Somerton vs Piallaway
Somerton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 48 in Piallaway. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Somerton, about half of households are couple families. In Piallaway, most households are couple families. On these figures, Somerton tends to suit people living alone, while Piallaway suits share households 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
Piallaway
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Somerton
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (22% vs 36%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Piallaway
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has cheaper rent ($144/wk vs $285/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (10% vs 20%)
- But Somerton has a bigger rental market to choose from (26% vs 16%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Piallaway
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a shorter drive in (289 min vs 320 min)
- sits closer to the CBD (404.1 km vs 441.1 km)
- But Somerton is more walkable (19/100 vs 0/100)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here
- Somerton is more walkable (19/100 vs 0/100)
- Piallaway carries lower crime risk (39/100 vs 84/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Too close to call
Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Somerton and Piallaway 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
Somerton has more residents (272 vs 128); Somerton rents higher ($285/wk vs $144/wk).
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 272 +53% vs other | 128 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -1.8% | -3.0% |
| Median age | 38 | 48 |
| Median household income | $75,660/yr +5% vs other | $71,500/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $285/wk +49% vs other | $144/wk |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.6%).
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 (3.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.8%).
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $340,000 | — |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
Zoning mix
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 100% | 97% |
| Environmental | 0% | 3% |
| 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
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 390 across Tamworth | 25 across Gunnedah |
| Approvals change year on year | -35% | -17% |
Ranking within NSW
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 6% of NSW | — |
| Income | Higher than 43% of NSW | Higher than 35% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 69% of NSW | Higher than 5% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 96% of NSW | — |
| EV adoption | Higher than 30% of NSW | — |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 33% of NSW |
Liveability
Somerton is more walkable (19 vs 0).
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — same for both | |
| Score | — same for both | |
| Socio-economic band | advantaged area decile 8/10 | very advantaged area decile 9/10 |
Risk profile
Somerton carries more crime risk (84 vs 39).
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Low 32/100 | Low 36/100 |
| Crime | High 84/100 | Low 39/100 |
| 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 | 1 within 5 km | 0 within 5 km |
Schools
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Somerton
- Somerton Public School Government · Primary below peers
Schools in Piallaway
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Parks & reserves | 1 same for both | |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel stations | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 15 | 7 |
Mobility
Somerton sits further from the CBD (441.1 km vs 404.1 km).
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 19/100 | 0/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 441.1 km +8% vs other | 404.1 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 320 min | 289 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.3% postcode 2340 | 0.0% postcode 2342 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 47 postcode 2340 | 48 postcode 2342 |
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 (70.5%).
Setting
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 327 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 301 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
NBN connectivity
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 30/100 | 24/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 109 premises | 0% 39 premises |
Climate
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 626 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | 32.8°C same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | 6.0°C same for both | |
Council rates
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,397/yr | $1,093/yr |
| Council | Tamworth | Gunnedah |
Federal electorate
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | New England | Parkes |
| Member | Barnaby Joyce | Jamie Chaffey |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Somerton | Piallaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Piallaway
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Somerton
Other comparisons with Piallaway
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.