Carlton NSW 2218
Carlton is a suburb in New South Wales, 20 km from Sydney CBD, around 27 minutes by car. Population is 10,631; the median age is 38 and the median household income is $96,720 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 40% nationally. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $450 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $2,167. The area shows no recorded bushfire exposure. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.
Is Carlton a good suburb?
Carlton scores a A (78/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, safety, and community, weaker on prices.
Mixed results
1 school
Very walkable
Walkability 94/100 · 20.3 km · 27 min drive to Sydney
Above the state median
Median $1.8M · Less affordable than 81% of NSW
Low all-round risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 39/100
Advantaged
SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 38 · 10,631 residents
Liveability Rating
78 / 100 · Ranked #188 in NSWEach bar is Carlton's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Carlton?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
78 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median Unit Price
Public listings dataCarlton's unit market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $810,000, about 3% above where it sat a year earlier.
Units
$810,000
7% above its 7 neighbours (median $760,000)
Based on 117 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 57 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 1 bed 6 sales $589K
- 2 bed 96 sales $810K
- 3 bed 14 sales $900K
Houses
$1,805,000
17% below its 9 neighbours (median $2,180,000)
Based on 72 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 24 days — median across 46 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 8 sales $1.6M
- 3 bed 38 sales $1.7M
- 4 bed 13 sales $1.95M
- 5 bed 10 sales $1.92M
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Carlton are currently listed at around $1.89 million on average. Based on 9 houses listed in the past six months.
Houses
$1.89M
9 houses listed in the last 6 months.
Units
$798K
16 units listed in the last 6 months.
25 of the suburb's 3,764 dwellings (0.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Carlton rent for around $870 a week on average, based on 27 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
Houses
$870/wk
8% below its 5 neighbours (median $950/wk)
27 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
Units
$780/wk
4% above its 5 neighbours (median $750/wk)
33 units advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
60 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,453 rented homes (4.1%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $870/wk
- 12 bonds
- +34% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $668/wk
- 64 bonds
- +68% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2218 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 2025107 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 28% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2218.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$870/week ($45,000 a year) on a $1.89 million median
$780/week ($41,000 a year) on a $798,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Short-Stay Rentals
19 active Airbnb listings: 1 whole home and 18 rooms. Whole homes are about 0.0% of the suburb's homes.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months. The share is against private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Is Carlton safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Carlton sits in the low band, with 266 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 15% on the prior year.
266 offences
15.2% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202515 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Georges River Council has published 5 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Blakehurst and Kogarah Bay Wards Overland Flow Flood Study 2026
- OVERLAND FLOW FLOODPLAIN RISK MANAGEMENT STUDY AND PLAN FOR HURSTVILLE, MORTDALE, AND PEAKHURST WARDS 2023
- Poulton Park Overland Flow Risk Management Study and Plan 2011
- Poulton Park Overland Flow Management Study and Plan 2011
- Kogarah Bay Creek - Flood & Overland Flow Study 2008
Schools
One school serve Carlton, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.
- • 514 students in one school (avg 514)
Primary
Universities nearby
3.6% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Carlton is exceptionally walkable on foot — at 94/100, daily errands don't require a car at all.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Carlton.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 91.0 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 70.0 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 39.6 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 23.9 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Carlton.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 23%
- Premises covered
- 4,424
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Georges River: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 27 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Carlton is home to about 10,600 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $97,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.1%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
10,631
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$96,720/yr
Census Median Rent
$450/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$2,167/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$39,624/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.1%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.3%
Total Dwellings
3,764
Owner-Occupier Rate
61.4%
Houses
46.6%
Rental Stress
24.2%
Mortgage Stress
26.9%
Work From Home
41.9%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
64 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 25 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,407 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 45.3%
- English Spoken at Home
- 36.0%
- Employment Rate
- 55.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 57.3%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
971 residents (9.1%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 10,092 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
26% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (1,282 of 4,962).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 1,847 people work here; 4,962 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.4 jobs per working resident. At least 60% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,381 a year through Georges River based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 82%
- Industrial 6%
- Infrastructure and transport 5%
- Commercial 4%
- Parks and recreation 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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Georges River
In the year to August 2026, 920 new dwellings were approved across Georges River. That mix is 223 houses and 697 units. Approvals are up 91.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 6.5 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 16.1 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.79 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Earlwood monitoring station, 6.2 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Sydney Airport AMO, 5.5 kmHigh rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 38 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 2.8 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,129 mm
- 99 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 27.5°C
- 7 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 9.5°C
- 0 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
2 facilities within 5 km- 1.4 kmHospitals (Except Psychiatric Hospitals)Top reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 2.5 kmWaste Treatment and Disposal ServicesTop reported: Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Zinc and compounds · Chromium (III) compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 2218, 85 of 9,121 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.0% (453 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 5.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2218, 835 rooftop-solar systems totalling 5.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 6,284 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 72 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
4 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 8 across postcode 2218.
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $810,000 this is $210,000 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Ash Ambihaipahar Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Ash Ambihaipahar | 66.0% | 34.0% | +4.0 |
| 2022 | Linda Burney | 65.5% | 34.5% | -6.1 |
| 2019 | Linda Burney | 59.4% | 40.6% | -1.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Chris Minns Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Chris Minns ALP | 68.3% |
| 2019 | Chris Minns ALP | 51.8% |
| 2015 | Chris Minns ALP | 56.9% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Carlton?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 10,631 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
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Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Sydney There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Sydney suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Hurstville NSW 2220
Bexley NSW 2207
Kogarah NSW 2217
Blakehurst NSW 2221
Allawah NSW 2218
South Hurstville NSW 2221
Compare Carlton to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Carlton
Is Carlton a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Carlton is low (39/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Carlton?
Carlton has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Carlton a good place to live?
Carlton has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of A (78/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Carlton?
Carlton, NSW had a population of 10,631 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Carlton, NSW?
The postcode for Carlton, NSW is 2218.
How far is Carlton from Sydney?
Carlton is 20 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 27 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Carlton?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Carlton was $96,720 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Carlton?
The median advertised rent in Carlton is $870 a week for houses (27 listings) and $780 a week for units (33 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Carlton?
The median age of residents in Carlton was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Carlton?
There is 1 school inside the Carlton boundary: 1 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Carlton walkable?
Carlton scores 94/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it exceptionally walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Carlton?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Carlton (Earlwood) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.5 µg/m³ and PM10 of 16.1 µg/m³. That puts Carlton below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Carlton?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Carlton, Sydney Airport AMO (5.5 km away), summer days average 27.5°C, winter nights 9.5°C, 1,129 mm of rain a year over 99 rainy days, and 7 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Carlton?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Carlton belong to?
Carlton sits within the Georges River local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Carlton?
The average residential rates bill through Georges River is $1,381 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Carlton?
Across Georges River, 920 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 91.0% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Carlton in?
Carlton sits within the federal Division of Barton, currently held by Ash Ambihaipahar (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- Short-stay rentals · Jun 2026
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.