NSW · Maitland Council

Harpers Hill, 2321

Est. population · Jun 2025

82

Growth (1 yr)

+6.5%

Growth (5 yr)

+34.4%

Median age

54

Median income

$1,562/wk

Employment rate

53.3%

University qualified

19.7%

Work from home

29%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$852,000

Languages at home

Mostly English at home

2021 Census · usual residence

  • Green suburb
  • Rural living
What Harpers Hill is known for: Green suburb, Rural living

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Harpers Hill, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Harpers Hill, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 2 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/harpers-hill

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Suburb profile

Harpers Hill is a rural locality in New South Wales, in Maitland Council.

Local amenities is an exceptional strength, well above typical levels for rural localities. Population growth is an exceptional strength, and green cover is stronger than in comparable places, and university qualifications are a relative strength, with university qualifications 44% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. Housing is expensive relative to comparable places. Median house prices have risen 15% year on year.

Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising local amenities and university qualifications over lower housing costs.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Rural locality · compared with rural localities in New South Wales (2685)

Strengths

  • Population growth is a relative strength
  • Local amenity access is stronger than in most comparable places
  • Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
  • University qualifications are a relative strength

Weaknesses

  • Housing is expensive relative to comparable places

What stands out

  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • StudentsInsufficient data
  • Budget buyersInsufficient data

Housing, growth and risk

How Harpers Hill compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

$852k

+15% change

Median rent

$650/wk

Houses $680 · Units $520

Population (ERP)

82

+6.5% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

0.0%

Census unoccupied dwellings

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Crime rate

29th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

99th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

10%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

7/10

national SEIFA decile

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Housing

Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$520
Houses (January to March 2026)
$680
All types (January to March 2026)
$650
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
293
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$852,000
Median price change
+15.1%

Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

82(June 2025)

+6.5% annual · +34.4% over 5 years · 99th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+6.5%
5-year growth
+34.4%
Change in 1 year
+5
Change in 5 years
+21
Growth rank in NSW
99th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~100), extrapolated at +3.9% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
64
Median age
54
Median household income / week
$1,562
Dwelling vacancy
0%
Unoccupied private dwellings
0 of 29
Median monthly mortgage
$1,419
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$273
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
48.4% / 41.9% / 9.7%
Employment rate
53.3%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
29% / 0% / 77.4%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
26 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

19.7% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 19.7% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified19.7% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified8.2% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational19.7% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below52.5% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Health30.8%
  • Architecture and building15.4%
  • Engineering and related technologies15.4%
  • Management and commerce15.4%
  • Education11.5%
  • Society and culture11.5%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$63,948

74th percentile in NSW · +9% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$69,482

71st percentile in NSW · +7% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
10.0%

13th percentile in NSW · -27% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$79,701

64th percentile in NSW · +26% vs Australia

Residents with business income
8.0%

14th percentile in NSW · -23% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2321 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
13,778
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,374
Median net rent
-$1,239
Taxpayers reporting business income
1,091
Taxable income vs state median
+14%
Salary / wages vs state median
+11%
Rental investment vs state median
-29%
Super vs state median
+13%
Business income vs state median
-20%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

Language at home
64 English only · 0 other
Non-English at home
0%
Born overseas
0 (0%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
3 (4.7%)
Australian citizens
60

Religion

64.1%Most common religion · Christianity

Christianity is the most common response at 64.1%, while 23.4% reported no religion.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion23.4%32.8%
Christianity64.1%47.6%
Other / not stated12.5%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Anglican34.4%11.9%
Catholic20.3%22.4%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2321, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
4
Against the person
2
Against property
1
Rate per 1,000 residents
48.8
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 32 residents
State crime-rate percentile
29.2th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+0.3%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
4
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
48.78

Most common offence types

  • Assault Police0
  • Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment1
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault0
  • Sexual Assault0

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

School list
School catchments
  • Greta PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • RutherfordHSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

  • NSW government school intake zones — NSW Department of Education · current · Updated · Open catchment polygons where published

Public transport

6 public transport stops in this suburb

  • New England Hwy At Walkers Hill Lane
  • New England Hwy At Walkers Hill Lane
  • New England Hwy Opp Harpers Hill Lane
  • New England Hwy Opp Harpers Hill Lane
  • New England Hwy Opp Walkers Hill Lane

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

  • Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed

Amenities

3 mapped amenities

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
Walkability proxy
9/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Transport(3)

3 bus stops

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
8.6%
Woodland / forest cover
8.6%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
10
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
27°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Kurri Kurri District Hospital (14.9 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
3
Participants per 1,000 residents
36.6

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
27° / 18°
Rainfall
295 mm · ~37 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
23° / 14°
Rainfall
366 mm · ~46 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
18° / 8°
Rainfall
272 mm · ~34 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
23° / 13°
Rainfall
230 mm · ~29 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).

4 planning-related records

2025· 1 proposal
  • February 2025

  • Secondary dwelling; Erection of a new structure
    1420 NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY HARPERS HILL 2321Determined
2023· 1 proposal
  • May 2023

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    1564 NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY HARPERS HILL 2321Determined
2022· 2 proposals
  • August 2022

  • Alterations and additions to residential development
    1564 NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY HARPERS HILL 2321Determined
  • May 2022

  • Pools / decks / fencing
    17 WALKERS HILL LANE HARPERS HILL 2321Determined

Data sources & freshness

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Paterson
Member of Parliament
Meryl SWANSON (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
127,926
Turnout (2025)
92.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+4.3 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 43.1%Labor 56.9%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 15.0 km away).

Coalition 39.3%Labor 60.7%

3.8 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +5.1 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • LochinvarLabor 57.6% · Coalition 42.4% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
  • Rutherford WestLabor 62.7% · Coalition 37.3% TPP (2025)10.3 km away
  • Rutherford NorthLabor 67.1% · Coalition 32.9% TPP (2025)11.3 km away
  • RutherfordLabor 61.4% · Coalition 38.6% TPP (2025)11.7 km away
  • TelarahLabor 65.1% · Coalition 34.9% TPP (2025)12.1 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
7/10
IRSD decile (2021)
6/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Maitland Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.