Median house price
$793k
+8.6% change
NSW · Singleton Council
Howes Valley, 2330
Est. population · Jun 2025
75
Growth (1 yr)
+1.4%
Growth (5 yr)
+4.2%
Median age
51
Median income
$749/wk
Employment rate
37.7%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$793,000
Languages at home
Mostly English at home
2021 Census · usual residence
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
Howes Valley is a quieter smaller community in Singleton Council, where peace, space and a country-town pace still dominate. An older demographic makes it especially popular with retirees, with multiple generations sharing the same neighbourhood. Local shops, markets and community spots keep everyday life grounded in the town itself.
Green space punches above what many comparable suburbs offer, with parks and playgrounds woven through the suburb. A car helps for most daily errands, with fewer amenities clustered within an easy walk. Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers.
Reported crime has been falling recently. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
At a glance
Howes Valley snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
$605/wk
Houses $620 · Units $465
Population (ERP)
75
+1.4% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
30.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Safety
49th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
76th
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
3/10
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)
- $465
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $620
- All types (January to March 2026)
- $605
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 134
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $793,000
- Median price change
- +8.6%
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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
75(June 2025)
+1.4% annual · +4.2% over 5 years · 76th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +1.4%
- 5-year growth
- +4.2%
- Change in 1 year
- +1
- Change in 5 years
- +3
- Growth rank in NSW
- 76th 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 +0.8% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 80
- Median age
- 51
- Median household income / week
- $749
- Dwelling vacancy
- 30.8%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 12 of 39
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,000
- Employment rate
- 37.7%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 29 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 5
- Against the person
- 2
- Against property
- 2
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 66.7
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 40 residents
- State safety percentile
- 49.3th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -16.4%
Most common offence types
- Breach Apprehended Violence Order101
- Domestic Violence Related Assault147
- Fraud106
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment179
- Malicious Damage To Property156
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
2 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Howes Valley ReservePark
- Little Darkey CampPark
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 4
- Parks (OSM)
- 2
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Singleton Hospital (42.6 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 2
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 26.7
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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° / 16°
- Rainfall
- 308 mm · ~38 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 258 mm · ~32 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 16° / 6°
- Rainfall
- 150 mm · ~19 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 11°
- Rainfall
- 203 mm · ~25 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.
2026· 1 proposal
July 2026
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure5229 PUTTY ROAD HOWES VALLEY 2330Under Assessment
2024· 1 proposal
April 2024
- Subdivision; Erection of a new structure; Dual occupancy (detached); Residential Accommodation3 6121 PUTTY ROAD HOWES VALLEY 2330Determined
2023· 1 proposal
March 2023
- Dwelling5729 PUTTY ROAD HOWES VALLEY 2330Determined
2021· 1 proposal
August 2021
- Dwelling; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Earthworks / change in levels; Garages, carports and car parking spaces5652B Putty Road, Howes Valley / Lot 3 DP 1181000Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Roadworks & transport
3 active roadworks / incidents
- RoadworksPutty Road01 May 2025 – 23 Nov 2026
- RoadworksPutty Road, Popping Trail09 Mar 2025 – 16 Nov 2026
- RoadworksPutty Road, Darkey Creek31 May 2026 – 24 Aug 2026
Data sources & freshness
- Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Hunter
- Member of Parliament
- Dan REPACHOLI (Australian Labor Party)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 132,184
- Turnout (2025)
- 91.9%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +4.7 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 40.5%Labor 59.5%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 40.4 km away).
Coalition 49.4%Labor 50.6%
8.9 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +3.3 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- MilbrodaleLabor 47.1% · Coalition 52.9% TPP (2025)19.0 km away
- BrokeLabor 52.9% · Coalition 47.1% TPP (2025)24.0 km away
- WollombiLabor 64.2% · Coalition 35.8% TPP (2025)29.9 km away
- Jerrys PlainsLabor 40.4% · Coalition 59.6% TPP (2025)35.5 km away
- MillfieldLabor 56.4% · Coalition 43.6% TPP (2025)37.3 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 3/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 3/10
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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
More in Singleton Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile elsewhere in New South Wales or interstate.