Inverell vs Oakwood

Oakwood is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 41 in Inverell. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Oakwood, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Oakwood 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

  • Inverell has more parks and reserves (18 vs 0)
  • Oakwood carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 88/100)

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

First-home buyers

Oakwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (18% vs 24%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Inverell has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 10%)
  • Oakwood leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 23%)

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

Commuting to the city

Inverell

ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (55/100 vs 0/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (440 min vs 457 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (572.4 km vs 591.9 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Inverell

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (55/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (5 vs 0)
  • But Oakwood carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 88/100)

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

Investors

Oakwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (8.5% vs 3.4%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Inverell Oakwood
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.

Inverell Oakwood
Walkability 55 / 0
Inverell — Walkability: 55/100 Oakwood — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 12 / 86
Inverell — Safety: 12/100 Oakwood — Safety: 86/100
Low fire risk 61 / 85
Inverell — Low fire risk: 61/100 Oakwood — Low fire risk: 85/100

Demographics

Inverell has more residents (12,057 vs 178); Oakwood has higher household incomes ($81,224 vs $61,724).

Inverell Oakwood
Population 12,057
+99% vs other
 178
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +3.4% +8.5%
Median age 41 38
Median household income $61,724/yr $81,224/yr
+32% vs other
Median weekly rent $270/wk
+4% vs other
 $260/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Inverell Oakwood
0-4 5.9% / 10.1%
Inverell — 0-4: 5.9% Oakwood — 0-4: 10.1%
5-14 13.7% / 17.4%
Inverell — 5-14: 13.7% Oakwood — 5-14: 17.4%
15-19 6.1% / 3.4%
Inverell — 15-19: 6.1% Oakwood — 15-19: 3.4%
20-24 5.6% / 2.2%
Inverell — 20-24: 5.6% Oakwood — 20-24: 2.2%
25-34 12.0% / 9.6%
Inverell — 25-34: 12.0% Oakwood — 25-34: 9.6%
35-44 10.7% / 12.9%
Inverell — 35-44: 10.7% Oakwood — 35-44: 12.9%
45-54 11.1% / 11.2%
Inverell — 45-54: 11.1% Oakwood — 45-54: 11.2%
55-64 11.9% / 16.3%
Inverell — 55-64: 11.9% Oakwood — 55-64: 16.3%
65-74 11.7% / 12.9%
Inverell — 65-74: 11.7% Oakwood — 65-74: 12.9%
75-84 8.4% / 4.5%
Inverell — 75-84: 8.4% Oakwood — 75-84: 4.5%
85+ 3.1% / 1.7%
Inverell — 85+: 3.1% Oakwood — 85+: 1.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Inverell 31.5% couple families
Inverell — Couple Families: 31.5% Inverell — Lone Person: 42.7% Inverell — One Parent Families: 20.1% Inverell — Group Household: 4.0% Inverell — Other Families: 1.6%
Oakwood 50.0% couple families
Oakwood — Couple Families: 50.0% Oakwood — Lone Person: 37.5% Oakwood — One Parent Families: 12.5% Oakwood — Group Household: 0.0% Oakwood — Other Families: 0.0%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Inverell 33.8% renting
Inverell — Owned Outright: 36.9% Inverell — Mortgage: 29.2% Inverell — Renting: 33.8%
Oakwood 10.0% renting
Oakwood — Owned Outright: 46.0% Oakwood — Mortgage: 44.0% Oakwood — Renting: 10.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Inverell 87.3% houses
Inverell — Houses: 87.3% Inverell — Townhouses: 10.0% Inverell — Flats / Apartments: 2.7%
Oakwood 100.0% houses
Oakwood — Houses: 100.0% Oakwood — Townhouses: 0.0% Oakwood — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

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

Inverell Oakwood
Certificate III & IV 17.2% / 12.4%
Inverell — Certificate III & IV: 17.2% Oakwood — Certificate III & IV: 12.4%
Bachelor Degree 6.4% / 7.3%
Inverell — Bachelor Degree: 6.4% Oakwood — Bachelor Degree: 7.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.2% / 5.1%
Inverell — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.2% Oakwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.1%
Postgraduate Degree 1.0% / 2.8%
Inverell — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0% Oakwood — Postgraduate Degree: 2.8%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.0% / —
Inverell — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.0% Oakwood — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.2%).

Property market

Inverell Oakwood
Median house price $469,000 —
Median unit price $329,000 —
Median land price $652,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 42 days
from 110 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Oakwood has more rural and farming land (100% vs 64%).

Inverell Oakwood
Rural and farming 64% 100%
Residential 26% 0%
Environmental 6% 0%
Parks and recreation 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

Inverell Oakwood
New dwellings approved 31
across Inverell
same for both
Approvals change year on year +0%
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.

Inverell Oakwood
Houses 3.8%
$460/wk on $629K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Inverell Oakwood
House price Higher than 12% of NSW —
Income Higher than 23% of NSW Higher than 49% of NSW
Schools Higher than 5% of NSW —
Walkability Higher than 83% of NSW Higher than 35% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 85% of NSW —
EV adoption Higher than 1% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 77% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 62% of NSW —

Liveability

Inverell is more walkable (55 vs 0).

Inverell Oakwood
Grade D —
Score 20/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Inverell carries more crime risk (88 vs 14); Inverell carries more bushfire risk (39 vs 15).

Inverell Oakwood
Bushfire Low
39/100
 Low
15/100
Crime High
88/100
 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 2
within 5 km
 0
within 5 km

Schools

Inverell Oakwood
Inside the suburb 5 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 2 0
Rated below peers 3 0

Schools in Inverell

  • Holy Trinity School Catholic · Combined at peers
  • Inverell High School Government · Secondary at peers
  • Inverell Public School Government · Primary below peers
  • Macintyre High School Government · Secondary below peers
  • Ross Hill Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Oakwood

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

Amenities in the suburb

Inverell Oakwood
Supermarkets 3 0
Cafes & restaurants 13 0
Parks & reserves 18 0
Childcare 10 0
GPs 5 0
Pharmacies 2 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 6 0
Fuel stations 6 0
EV chargers 1 0
Waterways 8 1

Mobility

Oakwood sits further from the CBD (591.9 km vs 572.4 km).

Inverell Oakwood
Walkability score 55/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 572.4 km 591.9 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 440 min 457 min
Electric vehicle share 0.0%
postcode 2360
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2360
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.

Inverell Oakwood
Car (driver) 78.8% / 63.9%
Inverell — Car (driver): 78.8% Oakwood — Car (driver): 63.9%
Worked from Home 8.5% / 25.3%
Inverell — Worked from Home: 8.5% Oakwood — Worked from Home: 25.3%
Car (passenger) 8.2% / 6.0%
Inverell — Car (passenger): 8.2% Oakwood — Car (passenger): 6.0%
Walked Only 4.1% / 4.8%
Inverell — Walked Only: 4.1% Oakwood — Walked Only: 4.8%
Bicycle 0.2% / —
Inverell — Bicycle: 0.2% Oakwood — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (78.8%).

Setting

Inverell Oakwood
Elevation 595 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 575 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Inverell Oakwood
Connectivity score 70/100 27/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fixed wireless
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 35%
6,241 premises
 0%
67 premises

Climate

Inverell Oakwood
Annual rainfall 803 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 4.5°C
same for both

Council rates

Inverell Oakwood
Average residential rate $1,170/yr
same for both
Council Inverell
same for both

Federal electorate

Inverell Oakwood
Division New England
same for both
Member Barnaby Joyce
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Inverell Oakwood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Inverell

Acreage Affordable

Oakwood

Family Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Inverell

Inverell vs Gilgai Inverell vs Gum Flat Inverell vs Nullamanna Inverell vs Auburn Vale Inverell vs Stannifer Inverell vs Rob Roy

Other comparisons with Oakwood

Oakwood vs Nullamanna Oakwood vs Bukkulla Oakwood vs Mount Russell Oakwood vs Rob Roy Oakwood vs Cherry Tree Hill
Full data on Inverell Full data on Oakwood
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.

Save this page for later

We'll email you a link to this page so you can finish reading it on any device. We use your address once to send it and don't keep it.

or