Main Arm vs Palmwoods
Palmwoods is the younger of the two, with a median age of 40 against 45 in Main Arm. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Main Arm, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Main Arm tends to suit couples, while Palmwoods suits people living alone and families with children.
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
- Main Arm is already more of a family suburb (66% vs 58%)
- Palmwoods carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 58/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Main Arm
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (28% vs 36%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Palmwoods
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($200/wk vs $450/wk)
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (40% vs 20%)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (21% vs 32%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Main Arm
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
- has a shorter drive in (499 min vs 509 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (772.4 km vs 777.4 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Main Arm is more walkable (16/100 vs 0/100)
- Palmwoods carries lower crime risk (43/100 vs 58/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Main Arm
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (9.2% vs -25.0%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Main Arm and Palmwoods 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
Main Arm has more residents (640 vs 78); Main Arm rents higher ($450/wk vs $200/wk).
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 640 +88% vs other | 78 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +9.2% | -25.0% |
| Median age | 45 | 40 |
| Median household income | $72,956/yr +31% vs other | $50,232/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $450/wk +56% vs other | $200/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.8%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
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 (5.1%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.7%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,050,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
Main Arm has more rural and farming land (69% vs 48%).
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 69% | 48% |
| Other and special use | 6% | 30% |
| Environmental | 26% | 21% |
| 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
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 129 across Byron same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 86% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 40% of NSW | Higher than 11% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 66% of NSW | Higher than 9% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 6% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 89% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 46% of NSW | Higher than 31% of NSW |
Liveability
Main Arm is more walkable (16 vs 0).
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 28/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | mid-range socio-economic decile 6/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Main Arm carries more crime risk (58 vs 43).
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 60/100 | Moderate 57/100 |
| Crime | Moderate 58/100 | Moderate 43/100 |
| 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
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets | 1 | 0 |
| Cafes & restaurants | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 4 | 1 |
Mobility
Palmwoods sits further from the CBD (777.4 km vs 772.4 km).
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 16/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 772.4 km | 777.4 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 499 min | 509 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.5% postcode 2482 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 89 postcode 2482 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 (64.0%).
Setting
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 32 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 194 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 11.2 km | 14.3 km |
NBN connectivity
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 29/100 | 22/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless | Satellite (Sky Muster) |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 222 premises | 0% 17 premises |
Climate
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,569 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 29.1°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 9.1°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,577/yr same for both | |
| Council | Byron same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Main Arm | Palmwoods | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Main Arm
Palmwoods
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Main Arm
Other comparisons with Palmwoods
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.