Palmvale vs Wardrop Valley

In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Palmvale, the large majority of households are couple families. In Wardrop Valley, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Palmvale tends to suit families with children and couples, while Wardrop Valley suits young adults and people living alone.

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

Palmvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (79% vs 67%)

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

First-home buyers

Palmvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (19% vs 32%)

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Palmvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (17% vs 23%)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Wardrop Valley

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • sits closer to the CBD (797.6 km vs 800.7 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Palmvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has more residents already 65 and over (16% vs 10%)

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

Investors

Palmvale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (14.5% vs -10.1%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

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

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
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.

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Walkability 16 / 14
Palmvale — Walkability: 16/100 Wardrop Valley — Walkability: 14/100
Safety 75 / 80
Palmvale — Safety: 75/100 Wardrop Valley — Safety: 80/100
Low fire risk 53 / 50
Palmvale — Low fire risk: 53/100 Wardrop Valley — Low fire risk: 50/100

Demographics

Palmvale has higher household incomes ($89,648 vs $68,224).

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Population 95
+16% vs other
 80
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +14.5% -10.1%
Median age 39
same for both
Median household income $89,648/yr
+24% vs other
 $68,224/yr
Median weekly rent $300/wk $298/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
0-4 10.5% / 11.2%
Palmvale — 0-4: 10.5% Wardrop Valley — 0-4: 11.2%
5-14 11.6% / 6.2%
Palmvale — 5-14: 11.6% Wardrop Valley — 5-14: 6.2%
15-19 — / —
Palmvale — 15-19: not among its largest Wardrop Valley — 15-19: not among its largest
20-24 — / 6.2%
Palmvale — 20-24: not among its largest Wardrop Valley — 20-24: 6.2%
25-34 15.8% / 20.0%
Palmvale — 25-34: 15.8% Wardrop Valley — 25-34: 20.0%
35-44 7.4% / 15.0%
Palmvale — 35-44: 7.4% Wardrop Valley — 35-44: 15.0%
45-54 8.4% / 18.8%
Palmvale — 45-54: 8.4% Wardrop Valley — 45-54: 18.8%
55-64 21.1% / 15.0%
Palmvale — 55-64: 21.1% Wardrop Valley — 55-64: 15.0%
65-74 11.6% / 10.0%
Palmvale — 65-74: 11.6% Wardrop Valley — 65-74: 10.0%
75-84 4.2% / —
Palmvale — 75-84: 4.2% Wardrop Valley — 75-84: not among its largest
85+ — / —
Palmvale — 85+: not among its largest Wardrop Valley — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.1%).

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.

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
New Zealand — / 7.5%
Palmvale — New Zealand: not among its largest Wardrop Valley — New Zealand: 7.5%
India 5.3% / —
Palmvale — India: 5.3% Wardrop Valley — India: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (7.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Palmvale 78.6% couple families
Palmvale — Couple Families: 78.6% Palmvale — Lone Person: 21.4% Palmvale — One Parent Families: 0.0%
Wardrop Valley 45.8% couple families
Wardrop Valley — Couple Families: 45.8% Wardrop Valley — Lone Person: 33.3% Wardrop Valley — One Parent Families: 20.8%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Palmvale 100.0% houses
Palmvale — Houses: 100.0%
Wardrop Valley 100.0% houses
Wardrop Valley — Houses: 100.0%
Houses

Qualifications

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

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Certificate III & IV 10.5% / 21.2%
Palmvale — Certificate III & IV: 10.5% Wardrop Valley — Certificate III & IV: 21.2%
Bachelor Degree 14.7% / 7.5%
Palmvale — Bachelor Degree: 14.7% Wardrop Valley — Bachelor Degree: 7.5%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 4.2% / 7.5%
Palmvale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.2% Wardrop Valley — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.5%
Postgraduate Degree 4.2% / 3.8%
Palmvale — Postgraduate Degree: 4.2% Wardrop Valley — Postgraduate Degree: 3.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (21.2%).

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Palmvale 0.0% renting
Palmvale — Owned Outright: 87.0% Palmvale — Mortgage: 13.0% Palmvale — Renting: 0.0%
Wardrop Valley 34.5% renting
Wardrop Valley — Owned Outright: 27.6% Wardrop Valley — Mortgage: 37.9% Wardrop Valley — Renting: 34.5%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Property market

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Median house price — $850,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Wardrop Valley has more land zoned for conservation (45% vs 1%); Palmvale has more rural and farming land (95% vs 55%).

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Rural and farming 95% 55%
Environmental 1% 45%
Other and special use 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

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
New dwellings approved 331
across Tweed
same for both
Approvals change year on year -50%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
House price — Higher than 38% of NSW
Income Higher than 57% of NSW Higher than 31% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 66% of NSW Higher than 63% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 47% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 64% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 34% of NSW Higher than 41% of NSW

Liveability

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10

Risk profile

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Bushfire Moderate
47/100
 Moderate
50/100
Crime Low
25/100
 Low
20/100
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
 1
within 5 km

Schools

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
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

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Waterways 10 1

Mobility

Palmvale sits further from the CBD (800.7 km vs 797.6 km).

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Walkability score 16/100 14/100
Distance to Sydney 800.7 km 797.6 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 525 min 526 min
Electric vehicle share 0.6%
postcode 2484
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 76
postcode 2484
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.

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Car (driver) 68.0% / 88.2%
Palmvale — Car (driver): 68.0% Wardrop Valley — Car (driver): 88.2%
Worked from Home 32.0% / 11.8%
Palmvale — Worked from Home: 32.0% Wardrop Valley — Worked from Home: 11.8%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (88.2%).

Setting

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Elevation 45 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 117 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 7.9 km 11.2 km

NBN connectivity

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Connectivity score 24/100 28/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
21 premises
 0%
34 premises

Climate

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
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

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Average residential rate $1,745/yr
same for both
Council Tweed
same for both

Federal electorate

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Division Richmond
same for both
Member Justine Elliot
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Palmvale Wardrop Valley
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Palmvale

Family River Rural Young Families

Wardrop Valley

Rural Young Families

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Palmvale

Palmvale vs Burringbar Palmvale vs Cudgera Creek Palmvale vs Reserve Creek

Other comparisons with Wardrop Valley

Wardrop Valley vs South Murwillumbah Wardrop Valley vs Burringbar Wardrop Valley vs Stokers Siding Wardrop Valley vs Fernvale Wardrop Valley vs Kielvale Wardrop Valley vs Reserve Creek
Full data on Palmvale Full data on Wardrop Valley
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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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