Middle Pocket vs The Pocket
In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Middle Pocket tends to suit 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
Middle Pocket
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 80/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Too close to call
Nothing among the 2 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
The Pocket
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (26% vs 34%)
- has cheaper rent ($470/wk vs $580/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
The Pocket
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
The Pocket
ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here
- is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
- has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 17%)
- But Middle Pocket carries lower crime risk (28/100 vs 80/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Middle Pocket
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (2.2% vs -14.8%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Middle Pocket and The Pocket 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
The Pocket has more residents (231 vs 141); Middle Pocket rents higher ($580/wk vs $470/wk).
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 141 | 231 +64% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +2.2% | -14.8% |
| Median age | 44 same for both | |
| Median household income | $89,336/yr | $94,224/yr +5% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $580/wk +19% vs other | $470/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.0%).
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 (8.5%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $1,827,500 | $1,950,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — | $62,744 |
Zoning mix
Middle Pocket has more land zoned for conservation (36% vs 17%).
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 62% | 71% |
| Environmental | 36% | 17% |
| Other and special use | 1% | 11% |
| 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
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 129 across Byron same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -65% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 78% of NSW | Higher than 84% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 57% of NSW | Higher than 61% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 22% of NSW | Higher than 15% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 85% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 39% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
Liveability
The Pocket is more walkable (17 vs 0).
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
The Pocket carries more crime risk (80 vs 28); Middle Pocket carries more bushfire risk (66 vs 37).
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 66/100 | Low 37/100 |
| Crime | Low 28/100 | High 80/100 |
| 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
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 | 1 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Middle Pocket
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Schools in The Pocket
- The Pocket Public School Government · Primary at peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 2 | 4 |
Mobility
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 0/100 | 17/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 778.6 km | 778 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 499 min | 498 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 2483 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 72 postcode 2483 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 (61.0%).
Setting
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 47 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 26 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 8.2 km | 7.9 km |
NBN connectivity
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 27/100 | 28/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 77 premises | 0% 108 premises |
Climate
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,577/yr same for both | |
| Council | Byron same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Richmond same for both | |
| Member | Justine Elliot same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Middle Pocket | The Pocket | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Middle Pocket
Other comparisons with The Pocket
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.