Horsley Park vs Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Horsley Park. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Horsley Park is closer to the city centre: 42.3 km, against 47.4 km. On these figures, Mount Vernon tends to suit 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
Mount Vernon
ahead on 2 of the 6 things we measure here
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 72/100)
- is already more of a family suburb (89% vs 76%)
- But Horsley Park has more schools inside the suburb (3 vs 0)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Mount Vernon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 35%)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Horsley Park
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 5%)
- has cheaper rent ($428/wk vs $495/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Horsley Park
ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (60/100 vs 14/100)
- has a shorter drive in (39 min vs 46 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (42.3 km vs 47.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Horsley Park
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- is more walkable (60/100 vs 14/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (21% vs 16%)
- But Mount Vernon carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 72/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Mount Vernon
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (3.6% vs -2.6%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Horsley Park and Mount Vernon 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
Mount Vernon has higher household incomes ($165,204 vs $111,020); Horsley Park has more residents (1,790 vs 1,235).
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,790 +31% vs other | 1,235 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -2.6% | +3.6% |
| Median age | 45 | 40 |
| Median household income | $111,020/yr | $165,204/yr +49% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $428/wk | $495/wk +16% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.0%).
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 (16.9%).
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 (7.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $3,800,000 | $3,607,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 91 days from 7 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Mount Vernon has more land zoned for conservation (83% vs 1%); Horsley Park has more rural and farming land (46% vs 0%).
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 1% | 83% |
| Rural and farming | 46% | 0% |
| Industrial | 15% | 13% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 3% | 1% |
| Parks and recreation | 0% | 3% |
| Planning zones cover 66% of Horsley Park and 100% of Mount Vernon. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,095 across Fairfield | 1,063 across Penrith |
| Approvals change year on year | +29% | -78% |
Ranking within NSW
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 96% of NSW | Higher than 95% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 97% of NSW |
| Schools | Higher than 91% of NSW | — |
| Walkability | Higher than 84% of NSW | Higher than 65% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 5% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 92% of NSW | Higher than 70% of NSW |
Liveability
Horsley Park is more walkable (60 vs 14); Mount Vernon scores higher overall (69 vs 55).
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 55/100 | 69/100 |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
Horsley Park carries more bushfire risk (74 vs 0); Horsley Park carries more crime risk (72 vs 28).
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 74/100 | None 0/100 |
| Crime | High 72/100 | Low 28/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | High 70/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 15 within 5 km | 6 within 5 km |
Schools
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 3 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 2 | 0 |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 | 0 |
Schools in Horsley Park
- Marion Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
- St Narsai Assyrian Christian College Independent · Secondary above peers
- Horsley Park Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Mount Vernon
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 2 | 0 |
| Childcare | 3 | 1 |
| GPs | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 29 | 0 |
Mobility
Mount Vernon sits further from the CBD (47.4 km vs 42.3 km).
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 60/100 | 14/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 42.3 km | 47.4 km +12% vs other |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 39 min | 46 min |
| Public transport score | 67/100 Bus | 30/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 50.5 7-9am + 5-7pm | 7.8 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 1 min scheduled, not actual | 2 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.6% postcode 2175 | 0.6% postcode 2178 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 59 postcode 2175 | 54 postcode 2178 |
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 (58.1%).
Setting
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 79 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 82 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 31.5 km | 33.6 km |
NBN connectivity
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 85/100 | 60/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the premises | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 59% 804 premises | 28% 369 premises |
Climate
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 931 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 28.9°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.9°C same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.7 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 17.6 µg/m³ | 16.9 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.88 pphm | 0.37 pphm |
Council rates
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $990/yr | $1,547/yr |
| Council | Fairfield | Penrith |
Federal electorate
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Mcmahon same for both | |
| Member | Chris Bowen same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Horsley Park | Mount Vernon | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Horsley Park
Mount Vernon
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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.