Howes Valley vs Putty

Putty is the younger of the two, with a median age of 48 against 51 in Howes Valley. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Howes Valley, the large majority of households are people living alone. In Putty, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Putty: a median of $838,000, against $475,000 in Howes Valley, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Howes Valley tends to suit people living alone 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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Howes Valley carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 84/100)
  • Putty is already more of a family suburb (33% vs 21%)

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

First-home buyers

Howes Valley

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($475,000 vs $837,500)
  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (31% vs 36%)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Howes Valley

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper rent ($175/wk vs $500/wk)
  • leaves renters under less rental stress (23% vs 46%)

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

Commuting to the city

Putty

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (161 km vs 179.4 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (153 min vs 163 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

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

  • Howes Valley carries lower crime risk (42/100 vs 84/100)
  • Putty has more residents already 65 and over (26% vs 20%)

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

Investors

Putty

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (-21.7% vs -35.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Howes Valley Putty
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.

Howes Valley Putty
Walkability 0 / 0
Howes Valley — Walkability: 0/100 Putty — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 58 / 16
Howes Valley — Safety: 58/100 Putty — Safety: 16/100
Low fire risk 14 / 12
Howes Valley — Low fire risk: 14/100 Putty — Low fire risk: 12/100

Demographics

Putty rents higher ($500/wk vs $175/wk); Putty has more residents (126 vs 80).

Howes Valley Putty
Population 80 126
+57% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -35.5% -21.7%
Median age 51 48
Median household income $38,948/yr $56,836/yr
+46% vs other
Median weekly rent $175/wk $500/wk
+186% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Howes Valley Putty
0-4 3.8% / 2.4%
Howes Valley — 0-4: 3.8% Putty — 0-4: 2.4%
5-14 13.8% / 10.3%
Howes Valley — 5-14: 13.8% Putty — 5-14: 10.3%
15-19 6.2% / 6.3%
Howes Valley — 15-19: 6.2% Putty — 15-19: 6.3%
20-24 — / 2.4%
Howes Valley — 20-24: not among its largest Putty — 20-24: 2.4%
25-34 — / 9.5%
Howes Valley — 25-34: not among its largest Putty — 25-34: 9.5%
35-44 8.8% / 14.3%
Howes Valley — 35-44: 8.8% Putty — 35-44: 14.3%
45-54 26.2% / 14.3%
Howes Valley — 45-54: 26.2% Putty — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 22.5% / 9.5%
Howes Valley — 55-64: 22.5% Putty — 55-64: 9.5%
65-74 15.0% / 14.3%
Howes Valley — 65-74: 15.0% Putty — 65-74: 14.3%
75-84 5.0% / 11.9%
Howes Valley — 75-84: 5.0% Putty — 75-84: 11.9%
85+ — / —
Howes Valley — 85+: not among its largest Putty — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (26.2%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Howes Valley 78.6% lone person
Howes Valley — Lone Person: 78.6% Howes Valley — One Parent Families: 21.4% Howes Valley — Couple Families: 0.0% Howes Valley — Group Household: 0.0% Howes Valley — Other Families: 0.0%
Putty 52.4% lone person
Putty — Lone Person: 52.4% Putty — One Parent Families: 19.0% Putty — Couple Families: 14.3% Putty — Group Household: 7.1% Putty — Other Families: 7.1%
Lone Person One Parent Families Couple Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Howes Valley 18.2% renting
Howes Valley — Owned Outright: 51.5% Howes Valley — Mortgage: 30.3% Howes Valley — Renting: 18.2%
Putty 16.4% renting
Putty — Owned Outright: 56.4% Putty — Mortgage: 27.3% Putty — Renting: 16.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Howes Valley 100.0% houses
Howes Valley — Houses: 100.0% Howes Valley — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Putty 97.9% houses
Putty — Houses: 97.9% Putty — Flats / Apartments: 2.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Howes Valley Putty
Certificate III & IV 20.0% / 19.0%
Howes Valley — Certificate III & IV: 20.0% Putty — Certificate III & IV: 19.0%
Bachelor Degree 7.5% / 9.5%
Howes Valley — Bachelor Degree: 7.5% Putty — Bachelor Degree: 9.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.0% / 5.6%
Howes Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0% Putty — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.6%
Postgraduate Degree — / 2.4%
Howes Valley — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest Putty — Postgraduate Degree: 2.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).

Property market

Howes Valley Putty
Median house price $475,000 $837,500
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price — $1,002,000
Typical days to sell (houses) — 193 days
from 3 sales

Zoning mix

Putty has more rural and farming land (64% vs 46%); Howes Valley has more land zoned for conservation (54% vs 36%).

Howes Valley Putty
Rural and farming 46% 64%
Environmental 54% 36%
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

Howes Valley Putty
New dwellings approved 121
across Singleton
same for both
Approvals change year on year +46%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Howes Valley Putty
House price Higher than 14% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Income Higher than 4% of NSW Higher than 17% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 31% of NSW Higher than 37% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 49% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 26% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 19% of NSW

Liveability

Howes Valley Putty
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 3/10
same for both

Risk profile

Putty carries more crime risk (84 vs 42).

Howes Valley Putty
Bushfire High
86/100
 High
88/100
Crime Moderate
42/100
 High
84/100
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

Howes Valley Putty
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

Howes Valley Putty
Cafes & restaurants 0 1
Parks & reserves 3 1
Waterways 96 62

Mobility

Howes Valley sits further from the CBD (179.4 km vs 161 km).

Howes Valley Putty
Walkability score 0/100
same for both
Distance to Sydney 179.4 km
+10% vs other
 161 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 163 min 153 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2330
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 54
postcode 2330
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.

Howes Valley Putty
Car (driver) 33.3% / 73.3%
Howes Valley — Car (driver): 33.3% Putty — Car (driver): 73.3%
Worked from Home 66.7% / 26.7%
Howes Valley — Worked from Home: 66.7% Putty — Worked from Home: 26.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (73.3%).

Setting

Howes Valley Putty
Elevation 301 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 341 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Howes Valley Putty
Connectivity score 15/100
same for both
Most common technology Satellite (Sky Muster)
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
55 premises
 0%
95 premises

Climate

Howes Valley Putty
Annual rainfall 804 mm 965 mm
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C 23.4°C
Winter min (Jul) 5.1°C 3.0°C

Council rates

Howes Valley Putty
Average residential rate $1,287/yr
same for both
Council Singleton
same for both

Federal electorate

Howes Valley Putty
Division Hunter
same for both
Member Dan Repacholi
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Howes Valley Putty
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Howes Valley

Affordable Rural

Putty

Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Howes Valley

Howes Valley vs Broke Howes Valley vs Martindale Howes Valley vs Milbrodale Howes Valley vs Paynes Crossing

Other comparisons with Putty

Putty vs Martindale
Full data on Howes Valley Full data on Putty
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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