%).

Property market

Hebden Muscle Creek
Median house price — $927,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $270,000

Zoning mix

Hebden has more rural and farming land (94% vs 75%); Muscle Creek has more land zoned for conservation (23% vs 6%).

Hebden Muscle Creek
Rural and farming 94% 75%
Environmental 6% 23%
Residential 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

Hebden Muscle Creek
New dwellings approved 121
across Singleton
 71
across Muswellbrook
Approvals change year on year +46% +13%

Ranking within NSW

Hebden Muscle Creek
House price — Higher than 45% of NSW
Income Higher than 98% of NSW Higher than 96% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 10% of NSW Higher than 38% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 90% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 26% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 5% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW

Liveability

Hebden Muscle Creek
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Hebden carries more crime risk (24 vs 14).

Hebden Muscle Creek
Bushfire Low
37/100
 Low
31/100
Crime Low
24/100
 Low
14/100
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

Hebden Muscle Creek
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

Hebden Muscle Creek
Waterways 12
same for both

Mobility

Muscle Creek sits further from the CBD (252.9 km vs 234 km).

Hebden Muscle Creek
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 234 km 252.9 km
+8% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 167 min 181 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2330
 0.2%
postcode 2333
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2330
 42
postcode 2333

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.

Hebden Muscle Creek
Car (driver) 88.9% / 82.6%
Hebden — Car (driver): 88.9% Muscle Creek — Car (driver): 82.6%
Worked from Home 11.1% / 13.5%
Hebden — Worked from Home: 11.1% Muscle Creek — Worked from Home: 13.5%
Car (passenger) — / 3.9%
Hebden — Car (passenger): not among its largest Muscle Creek — Car (passenger): 3.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.9%).

Setting

Hebden Muscle Creek
Elevation 162 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 291 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Hebden Muscle Creek
Connectivity score 15/100 77/100
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster) Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
20 premises
 69%
100 premises

Climate

Hebden Muscle Creek
Annual rainfall 1,026 mm 631 mm
Summer max (Jan) 29.9°C 31.6°C
Winter min (Jul) 6.8°C 4.1°C

Air quality (annual mean)

Hebden Muscle Creek
PM2.5 5.5 µg/m³ 6.7 µg/m³
PM10 20.9 µg/m³ 20.2 µg/m³
NO₂ — 0.62 pphm

Council rates

Hebden Muscle Creek
Average residential rate $1,287/yr $936/yr
Council Singleton Muswellbrook

Federal electorate

Hebden Muscle Creek
Division Hunter New England
Member Dan Repacholi Barnaby Joyce
Party Australian Labor Party The Nationals

First Home Owner Grant

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

Tags

Hebden

Family Rural

Muscle Creek

Family Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Hebden

Hebden vs Muswellbrook Hebden vs Greenlands Hebden vs Goorangoola

Other comparisons with Muscle Creek

Muscle Creek vs Muswellbrook Muscle Creek vs McCullys Gap
Full data on Hebden Full data on Muscle Creek
Unlock full address-level data — $29/month

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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