Maryland vs Shortland

Shortland is the younger of the two, with a median age of 33 against 37 in Maryland. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Maryland, about half of households are couple families. Houses cost more in Maryland: a median of $905,000, against $810,000 in Shortland, and rent is higher there too. On these figures, Maryland tends to suit couples, while Shortland suits young adults, people living alone, and share households.

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

Maryland

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • has more childcare (6 vs 2)
  • is already more of a family suburb (70% vs 45%)
  • has more separate houses rather than flats (90% vs 70%)
  • But Shortland has more schools inside the suburb (4 vs 0)

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

First-home buyers

Shortland

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has cheaper houses ($810,000 vs $905,000)
  • has cheaper units ($707,500 vs $782,500)
  • But Maryland leaves households under less mortgage stress (23% vs 29%)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

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

  • Maryland leaves renters under less rental stress (22% vs 28%)
  • Shortland has a bigger rental market to choose from (39% vs 23%)

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

Commuting to the city

Maryland

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (151.3 km vs 156.5 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Shortland

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • has more units and townhouses to downsize into (30% vs 10%)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (20% vs 13%)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, and walkability.

Investors

Shortland

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (16.2% vs 0.3%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Maryland Shortland
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.

Maryland Shortland
Walkability 67 / 63
Maryland — Walkability: 67/100 Shortland — Walkability: 63/100
Low fire risk 38 / 44
Maryland — Low fire risk: 38/100 Shortland — Low fire risk: 44/100

Demographics

Maryland has more residents (7,714 vs 4,537); Maryland has higher household incomes ($93,236 vs $69,888).

Maryland Shortland
Population 7,714
+41% vs other
 4,537
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +0.3% +16.2%
Median age 37 33
Median household income $93,236/yr
+25% vs other
 $69,888/yr
Median weekly rent $400/wk
+6% vs other
 $377/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Maryland Shortland
0-4 6.1% / 6.3%
Maryland — 0-4: 6.1% Shortland — 0-4: 6.3%
5-14 13.1% / 9.3%
Maryland — 5-14: 13.1% Shortland — 5-14: 9.3%
15-19 7.3% / 4.7%
Maryland — 15-19: 7.3% Shortland — 15-19: 4.7%
20-24 7.0% / 11.4%
Maryland — 20-24: 7.0% Shortland — 20-24: 11.4%
25-34 13.1% / 20.8%
Maryland — 25-34: 13.1% Shortland — 25-34: 20.8%
35-44 12.7% / 11.0%
Maryland — 35-44: 12.7% Shortland — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 14.4% / 8.0%
Maryland — 45-54: 14.4% Shortland — 45-54: 8.0%
55-64 12.8% / 8.7%
Maryland — 55-64: 12.8% Shortland — 55-64: 8.7%
65-74 8.6% / 9.7%
Maryland — 65-74: 8.6% Shortland — 65-74: 9.7%
75-84 3.6% / 7.8%
Maryland — 75-84: 3.6% Shortland — 75-84: 7.8%
85+ 1.1% / 2.6%
Maryland — 85+: 1.1% Shortland — 85+: 2.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.8%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Maryland 50.0% couple families
Maryland — Couple Families: 50.0% Maryland — Lone Person: 24.0% Maryland — One Parent Families: 20.4% Maryland — Group Household: 4.3% Maryland — Other Families: 1.3%
Shortland 27.4% couple families
Shortland — Couple Families: 27.4% Shortland — Lone Person: 40.5% Shortland — One Parent Families: 18.0% Shortland — Group Household: 11.4% Shortland — Other Families: 2.6%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Maryland 23.0% renting
Maryland — Owned Outright: 31.6% Maryland — Mortgage: 45.4% Maryland — Renting: 23.0%
Shortland 39.3% renting
Shortland — Owned Outright: 27.0% Shortland — Mortgage: 33.8% Shortland — Renting: 39.3%
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.

Maryland Shortland
China 1.3% / 1.7%
Maryland — China: 1.3% Shortland — China: 1.7%
England 1.5% / 1.4%
Maryland — England: 1.5% Shortland — England: 1.4%
India 1.0% / 1.4%
Maryland — India: 1.0% Shortland — India: 1.4%
Philippines 1.0% / 0.8%
Maryland — Philippines: 1.0% Shortland — Philippines: 0.8%
New Zealand 0.6% / 0.8%
Maryland — New Zealand: 0.6% Shortland — New Zealand: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (1.7%).

Qualifications

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

Maryland Shortland
Certificate III & IV 19.2% / 19.1%
Maryland — Certificate III & IV: 19.2% Shortland — Certificate III & IV: 19.1%
Bachelor Degree 9.2% / 10.6%
Maryland — Bachelor Degree: 9.2% Shortland — Bachelor Degree: 10.6%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 6.8% / 6.2%
Maryland — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.8% Shortland — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 6.2%
Postgraduate Degree 2.6% / 3.1%
Maryland — Postgraduate Degree: 2.6% Shortland — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.2% / 1.1%
Maryland — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.2% Shortland — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (19.2%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Maryland 90.1% houses
Maryland — Houses: 90.1% Maryland — Townhouses: 9.4% Maryland — Flats / Apartments: 0.4%
Shortland 69.7% houses
Shortland — Houses: 69.7% Shortland — Townhouses: 28.2% Shortland — Flats / Apartments: 2.0%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Maryland Shortland
Median house price $905,000 $810,000
Median unit price $782,500 $707,500
Median land price $1,250,000 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 16 days
from 34 sales
 17 days
from 28 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Maryland Shortland
3 bed $870K / $825K
Maryland — 3 bed: $870K (55 sales) Shortland — 3 bed: $825K (45 sales)

55 vs 45 sales

4 bed $970K / $907K
Maryland — 4 bed: $970K (27 sales) Shortland — 4 bed: $907K (9 sales)

27 vs 9 sales

Zoning mix

Shortland has more land zoned for conservation (42% vs 25%).

Maryland Shortland
Residential 55% 21%
Environmental 25% 42%
Infrastructure and transport 0% 24%
Parks and recreation 15% 13%
Industrial 5% 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

Maryland Shortland
New dwellings approved 912
across Newcastle
same for both
Approvals change year on year +77%
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.

Maryland Shortland
Houses 4.4%
$755/wk on $890K
 4.3%
$650/wk on $780K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Maryland Shortland
House price Higher than 39% of NSW Higher than 30% of NSW
Income Higher than 60% of NSW Higher than 33% of NSW
Schools — Higher than 84% of NSW
Walkability Higher than 87% of NSW Higher than 86% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 71% of NSW Higher than 59% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 76% of NSW Higher than 47% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 75% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 89% of NSW Higher than 87% of NSW

Liveability

Shortland scores higher overall (43 vs 37).

Maryland Shortland
Grade C
same for both
Score 37/100 43/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 below-average income
decile 3/10

Risk profile

Maryland Shortland
Bushfire Moderate
62/100
 Moderate
56/100
Crime — High
79/100
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
 5
within 5 km

Schools

Maryland Shortland
Inside the suburb 0 4
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0 1
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 1
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 4.1 km
 2
The University of Newcastle (Callaghan), 1.9 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 2.3% 5.3%

Schools in Maryland

  • Glendore Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Maryland Public School Government · Primary below peers

Schools in Shortland

  • Our Lady of Victories Primary School Catholic · Primary above peers
  • Margaret Jurd College Independent · Secondary · Special school above peers
  • Shortland Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Awabakal Environmental Education Centre Government · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Maryland Shortland
Cafes & restaurants 0 2
Parks & reserves 7 12
Childcare 6 2
GPs 1 0
Pharmacies 1
same for both
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 0 1
Fuel stations 0 1
Waterways 2 5

Mobility

Shortland sits further from the CBD (156.5 km vs 151.3 km).

Maryland Shortland
Walkability score 67/100 63/100
Distance to Sydney 151.3 km 156.5 km
+3% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 114 min 118 min
Public transport score 79/100
Bus
 78/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 195.0
7-9am + 5-7pm
 73.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.9%
postcode 2287
 0.5%
postcode 2307
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 42
postcode 2287
 33
postcode 2307

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.

Maryland Shortland
Car (driver) 74.2% / 74.1%
Maryland — Car (driver): 74.2% Shortland — Car (driver): 74.1%
Worked from Home 19.8% / 19.0%
Maryland — Worked from Home: 19.8% Shortland — Worked from Home: 19.0%
Car (passenger) 4.1% / 4.1%
Maryland — Car (passenger): 4.1% Shortland — Car (passenger): 4.1%
Bus 0.7% / 1.6%
Maryland — Bus: 0.7% Shortland — Bus: 1.6%
Walked Only 0.6% / 0.8%
Maryland — Walked Only: 0.6% Shortland — Walked Only: 0.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (74.2%).

Setting

Maryland Shortland
Elevation 2 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 25 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 9.2 km 6.5 km

NBN connectivity

Maryland Shortland
Connectivity score 74/100 67/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises Fibre to the node
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 53%
2,997 premises
 40%
2,006 premises

Climate

Maryland Shortland
Annual rainfall 1,025 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 25.4°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 10.2°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Maryland Shortland
PM2.5 6.1 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 16.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.53 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Maryland Shortland
Average residential rate $1,783/yr
same for both
Council Newcastle
same for both

Federal electorate

Maryland Shortland
Division Newcastle
same for both
Member Sharon Claydon
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Maryland Shortland
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Maryland

Large Blocks Parks Quiet

Shortland

Parks Quiet River Townhouses

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Maryland

Maryland vs Wallsend Maryland vs Fletcher Maryland vs Hexham

Other comparisons with Shortland

Shortland vs Wallsend Shortland vs Birmingham Gardens Shortland vs Warabrook Shortland vs Callaghan Shortland vs Sandgate Shortland vs Hexham
Full data on Maryland Full data on Shortland
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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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