Located in New South Wales, Empire Vale sits 720 km from Sydney CBD, around 7 hours 55 minutes by car. The suburb has 185 residents, a median age of 48, and a median household income of $74,256 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The suburb grew 6.9% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $520 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,613. Empire Vale is characterised by high crime risk. 1 school sits within the suburb boundary, and walkability is low.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 185. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
How do you rate the liveability in Empire Vale?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
Not enough data to score this suburb.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Empire Vale sits at $750,000, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only six sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.
$749,500
Based on only 6 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $830/wk
- 48 bonds
- +22% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $620/wk
- 22 bonds
- +38% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2478 (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 202573 Severely unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 41% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2478.
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.
Short-Stay Rentals
4 active Airbnb listings: 4 whole homes and 0 rooms.
Airbnb only, as at Jun 2026; other platforms are not included. Active means reviewed in the past 12 months.
Is Empire Vale safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Empire Vale sits in the high band, with 12 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 100% on the prior year.
12 offences
100.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20251 crash
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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
Ballina Shire Council has published 6 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
Coastal Erosion
Shoreline Change Summary
1989–2020Nearest Eroding Coastline
- Distance
- 1.7 km
- Rate
- -0.02 m/yr
- Net Movement
- -12.2 m
- Certainty
- good
Data Quality
Schools
One school serve Empire Vale, and the cohort is trailing peer-suburb performance.
- • 18 students in one school (avg 18)
Primary
Walkability
Empire Vale is very car-dependent on foot — at 23/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Empire Vale.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 81
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
Ballina: 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
Empire Vale is home to 185 residents, with a median age of 48, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $74,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
185
Median Age
48
Median Household Income
$74,256/yr
Census Median Rent
$520/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,613/mo
Avg Household Size
2.7
Median Personal Income
$34,788/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
11.6%
Total Dwellings
69
Owner-Occupier Rate
88.7%
Houses
100.0%
Rental Stress
36.4%
Mortgage Stress
26.1%
Work From Home
16.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 80.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 89.7%
- Employment Rate
- 58.2%
- Completed Year 12
- 36.8%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,264 a year through Ballina based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 81%
- Other and special use 19%
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: Ballina
In the year to August 2026, 238 new dwellings were approved across Ballina. That mix is 154 houses and 84 units. Approvals are up 210.0% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Jali 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.
Setting
- Elevation
- 2 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 1.7 km
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.
EV adoption
In postcode 2478, 266 of 25,197 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.8% (965 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.9%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2478, 9,182 rooftop-solar systems totalling 55.6 MW have been installed since 2001, against 13,886 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 503 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
9 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2478.
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 $749,500 this is $149,500 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 2026-10-27 — 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 Kevin Hogan The Nationals
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Kevin Hogan | 40.7% | 59.3% | +1.4 |
| 2022 | Kevin Hogan | 39.3% | 60.7% | +1.3 |
| 2019 | Kevin Hogan | 40.5% | 59.5% | +7.2 |
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 Tamara Smith The Greens
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Tamara Smith GRN | 57.7% |
| 2019 | Tamara Smith GRN | 55.4% |
| 2015 | Tamara Smith GRN | 53.1% |
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 Empire Vale?
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 185 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.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Empire Vale 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 Empire Vale
Is Empire Vale a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Empire Vale is high (71/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Empire Vale?
Empire Vale has a low recorded bushfire history (21/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Empire Vale?
Empire Vale, NSW had a population of 185 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Empire Vale, NSW?
The postcode for Empire Vale, NSW is 2478.
How far is Empire Vale from Sydney?
Empire Vale is 720 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 475 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Empire Vale?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Empire Vale was $74,256 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 Empire Vale?
There are too few current rental listings in Empire Vale for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $520, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Empire Vale?
The median age of residents in Empire Vale was 48 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Empire Vale at risk of bushfire?
Empire Vale has a low recorded bushfire history (21/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Empire Vale?
There is 1 school inside the Empire Vale boundary: 1 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Empire Vale walkable?
Empire Vale scores 23/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Empire Vale?
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 Empire Vale belong to?
Empire Vale sits within the Ballina local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Empire Vale?
The average residential rates bill through Ballina is $1,264 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Empire Vale?
Across Ballina, 238 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 210.0% 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 Empire Vale in?
Empire Vale sits within the federal Division of Page, currently held by Kevin Hogan (The Nationals).
Search another suburb or address
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
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- 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.
Was the information on this page useful to you?
Thanks! Anything we could improve?
We hate spam as much as you do — we'll never use your email for marketing, and we might not be able to reply to everyone.
Thanks for your feedback! 🙏
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.