Lawrence vs Lower Southgate

In both, the large majority of households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Lower Southgate, about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Lower Southgate: a median of $1.66 million, against $630,000 in Lawrence, though rent is higher in Lawrence. On these figures, Lawrence tends to suit older residents and buyers on a tighter budget, while Lower Southgate suits people living alone 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

Too close to call

Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

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

First-home buyers

Lawrence

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper houses ($630,000 vs $1,660,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Lower Southgate

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (12% vs 30%)
  • has cheaper rent ($180/wk vs $330/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Lower Southgate

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (637.6 km vs 645.9 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (427 min vs 432 min)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Lawrence

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (33% vs 21%)

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

Investors

Lawrence

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (10.8% vs -0.9%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Lawrence Lower Southgate
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.

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Walkability 8 / 10
Lawrence — Walkability: 8/100 Lower Southgate — Walkability: 10/100
Safety 45 / 37
Lawrence — Safety: 45/100 Lower Southgate — Safety: 37/100
Low fire risk 43 / 43
Lawrence — Low fire risk: 43/100 Lower Southgate — Low fire risk: 43/100

Demographics

Lawrence has more residents (1,159 vs 112); Lawrence rents higher ($330/wk vs $180/wk).

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Population 1,159
+90% vs other
 112
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +10.8% -0.9%
Median age 54 52
Median household income $57,408/yr $74,724/yr
+30% vs other
Median weekly rent $330/wk
+45% vs other
 $180/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Lawrence Lower Southgate
0-4 5.9% / 4.5%
Lawrence — 0-4: 5.9% Lower Southgate — 0-4: 4.5%
5-14 10.7% / 5.4%
Lawrence — 5-14: 10.7% Lower Southgate — 5-14: 5.4%
15-19 3.9% / 5.4%
Lawrence — 15-19: 3.9% Lower Southgate — 15-19: 5.4%
20-24 2.8% / 7.1%
Lawrence — 20-24: 2.8% Lower Southgate — 20-24: 7.1%
25-34 8.3% / 10.7%
Lawrence — 25-34: 8.3% Lower Southgate — 25-34: 10.7%
35-44 8.0% / 9.8%
Lawrence — 35-44: 8.0% Lower Southgate — 35-44: 9.8%
45-54 11.0% / 15.2%
Lawrence — 45-54: 11.0% Lower Southgate — 45-54: 15.2%
55-64 16.0% / 21.4%
Lawrence — 55-64: 16.0% Lower Southgate — 55-64: 21.4%
65-74 19.3% / 21.4%
Lawrence — 65-74: 19.3% Lower Southgate — 65-74: 21.4%
75-84 11.7% / —
Lawrence — 75-84: 11.7% Lower Southgate — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ 2.2% / —
Lawrence — 85+: 2.2% Lower Southgate — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.4%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Lawrence 38.2% couple families
Lawrence — Couple Families: 38.2% Lawrence — Lone Person: 38.6% Lawrence — One Parent Families: 16.2% Lawrence — Group Household: 5.9% Lawrence — Other Families: 1.1%
Lower Southgate 52.0% couple families
Lower Southgate — Couple Families: 52.0% Lower Southgate — Lone Person: 48.0% Lower Southgate — One Parent Families: 0.0% Lower Southgate — Group Household: 0.0% Lower Southgate — 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.

Lawrence 9.4% renting
Lawrence — Owned Outright: 55.7% Lawrence — Mortgage: 34.9% Lawrence — Renting: 9.4%
Lower Southgate 11.4% renting
Lower Southgate — Owned Outright: 56.8% Lower Southgate — Mortgage: 31.8% Lower Southgate — Renting: 11.4%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

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.

Lawrence Lower Southgate
New Zealand 1.4% / 4.5%
Lawrence — New Zealand: 1.4% Lower Southgate — New Zealand: 4.5%
England 3.0% / —
Lawrence — England: 3.0% Lower Southgate — England: not among its largest
Germany 0.4% / —
Lawrence — Germany: 0.4% Lower Southgate — Germany: not among its largest
Zimbabwe 0.3% / —
Lawrence — Zimbabwe: 0.3% Lower Southgate — Zimbabwe: not among its largest
Netherlands 0.3% / —
Lawrence — Netherlands: 0.3% Lower Southgate — Netherlands: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.5%).

Qualifications

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

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Certificate III & IV 19.6% / 24.1%
Lawrence — Certificate III & IV: 19.6% Lower Southgate — Certificate III & IV: 24.1%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 6.2%
Lawrence — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Lower Southgate — Bachelor Degree: 6.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.6% / 8.0%
Lawrence — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.6% Lower Southgate — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.0%
Postgraduate Degree 1.0% / —
Lawrence — Postgraduate Degree: 1.0% Lower Southgate — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.7% / —
Lawrence — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.7% Lower Southgate — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Lawrence 99.1% houses
Lawrence — Houses: 99.1% Lawrence — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Lower Southgate 100.0% houses
Lower Southgate — Houses: 100.0% Lower Southgate — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Median house price $630,000 $1,660,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $395,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 46 days
from 17 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Rural and farming 65% 63%
Environmental 32% 37%
Residential 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

Lawrence Lower Southgate
New dwellings approved 246
across Clarence Valley
same for both
Approvals change year on year -80%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Lawrence Lower Southgate
House price Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 88% of NSW
Income Higher than 17% of NSW Higher than 42% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 52% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 64% of NSW Higher than 5% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 17% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 51% of NSW Higher than 52% of NSW

Liveability

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Grade D —
Score 19/100 —
Socio-economic band below-average income
decile 2/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Bushfire Moderate
57/100
same for both
Crime Moderate
55/100
 Moderate
63/100
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

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Inside the suburb 1 0
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Lawrence

  • Lawrence Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Lower Southgate

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

Amenities in the suburb

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Parks & reserves 3 4
Childcare 2 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Waterways 17 18

Mobility

Lawrence sits further from the CBD (645.9 km vs 637.6 km).

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Walkability score 8/100 10/100
Distance to Sydney 645.9 km
+1% vs other
 637.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 432 min 427 min
Electric vehicle share 0.2%
postcode 2460
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 60
postcode 2460
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.

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Car (driver) 77.8% / 72.7%
Lawrence — Car (driver): 77.8% Lower Southgate — Car (driver): 72.7%
Worked from Home 12.5% / 27.3%
Lawrence — Worked from Home: 12.5% Lower Southgate — Worked from Home: 27.3%
Walked Only 4.8% / —
Lawrence — Walked Only: 4.8% Lower Southgate — Walked Only: not among its largest
Car (passenger) 3.9% / —
Lawrence — Car (passenger): 3.9% Lower Southgate — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bus 1.0% / —
Lawrence — Bus: 1.0% Lower Southgate — Bus: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (77.8%).

Setting

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Elevation 15 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 3 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 19.9 km 25.7 km

NBN connectivity

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Connectivity score 30/100
same for both
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
502 premises
 0%
57 premises

Climate

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Annual rainfall 1,408 mm 1,060 mm
Summer max (Jan) — 30.0°C
Winter min (Jul) — 8.3°C

Council rates

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Average residential rate $1,380/yr
same for both
Council Clarence Valley
same for both

Federal electorate

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Division Page
same for both
Member Kevin Hogan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Lawrence Lower Southgate
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Lawrence

Affordable Retirees Rural

Lower Southgate

River Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Lawrence

Lawrence vs Ashby Lawrence vs Woodford Island Lawrence vs Ashby Heights Lawrence vs Tullymorgan Lawrence vs Gurranang

Other comparisons with Lower Southgate

Lower Southgate vs Ulmarra Lower Southgate vs Woodford Island Lower Southgate vs Southgate Lower Southgate vs Brushgrove Lower Southgate vs Cowper Lower Southgate vs Warragai Creek
Full data on Lawrence Full data on Lower Southgate
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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.

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