Wardell vs Empire Vale
In both, most households own their home and the large majority of homes are detached houses. In Empire Vale, about half of households are couple families. On these figures, Empire Vale tends to suit 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
Empire Vale
ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here
- is already more of a family suburb (69% vs 49%)
- has more separate houses rather than flats (100% vs 78%)
- carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 89/100)
- But Wardell has more parks and reserves (4 vs 0)
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
Wardell
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (34% vs 11%)
- has cheaper rent ($350/wk vs $520/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (28% vs 36%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Empire Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- sits closer to the CBD (719.9 km vs 723 km)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
Empire Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- carries lower crime risk (71/100 vs 89/100)
Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Empire Vale
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (6.9% vs -0.2%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Wardell and Empire Vale 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
Wardell has more residents (830 vs 185); Empire Vale rents higher ($520/wk vs $350/wk).
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 830 +78% vs other | 185 |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -0.2% | +6.9% |
| Median age | 47 | 48 |
| Median household income | $65,208/yr | $74,256/yr +14% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $350/wk | $520/wk +49% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.2%).
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 (3.8%).
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (24.9%).
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Property market
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | $800,000 | $749,500 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | $329,000 | — |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | 77 days from 7 sales | — |
Zoning mix
Empire Vale has more rural and farming land (81% vs 38%); Wardell has more land zoned for conservation (19% vs 0%).
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Rural and farming | 38% | 81% |
| Other and special use | 41% | 19% |
| Environmental | 19% | 0% |
| Residential | 1% | 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
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 238 across Ballina same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | +210% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | Higher than 32% of NSW | Higher than 36% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 27% of NSW | Higher than 41% of NSW |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 73% of NSW | Higher than 72% of NSW |
| Affordability | Higher than 50% of NSW | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 68% of NSW | Higher than 82% of NSW |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 64% of NSW | Higher than 59% of NSW |
Liveability
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | D | — |
| Score | 16/100 | — |
| Socio-economic band | below-average income decile 2/10 | mid-range socio-economic decile 5/10 |
Risk profile
Wardell carries more bushfire risk (49 vs 21); Wardell carries more crime risk (89 vs 71).
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | Moderate 49/100 | Low 21/100 |
| Crime | High 89/100 | High 71/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 | Low 11/100 |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km same for both | |
Schools
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 2 | 1 |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 1 same for both | |
Schools in Wardell
- Wardell Public School Government · Primary below peers
- Cabbage Tree Island Public School Government · Primary
Schools in Empire Vale
- Empire Vale Public School Government · Primary below peers
Amenities in the suburb
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 1 | 0 |
| Parks & reserves | 4 | 0 |
| Pharmacies | 1 | 0 |
| Police stations | 1 | 0 |
| Banks & Bank@Post | 1 | 0 |
| Waterways | 8 | 1 |
Mobility
Wardell sits further from the CBD (723 km vs 719.9 km).
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 26/100 | 23/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 723 km | 719.9 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 471 min | 475 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 0.7% postcode 2477 | 1.1% postcode 2478 |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 75 postcode 2477 | 66 postcode 2478 |
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 (78.8%).
Setting
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 2 m above sea level, at the suburb centre same for both | |
| Distance to the ocean | 5.0 km | 1.7 km |
NBN connectivity
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 39/100 | 30/100 |
| Most common technology | Fixed wireless same for both | |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 13% 420 premises | 0% 81 premises |
Council rates
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,264/yr same for both | |
| Council | Ballina same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Page same for both | |
| Member | Kevin Hogan same for both | |
| Party | The Nationals same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Wardell | Empire Vale | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Wardell
Other comparisons with Empire Vale
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.