Stanwell Park vs Stanwell Tops
Stanwell Tops is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 45 in Stanwell Park. In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. Houses cost more in Stanwell Park: a median of $2.05 million, against $1.53 million in Stanwell Tops, though rent is higher in Stanwell Tops. On these figures, Stanwell Tops tends to suit families with children and buyers on a tighter budget.
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
- Stanwell Park carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 34/100)
- Stanwell Tops has more separate houses rather than flats (99% vs 88%)
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Stanwell Tops
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- has cheaper houses ($1,530,000 vs $2,050,000)
Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.
Renters
Stanwell Park
ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here
- leaves renters under less rental stress (16% vs 24%)
- has cheaper rent ($460/wk vs $650/wk)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Stanwell Tops
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (56.8 km vs 59.7 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Stanwell Park
ahead on 2 of the 5 things we measure here
- has more units and townhouses to downsize into (12% vs 1%)
- carries lower crime risk (14/100 vs 34/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, 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
Stanwell Park and Stanwell Tops 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
Stanwell Park has more residents (1,532 vs 517); Stanwell Tops rents higher ($650/wk vs $460/wk).
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,532 +66% vs other | 517 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | +8.7% | +4.4% |
| Median age | 45 | 38 |
| Median household income | $145,496/yr +5% vs other | $138,476/yr |
| Median weekly rent | $460/wk | $650/wk +41% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.1%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.4%).
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%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $2,050,000 | $1,530,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 59 days from 13 sales | 11 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
Stanwell Tops has more land zoned for conservation (90% vs 59%).
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 59% | 90% |
| Residential | 19% | 3% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 15% | 5% |
| Parks and recreation | 6% | 1% |
| Planning zones cover 99% of Stanwell Park and 99% of Stanwell Tops. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| 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
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,476 across Wollongong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 88% of NSW | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 94% of NSW | Higher than 91% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 80% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 30% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 85% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 77% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
Liveability
Stanwell Park scores higher overall (59 vs 51).
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | B same for both | |
| Score | 59/100 | 51/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 10/10 same for both | |
Risk profile
Stanwell Tops carries more crime risk (34 vs 14).
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 94/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | Low 14/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | Low 22/100 | None 0/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 1 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 1 | 0 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 1 | 0 |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Schools in Stanwell Park
- Stanwell Park Public School Government · Primary at peers
Schools in Stanwell Tops
No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.
Amenities in the suburb
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 4 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Childcare | 2 | 0 |
| Waterways | 12 | 8 |
Mobility
Stanwell Park sits further from the CBD (59.7 km vs 56.8 km).
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 45/100 | 41/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 59.7 km +5% vs other | 56.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 65 min | 62 min |
| Public transport score | 47/100 Rail · Bus | 40/100 Bus |
| Peak arrivals per hour | 10.8 7-9am + 5-7pm | 12.2 7-9am + 5-7pm |
| Median peak wait | 2 min scheduled, not actual | 1 min scheduled, not actual |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 2508 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 43 postcode 2508 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 (50.2%).
Setting
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 50 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 264 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 726 m 3.2 km to a named beach | 1.9 km 3.5 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 71/100 | 54/100 |
| Most common technology | Fibre to the node same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 33% 613 premises | 17% 181 premises |
Climate
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,038 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 6.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| PM10 | 18.2 µg/m³ same for both | |
| NO₂ | 0.66 pphm same for both | |
Council rates
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wollongong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cunningham same for both | |
| Member | Alison Byrnes same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Stanwell Park | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
Stanwell Park
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Stanwell Park
Other comparisons with Stanwell Tops
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.