Milton NSW 2538

Milton sits 220 km from Sydney CBD in New South Wales, around 3 hours by car. Census data records 1,801 residents with a median age of 55 and a median household income of $68,900 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the top 40% nationally. The suburb grew 8.3% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $383 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. Milton is characterised by no recorded bushfire exposure. 3 schools sit within the suburb boundary, and walkability is high.

Is Milton a good suburb?

Milton scores a B (53/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, safety, and community, weaker on schools and prices.

Schools

Below the state average

3 schools · Bottom 23% in NSW

Transit

Very walkable

Walkability 77/100 · 220.5 km · 178 min drive to Sydney

Prices

Above the state median

Median $1.18M · Less affordable than 76% of NSW

Safety

Low all-round risk

Fire 0/100 · Crime 38/100

Community

Advantaged

SEIFA decile 7/10 · median age 55 · 1,801 residents

B

Liveability Rating

53 / 100 · Ranked #678 in NSW

Each bar is Milton's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).

Schools quality
17
Few above similar
Bottom 23% in NSW
Safety
87
Bushfire None · Crime Low

No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
51
Advantaged
Walkability
75
Walkable
CBD access
29
220.5 km · 178 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Schools rank 17 × 25% + Safety rank 87 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 51 × 25% + Walkability rank 75 × 15% + CBD access rank 29 × 10% = 53 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Milton?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

53 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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Median House Price

Public listings data

Milton's house market is moving lower: the median sale price reached $1.18 million, about 6% below where it sat a year earlier.

Houses

$1,175,000

last 6 quarters

32% above its 5 neighbours (median $890,000)

↓ −6.2% year-on-year

Based on 40 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 98 days — median across 18 sales that recorded a listing period

By bedrooms

  • 2 bed 5 sales $850K
  • 3 bed 14 sales $1.05M
  • 4 bed 18 sales $1.4M

Land

$515,000

last 2 quarters
↓ −1.9% year-on-year

Based on 12 recorded sales in the last 24 months.

Typically sold in 36 days — median across 5 sales that recorded a listing period

Currently for Sale

Last 6 months

Houses in Milton are currently listed at around $1.15 million on average. Based on 23 houses listed in the past six months.

$1.15M

last 3 months
↑ +9.5% vs previous 6 months from $1.05M

23 houses listed in the last 6 months.

23 of the suburb's 666 dwellings (3.5%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.

Is Milton safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Milton sits in the low band, with 47 incidents recorded in 2025 — up roughly 18% on the prior year.

47 offences

17.5% since 2024
Theft 13 (27.7%)
Disorderly Conduct 10 (21.3%)
Assault 9 (19.1%)
Property Damage 6 (12.8%)
Harassment & Stalking 4 (8.5%)
Sexual Offences 4 (8.5%)
Arson 1 (2.1%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

3 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital

Where they happened

Princes Highway 3 (100.0%)

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

Shoalhaven City Council has published 31 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

All 31 on the portal

Schools

Three schools serve Milton, and performance is broadly on par with peer-suburb schools.

50
out of 100
Average
3 schools in this suburb
2 at similar · 1 unrated
  • • 992 students across 3 schools (avg 331)
  • • Sectors: 2 Government, 1 Catholic
  • • ICSEA 909-1044, median 1024 (above the national baseline of 1000)
  • • Largest: Milton Public School (823 students)

Primary

Government · K-6 · 823 students
ICSEA 1024 (higher than 57% of Australian schools) · 17% top-SEA students
At similar
Catholic · K-6 · 125 students
ICSEA 1044 (higher than 66% of Australian schools) · 23% top-SEA students
At similar

Combined

Government · U · 44 students
ICSEA 909 (higher than 13% of Australian schools) · 3% top-SEA students

Walkability

Milton is very walkable on foot — at 77/100, most daily errands can be done on foot. Within the suburb there are 1 supermarket, 3 parks and 8 cafes to anchor that walking radius.

77
out of 100
Very Walkable
Top 9% in NSW
Public Transport within 1 km 72
Schools within 1.5 km 100
Parks within 800 m 100
Supermarkets within 1 km 60
GPs within 1 km 100
Pharmacies within 1 km 60
Childcare within 1 km 80
Hospitals within 5 km 0

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Milton.

54
out of 100
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
21.8 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
15.8 arrivals/hr
Saturday
0.9 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
0 min
Span of service
9.2 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 Milton.

70
connectivity score / 100
Top 23% in NSW
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
48%
Premises covered
1,211
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 48%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 44%
Fixed wireless (WIRELESS) 8%
Satellite (Sky Muster) (SATELLITE) 0%

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

Supermarkets
1 in suburb
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
8 in suburb
Parks & Reserves
3 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
1 in suburb
Beaches
None
Waterways
7 in suburb
Childcare
3 in suburb
GPs
3 in suburb
Pharmacies
1 in suburb
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
2 in suburb
Fuel Stations
3 in suburb
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
2 in suburb
Arts & Culture
1 in suburb
Places of Worship
4 in suburb

Shoalhaven: council population

The whole council area, not just Milton · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
111,755
+0.7% in a year
Change
+774
people since 2024
Density
24
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
-248
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+702
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+320
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
7/10
6/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
5/10
5/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
7/10
6/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded
How evenly that is spread

The ABS scores 5 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 2 different deciles — a narrow range, so the average describes the suburb closely.

Milton is home to about 1,800 residents, with a median age of 55 — noticeably older than the national figure of 38. Median household income runs at $69,000 a year, with unemployment at 2.6%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

1,801

8.3% since 2016

Median Age

55

no change since 2016

Median Household Income

$68,900/yr

19.4% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$383/wk

41.9% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,733/mo

15.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

2.4

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$31,304/yr

11.1% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

2.6%

25.7% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

11.9%

14.4% since 2016

Total Dwellings

666

16.8% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

82.7%

0.9% since 2016

Houses

90.1%

5.3% since 2016

Rental Stress

28.9%

18.9% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

30.2%

3.2% since 2016

Work From Home

20.9%

64.6% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 600 (90.1%)
Flats / Apartments 36 (5.4%)
Townhouses 30 (4.5%)

Property Ownership

Owned Outright 341 (53.6%)
Mortgage 185 (29.1%)
Renting 110 (17.3%)
Of those rentals, social housing 10 (9.1%)

5 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 5 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 110 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.

Demographics

Born in Australia
80.6%
English Spoken at Home
92.8%
Employment Rate
44.6%
9.6% since 2016
Completed Year 12
37.8%

Occupations

Professionals 167 (24.5%)
Managers 109 (16.0%)
Technicians & Trades 105 (15.4%)
Community & Personal Service 81 (11.9%)
Clerical & Administrative 76 (11.2%)
Sales 57 (8.4%)
Labourers 56 (8.2%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 21 (3.1%)

Religion

Christianity 863 (47.9%)
No Religion 775 (43.0%)
Buddhism 23 (1.3%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 105 (5.8%)
New Zealand 25 (1.4%)
Scotland 11 (0.6%)
Germany 10 (0.6%)
Ireland 6 (0.3%)
India 5 (0.3%)
South Africa 5 (0.3%)
Greece 5 (0.3%)

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.

2016-2021 3 (0.2%)
2011-2015 8 (0.4%)
2001-2010 17 (0.9%)
1991-2000 18 (1.0%)
1981-1990 29 (1.6%)
Before 1981 144 (8.0%)

3 residents (0.2%) 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.

12.5% of residents (215) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (190).

Sydney - Sutherland 46 (2.7%)
Illawarra 39 (2.3%)
Sydney - Northern Beaches 27 (1.6%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 1,716 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.

Greek 3 (0.2%)

Age Distribution

0-4 85 (4.7%)
5-14 190 (10.5%)
15-19 83 (4.6%)
20-24 52 (2.9%)
25-34 118 (6.6%)
35-44 170 (9.4%)
45-54 188 (10.4%)
55-64 273 (15.2%)
65-74 333 (18.5%)
75-84 180 (10.0%)
85+ 132 (7.3%)

Family & Household Composition

Lone Person 172 (42.2%)
Couple Families 166 (40.7%)
One Parent Families 53 (13.0%)
Group Household 12 (2.9%)
Other Families 5 (1.2%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 370 (64.5%)
Worked from Home 120 (20.9%)
Walked Only 49 (8.5%)
Car (passenger) 29 (5.1%)
Bicycle 6 (1.0%)

1% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (10 of 681).

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 1,263 people work here; 681 employed residents live here.

A jobs hub: 1.9 jobs for every working resident. At least 42% of the people who work here must live elsewhere.

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

Certificate III & IV 291 (16.2%)
Bachelor Degree 210 (11.7%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 153 (8.5%)
Postgraduate Degree 73 (4.1%)
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 36 (2.0%)

Cars per Dwelling

0 cars 30 (4.6%)
1 car 222 (33.8%)
2 cars 266 (40.5%)
3 cars 87 (13.2%)
4+ cars 58 (8.8%)

Council Rates

Shoalhaven
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,501 a year through Shoalhaven based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,501/yr
22% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Milton's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Rural and farming 63%
  • Environmental 23%
  • Residential 8%
  • Infrastructure and transport 4%
  • Parks and recreation 1%
  • Zones under 1% 1%

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: Shoalhaven

The whole council area, not just Milton · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 854 new dwellings were approved across Shoalhaven. That mix is 513 houses and 341 units. Approvals are down 9.5% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
854dwellings
-9.5% YoY
Houses
513
detached dwellings
Units
341
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Ulladulla 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.

Climate & Setting

from Ulladulla AWS, 6.3 km

High rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
70 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
3.0 km
3.2 km to a named beach
Annual rainfall
1,302 mm
100 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
23.9°C
2 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
9.6°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.

EV adoption

0.9%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.22% in 2021
+0.3 points this year
Top 24% in NSW

In postcode 2538, 21 of 2,407 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.4% (81 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.2%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.22%
2022
0.35%
2023
0.34%
2024
0.60%
2025
0.87%

Rooftop solar

68
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.8 kW each

In postcode 2538, 718 rooftop-solar systems totalling 4.9 MW have been installed since 2001, against 1,052 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 62 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
44
2020
77
2021
71
2022
60
2023
51
2024
62
2025
56
2026
31

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).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$6,128
Loan amount
$940,000
Total interest over 30 years
$1,266,115

3 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb.

Deposit
$235,000
Stamp duty
$47,062
Cash needed at settlement
$282,062

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.

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

Division of Gilmore

Currently held by Fiona Phillips Australian Labor Party

Year Winner 2PP ALP 2PP LNP Swing
2025 Fiona Phillips 55.1% 44.9% +5.0
2022 Fiona Phillips 50.2% 49.8% +2.4
2019 Fiona Phillips 52.6% 47.4% -3.3

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

South Coast District

Currently held by Liza Butler Labor

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Liza Butler ALP 53.8%
2019 Shelley Hancock LP 60.5%
2015 Shelley Hancock LP 59.6%

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 Milton?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Milton to another suburb

Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.

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Common questions about Milton

Is Milton a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Milton is low (38/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Milton?

Milton has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.

Is Milton a good place to live?

Milton has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (53/100), 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 Milton?

Milton, NSW had a population of 1,801 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Milton, NSW?

The postcode for Milton, NSW is 2538.

How far is Milton from Sydney?

Milton is 220 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 178 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Milton?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Milton was $68,900 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 Milton?

There are too few current rental listings in Milton for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $383, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Milton?

The median age of residents in Milton was 55 at the 2021 ABS Census.

How are the schools in Milton?

There are 3 schools inside the Milton boundary: 2 at similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).

Is Milton walkable?

Milton scores 77/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.

What is the weather like in Milton?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Milton, Ulladulla AWS (6.3 km away), summer days average 23.9°C, winter nights 9.6°C, 1,302 mm of rain a year over 100 rainy days, and 2 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Milton?

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 Milton belong to?

Milton sits within the Shoalhaven local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Milton?

The average residential rates bill through Shoalhaven is $1,501 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Milton?

Across Shoalhaven, 854 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 9.5% 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 Milton in?

Milton sits within the federal Division of Gilmore, currently held by Fiona Phillips (Australian Labor Party).

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Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
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