Irvington vs Spring Grove
Spring Grove is the younger of the two, with a median age of 43 against 53 in Irvington. In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Irvington, about half of households are couple families. In Spring Grove, most households are couple families. On these figures, Spring Grove 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
Spring Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Irvington
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (18% vs 8%)
- has cheaper rent ($275/wk vs $350/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
They split
one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here
- Irvington has a shorter drive in (481 min vs 486 min)
- Spring Grove sits closer to the CBD (721 km vs 736.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Irvington has more residents already 65 and over (27% vs 22%)
- Spring Grove carries lower crime risk (17/100 vs 81/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Spring Grove
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (23.4% vs -15.7%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Irvington and Spring Grove 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
Spring Grove has more residents (532 vs 70); Spring Grove has higher household incomes ($95,524 vs $62,348).
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 70 | 532 +660% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -15.7% | +23.4% |
| Median age | 53 | 43 |
| Median household income | $62,348/yr | $95,524/yr +53% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $275/wk | $350/wk +27% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.7%).
Property market
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,135,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 95% | 96% |
| Residential | 0% | 4% |
| Environmental | 4% | 0% |
| Industrial | 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
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 24 across Richmond Valley same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -78% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 52% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 25% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 56% of NSW | Higher than 51% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 60% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 16% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 63% of NSW |
Liveability
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | C |
| Score | — | 45/100 |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 4/10 | advantaged area decile 7/10 |
Risk profile
Spring Grove carries more bushfire risk (39 vs 0); Irvington carries more crime risk (81 vs 17).
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | None 0/100 | Low 39/100 |
| Crime | High 81/100 | Low 17/100 |
| 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
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Waterways | 3 | 4 |
Mobility
Irvington sits further from the CBD (736.4 km vs 721 km).
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 10/100 | 6/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 736.4 km +2% vs other | 721 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 481 min | 486 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.2% postcode 2470 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 67 postcode 2470 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 (82.8%).
Setting
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 19 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 114 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 39.1 km | 38.8 km |
NBN connectivity
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 same for both | |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 32 premises | 0% 185 premises |
Council rates
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,282/yr same for both | |
| Council | Richmond Valley same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Irvington | Spring Grove | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Irvington
Other comparisons with Spring Grove
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.