Orchard Hills is a semi-rural locality near Sydney, in Penrith Council.
Public transport is a very strong feature of the suburb, with public transport 96% above the peer median. Population growth is an exceptional strength, placing it among the highest-ranked semi-rural and lifestyle localities, and green cover is an exceptional strength, and household incomes are a relative strength, with household incomes 18% above the peer median. Trade-offs centre on relatively limited childcare access and thinner heritage listings.
Overall, the suburb suits people prioritising public transport over nearby family services.
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
Semi-rural locality · compared with semi-rural and lifestyle localities in New South Wales (189)
Strengths
Population growth is a relative strength
Green cover is stronger than in comparable places
Public transport is a relative strength
Household incomes are a relative strength
Weaknesses
Childcare access is a relative weakness
Heritage listings are a relative weakness
What stands out
Nothing distinctive beyond the usual profile.
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★★☆☆☆
Professionals★★☆☆☆
Retirees★★★☆☆
Students★☆☆☆☆
Budget buyers★★☆☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Orchard Hills compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
—
No data available
Median rent (Census)
$450/wk
2021 Census median weekly rent
Population (ERP)
2,050
+1.1% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
5.2%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#90
among Metro Sydney · Mature
Crime rate
24th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
71st
percentile in NSW
Rented dwellings
15%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
7/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
76th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
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
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
44.7/100 — Average
National rank
3176th in Australia
State rank
1068th in NSW
Peer rank
#90 among Metro Sydney · Mature suburbs
Cohort rank
#572 among Metro Sydney suburbs
Data confidence
98%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Population
Estimated resident population
2,050(June 2025)
+1.1% annual · +12.9% over 5 years · 71th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.1%
5-year growth
+12.9%
Change in 1 year
+23
Change in 5 years
+234
Growth rank in NSW
71th 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 (~2,600), extrapolated at +5.0% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
1,798
Median age
47
Median household income / week
$2,279
Dwelling vacancy
5.2%
Unoccupied private dwellings
31 of 591
Median monthly mortgage
$2,550
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$450
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
59.6% / 25.8% / 14.6%
Employment rate
57.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
28.7% / 0.7% / 51.5%
Walked or cycled to work
1.6%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
540 / 12 / 6 (+ 5 other)
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.
16.9% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 19.3% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified16.9% · 27.8% NSW
Diploma qualified7.6% · 9.3% NSW
Trade / vocational19.3% · 15% NSW
Year 12 or below56.3% · 47.9% NSW
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Management and commerce24.5%
Engineering and related technologies19.7%
Health11%
Society and culture11%
Architecture and building10.7%
Education8.8%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 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)
$67,821
82nd percentile in NSW · +16% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$66,110
62nd percentile in NSW · +2% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
32.0%
100th percentile in NSW · +132% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$86,825
71st percentile in NSW · +37% vs Australia
Residents with business income
7.0%
2nd percentile in NSW · -33% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2748 — 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
1,222
Taxpayers reporting net rent
391
Median net rent
$1,604
Taxpayers reporting business income
89
Taxable income vs state median
+21%
Salary / wages vs state median
+5%
Rental investment vs state median
+129%
Super vs state median
+23%
Business income vs state median
-30%
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
24.6% speak a language other than English at home; 23.7% born overseas
Language at home
1,317 English only · 429 other
Non-English at home
24.6%
Born overseas
415 (23.7%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
52 (2.9%)
Australian citizens
1,719
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
11
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
Arabic50 · 34.5%
Italian28 · 19.3%
Greek17 · 11.7%
Punjabi13 · 9%
Turkish9 · 6.2%
Croatian8 · 5.5%
Tamil7 · 4.8%
Serbian4 · 2.8%
Religion
73.5%Most common religion · Christianity
Christianity is the most common response at 73.5%, while 16.6% reported no religion.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
16.6%
32.8%
Christianity
73.5%
47.6%
Islam
3.1%
4.3%
Other / not stated
6.8%
15.3%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
48.8%
22.4%
Anglican
10.7%
11.9%
Eastern Orthodox
3.6%
2.5%
Brethren
2.4%
0.1%
Pentecostal
2.2%
0.9%
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
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
89
Against the person
24
Against property
47
Rate per 1,000 residents
43.4
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 75 residents
State crime-rate percentile
23.8th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+10.2%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
119
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
58.05
Most common offence types
Domestic Violence Related Assault7
Fraud8
Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment10
Malicious Damage To Property8
Other Theft10
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
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
Schools & preschools
Schools within 2 km
4
Median school ICSEA (4 schools)
1,074
Median ICSEA percentile
76th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
12
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
6
School list
Montgrove CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1106 · 86th percentile · LBOTE 51% · 675 students · Top SEA quarter 40%View on My School →
Orchard Hills Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 995 · 45th percentile · LBOTE 40% · 242 students · Top SEA quarter 9%View on My School →
Penrith Anglican CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1101 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 24% · 1,214 students · Top SEA quarter 39%View on My School →
Penrith Christian SchoolCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1047 · 67th percentile · LBOTE 27% · 744 students · Top SEA quarter 20%View on My School →
School catchments
Banks PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Blackwell PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Claremont Meadows PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Colyton HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Erskine Park HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Glenmore Park HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Jamison HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Kingswood HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
Kingswood PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
Kingswood SPSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_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
Well connected by public transport — 47 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
30/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
1.11
Sport & outdoors(5)
CaddaCycling route
Gipps StCycling route
Kent RoadCycling route
South PenrithCycling route
The Northern Road (east)Cycling route
Other(2)
Parking (2)
Patons Lane Resource Recovery CentreRecycling
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
Named sporting clubs from OpenStreetMap, assigned to this suburb's boundary. Sporting facilities such as ovals, courts and recreation centres are listed under Amenities.
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
Hospitals & GP clinics in suburb
5
Nearest hospital
Somerset Private Hospital (5.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
Emergency department in suburb
Not in suburb
GP clinics in suburb
2
GPs tagged bulk billing (OSM)
0 of 2
GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).
DentistDentist
GpGP
Penrith Medical and Fitness CentreBringelly RoadClinic
PharmacyPharmacy
PhysiotherapistPhysiotherapist
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)
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.
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
25° / 17°
Rainfall
321 mm · ~40 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
Usual max / min
22° / 14°
Rainfall
359 mm · ~45 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
Usual max / min
17° / 8°
Rainfall
263 mm · ~33 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
Usual max / min
21° / 12°
Rainfall
242 mm · ~30 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Check signage. Exercise caution. Expect delays. Changed traffic conditions, including lane closures and reduced speed limits, will be in place at various times along Mamre Rd, and other nearby roads, as part of the Mamre Rd upgrade project.Mamre Road, M4 Motorway31 Oct 2024 – 30 Jun 2028
Data sources & freshness
Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated
Heritage
1 heritage place
MamreMamre Road, St MarysSHR
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Heritage listings as established streetscape
Data sources & freshness
State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated
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
Lindsay
Member of Parliament
Melissa McINTOSH (Liberal)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
121,306
Turnout (2025)
90.8%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+3.3 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 52.8%Labor 47.2%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 5.0 km away).
Coalition 49.5%Labor 40.0%
7.2 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: -2.0 pp toward Coalition
Nearest polling places
Orchard HillsLabor 30.8% · Coalition 69.2% TPP (2025)2.9 km away
Claremont MeadowsLabor 50.8% · Coalition 49.2% TPP (2025)3.8 km away
Glenmore Park EastLabor 48.5% · Coalition 51.5% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
KingswoodLabor 0.0% · Coalition 0.0% TPP (2025)4.6 km away
Kingswood SouthLabor 53.7% · Coalition 46.3% TPP (2025)4.6 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.
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%)