Thornton vs Ashtonfield

Thornton is the younger of the two, with a median age of 32 against 39 in Ashtonfield. In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Thornton, about half of households are couple families. In Ashtonfield, most households are couple families. On these figures, Thornton tends to suit young adults.

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

  • Thornton has more childcare (9 vs 5)
  • Ashtonfield carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 72/100)

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

First-home buyers

Thornton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper land ($760,000 vs $1,115,000)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, land prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

Thornton

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • has a bigger rental market to choose from (35% vs 22%)
  • has cheaper rent ($400/wk vs $440/wk)

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

Commuting to the city

Thornton

ahead on 3 of the 4 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (68/100 vs 42/100)
  • has a shorter drive in (115 min vs 147 min)
  • sits closer to the CBD (155.7 km vs 164.7 km)

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

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here

  • Thornton is more walkable (68/100 vs 42/100)
  • Ashtonfield carries lower crime risk (35/100 vs 72/100)

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

Investors

Thornton

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (32.6% vs -1.2%)

Weighs house yield and population growth.

Where they sit

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

Thornton Ashtonfield
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.

Thornton Ashtonfield
Walkability 68 / 42
Thornton — Walkability: 68/100 Ashtonfield — Walkability: 42/100
Safety 28 / 65
Thornton — Safety: 28/100 Ashtonfield — Safety: 65/100
Low fire risk 80 / 100
Thornton — Low fire risk: 80/100 Ashtonfield — Low fire risk: 100/100

Demographics

Thornton has more residents (10,690 vs 4,589); Ashtonfield skews older (39 vs 32).

Thornton Ashtonfield
Population 10,690
+57% vs other
 4,589
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +32.6% -1.2%
Median age 32 39
Median household income $106,652/yr $111,696/yr
+5% vs other
Median weekly rent $400/wk $440/wk
+10% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Thornton Ashtonfield
0-4 7.7% / 4.9%
Thornton — 0-4: 7.7% Ashtonfield — 0-4: 4.9%
5-14 13.9% / 15.9%
Thornton — 5-14: 13.9% Ashtonfield — 5-14: 15.9%
15-19 6.3% / 7.9%
Thornton — 15-19: 6.3% Ashtonfield — 15-19: 7.9%
20-24 8.0% / 5.6%
Thornton — 20-24: 8.0% Ashtonfield — 20-24: 5.6%
25-34 17.7% / 10.7%
Thornton — 25-34: 17.7% Ashtonfield — 25-34: 10.7%
35-44 13.0% / 13.0%
Thornton — 35-44: 13.0% Ashtonfield — 35-44: 13.0%
45-54 12.0% / 14.4%
Thornton — 45-54: 12.0% Ashtonfield — 45-54: 14.4%
55-64 11.0% / 12.8%
Thornton — 55-64: 11.0% Ashtonfield — 55-64: 12.8%
65-74 6.9% / 9.3%
Thornton — 65-74: 6.9% Ashtonfield — 65-74: 9.3%
75-84 2.7% / 4.2%
Thornton — 75-84: 2.7% Ashtonfield — 75-84: 4.2%
85+ 0.6% / 1.2%
Thornton — 85+: 0.6% Ashtonfield — 85+: 1.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (17.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Thornton 54.6% couple families
Thornton — Couple Families: 54.6% Thornton — Lone Person: 20.9% Thornton — One Parent Families: 18.5% Thornton — Group Household: 4.6% Thornton — Other Families: 1.4%
Ashtonfield 58.9% couple families
Ashtonfield — Couple Families: 58.9% Ashtonfield — Lone Person: 22.5% Ashtonfield — One Parent Families: 16.3% Ashtonfield — Group Household: 1.8% Ashtonfield — Other Families: 0.4%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Thornton 34.7% renting
Thornton — Owned Outright: 24.0% Thornton — Mortgage: 41.3% Thornton — Renting: 34.7%
Ashtonfield 21.7% renting
Ashtonfield — Owned Outright: 34.2% Ashtonfield — Mortgage: 44.0% Ashtonfield — Renting: 21.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

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

Thornton Ashtonfield
Certificate III & IV 21.2% / 17.8%
Thornton — Certificate III & IV: 21.2% Ashtonfield — Certificate III & IV: 17.8%
Bachelor Degree 8.5% / 10.9%
Thornton — Bachelor Degree: 8.5% Ashtonfield — Bachelor Degree: 10.9%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.3% / 8.4%
Thornton — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.3% Ashtonfield — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 8.4%
Postgraduate Degree 1.9% / 3.7%
Thornton — Postgraduate Degree: 1.9% Ashtonfield — Postgraduate Degree: 3.7%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 1.1% / 1.4%
Thornton — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.1% Ashtonfield — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 1.4%

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

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.

Thornton Ashtonfield
England 1.8% / 2.0%
Thornton — England: 1.8% Ashtonfield — England: 2.0%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.4%
Thornton — New Zealand: 1.1% Ashtonfield — New Zealand: 1.4%
India 0.8% / 1.2%
Thornton — India: 0.8% Ashtonfield — India: 1.2%
Philippines 0.6% / 0.8%
Thornton — Philippines: 0.6% Ashtonfield — Philippines: 0.8%
South Africa 0.6% / 0.8%
Thornton — South Africa: 0.6% Ashtonfield — South Africa: 0.8%
China 0.3% / 0.9%
Thornton — China: 0.3% Ashtonfield — China: 0.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (2.0%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Thornton 92.8% houses
Thornton — Houses: 92.8% Thornton — Townhouses: 6.2% Thornton — Flats / Apartments: 0.9%
Ashtonfield 93.9% houses
Ashtonfield — Houses: 93.9% Ashtonfield — Townhouses: 5.8% Ashtonfield — Flats / Apartments: 0.3%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Thornton Ashtonfield
Median house price $860,000 $886,500
Median unit price $637,500 $630,000
Median land price $760,000 $1,115,000
Typical days to sell (houses) 22 days
from 146 sales
 21 days
from 41 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.

Thornton Ashtonfield
3 bed $758K / $820K
Thornton — 3 bed: $758K (85 sales) Ashtonfield — 3 bed: $820K (21 sales)

85 vs 21 sales

4 bed $900K / $892K
Thornton — 4 bed: $900K (143 sales) Ashtonfield — 4 bed: $892K (54 sales)

143 vs 54 sales

5 bed $1.09M / $985K
Thornton — 5 bed: $1.09M (20 sales) Ashtonfield — 5 bed: $985K (10 sales)

20 vs 10 sales

Zoning mix

Ashtonfield has more rural and farming land (48% vs 24%); Thornton has more land zoned for conservation (37% vs 18%).

Thornton Ashtonfield
Rural and farming 24% 48%
Environmental 37% 18%
Residential 25% 29%
Industrial 9% 0%
Infrastructure and transport 2% 3%
Parks and recreation 2%
same for both
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

Thornton Ashtonfield
New dwellings approved 1,413
across Maitland
same for both
Approvals change year on year +20%
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.

Thornton Ashtonfield
Houses 4.2%
$660/wk on $822K
 4.4%
$755/wk on $888K
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Thornton Ashtonfield
House price Higher than 36% of NSW Higher than 39% of NSW
Income Higher than 73% of NSW Higher than 77% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 88% of NSW Higher than 79% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 81% of NSW
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 56% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 92% of NSW Higher than 98% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 81% of NSW Higher than 89% of NSW

Liveability

Thornton is more walkable (68 vs 42); Ashtonfield scores higher overall (61 vs 47).

Thornton Ashtonfield
Grade C B
Score 47/100 61/100
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 advantaged area
decile 7/10

Risk profile

Thornton carries more bushfire risk (20 vs 0); Thornton carries more crime risk (72 vs 35).

Thornton Ashtonfield
Bushfire Low
20/100
 None
0/100
Crime High
72/100
 Low
35/100
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 5
within 5 km
 6
within 5 km

Schools

Thornton Ashtonfield
Inside the suburb 2
same for both
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 1 2
Rated below peers 1 0

Schools in Thornton

  • Thornton Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Aspect Hunter School Independent · Combined · Special school below peers

Schools in Ashtonfield

  • Ashtonfield Public School Government · Primary at peers
  • Hunter Valley Grammar School Independent · Combined at peers

Amenities in the suburb

Thornton Ashtonfield
Supermarkets 1 0
Cafes & restaurants 3 0
Parks & reserves 3
same for both
Childcare 9 5
Pharmacies 2 1
Hospitals 0 1
Banks & Bank@Post 1 0
Fuel stations 3 0
Waterways 9 1

Mobility

Ashtonfield sits further from the CBD (164.7 km vs 155.7 km).

Thornton Ashtonfield
Walkability score 68/100 42/100
Distance to Sydney 155.7 km 164.7 km
+6% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 115 min 147 min
Public transport score 79/100
Rail · Bus
 77/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 121.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
 72.2
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 0 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 0.7%
postcode 2322
 0.5%
postcode 2323
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 64
postcode 2322
 44
postcode 2323

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.

Thornton Ashtonfield
Car (driver) 72.6% / 69.8%
Thornton — Car (driver): 72.6% Ashtonfield — Car (driver): 69.8%
Worked from Home 20.6% / 24.1%
Thornton — Worked from Home: 20.6% Ashtonfield — Worked from Home: 24.1%
Car (passenger) 4.6% / 4.5%
Thornton — Car (passenger): 4.6% Ashtonfield — Car (passenger): 4.5%
Walked Only 0.9% / 1.0%
Thornton — Walked Only: 0.9% Ashtonfield — Walked Only: 1.0%
Train 0.9% / 0.4%
Thornton — Train: 0.9% Ashtonfield — Train: 0.4%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (72.6%).

Setting

Thornton Ashtonfield
Elevation 11 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 22 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean 14.4 km 17.8 km

NBN connectivity

Thornton Ashtonfield
Connectivity score 84/100 99/100
Most common technology Fibre to the premises
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 70%
4,838 premises
 98%
1,704 premises

Climate

Thornton Ashtonfield
Annual rainfall 996 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 30.0°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 7.1°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Thornton Ashtonfield
PM2.5 6.3 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 17.5 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ 0.72 pphm
same for both

Council rates

Thornton Ashtonfield
Average residential rate $1,908/yr
same for both
Council Maitland
same for both

Federal electorate

Thornton Ashtonfield
Division Paterson
same for both
Member Meryl Swanson
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Thornton Ashtonfield
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Thornton

Large Blocks Regional Centre

Ashtonfield

Large Blocks

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Thornton

Thornton vs East Maitland Thornton vs Metford Thornton vs Chisholm Thornton vs Beresfield Thornton vs Woodberry Thornton vs Black Hill

Other comparisons with Ashtonfield

Ashtonfield vs East Maitland Ashtonfield vs Metford Ashtonfield vs Black Hill
Full data on Thornton Full data on Ashtonfield
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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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