suburb.guide

NT · Litchfield Council

Howard Springs, 0835

Est. population · Jun 2025

3,794

Growth (1 yr)

+3.2%

Growth (5 yr)

+8.2%

Median age

43

Median income

$2,560/wk

Employment rate

65.8%

University qualified

15.1%

Work from home

6.3%

Languages at home

5.7%non-English

Most common: Greek, Indonesian, Malayalam

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

32.9/100
Below average

81st in NT

Verified 90% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Outer suburban
What Howard Springs is known for: Outer suburban

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Howard Springs, NT suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Howard Springs, NT Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nt/howard-springs

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Suburb profile

Howard Springs is an outer metropolitan suburb of Darwin, in Litchfield Council. It is primarily residential, without a particularly distinct commercial centre or landmark identity.

Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places. Local school ICSEA scores sit well above the peer median, well above typical levels for outer metropolitan suburbs. University qualifications are more common than in comparable places, with university qualifications 26% above the peer median, and population has been growing faster than in comparable places, and socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median. Crime remains above typical levels but is improving. Reported offences have fallen 13% year on year.

Howard Springs's appeal is better explained by housing, access and location than by a strong standalone precinct or destination.

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

Outer metropolitan suburb · compared with outer metropolitan suburbs in Northern Territory (14)

Strengths

  • Shops and everyday services are easier to access than in most comparable places
  • University qualifications are more common than in comparable places
  • Population has been growing faster than in comparable places
  • Local school ICSEA scores sit well above the peer median
  • Socio-economic advantage sits well above the peer median

Weaknesses

No relative weaknesses against comparable places.

What stands out

  • Crime remains above typical levels but is improving

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Howard Springs compares

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

Median house price

—

No data available

Median rent (Census)

$400/wk

2021 Census median weekly rent

Population (ERP)

3,794

+3.2% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

7.8%

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

#15

among Metro Darwin · Emerging

Pop. growth

94th

percentile in NT

Rented dwellings

17%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

8/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

42nd

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
32.9/100 — Below average
National rank
6011th in Australia
State rank
81st in NT
Peer rank
#15 among Metro Darwin · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#53 among Metro Darwin suburbs
Data confidence
90%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Population

Estimated resident population

3,794(June 2025)

+3.2% annual · +8.2% over 5 years · 94th percentile in NT

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+3.2%
5-year growth
+8.2%
Change in 1 year
+119
Change in 5 years
+287
Growth rank in NT
94th 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 (~4,250), extrapolated at +2.2% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
3,153
Median age
43
Median household income / week
$2,560
Dwelling vacancy
7.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
86 of 1,098
Median monthly mortgage
$2,388
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$400
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
34.7% / 48.7% / 16.6%
Employment rate
65.8%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
6.3% / 0.9% / 74.6%
Walked or cycled to work
1.5%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
962 / 14 / 3 (+ 32 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.

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

Qualifications

15.1% of adults have a university degree, compared with 21.4% across Northern Territory. 26.8% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified15.1% · 21.4% NT
  • Diploma qualified9.7% · 7.5% NT
  • Trade / vocational26.8% · 16.1% NT
  • Year 12 or below48.5% · 55% NT

Highest qualification field

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

  • Engineering and related technologies26.7%
  • Management and commerce19.3%
  • Society and culture11.4%
  • Health10.6%
  • Architecture and building9.3%
  • Education8.7%
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)
$76,190

82nd percentile in NT · +30% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$80,000

85th percentile in NT · +23% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
21.0%

88th percentile in NT · +52% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$117,639

100th percentile in NT · +86% vs Australia

Residents with business income
9.0%

65th percentile in NT · -13% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 0835 — 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
2,680
Taxpayers reporting net rent
559
Median net rent
-$918
Taxpayers reporting business income
251
Taxable income vs state median
+13%
Salary / wages vs state median
+12%
Rental investment vs state median
+50%
Super vs state median
+119%
Business income vs state median
+29%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NT, 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

5.7% speak a language other than English at home; 15.4% born overseas

Language at home
2,756 English only · 168 other
Non-English at home
5.7%
Born overseas
446 (15.4%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
258 (8.2%)
Australian citizens
2,797
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).

  • Greek10 · 18.5%
  • Indonesian7 · 13%
  • Malayalam6 · 11.1%
  • Filipino5 · 9.3%
  • Mandarin5 · 9.3%
  • Vietnamese5 · 9.3%
  • Tagalog4 · 7.4%
  • Australian Indigenous languages3 · 5.6%

Religion

48.2%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 48.2%, while Christianity accounts for 39.1%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion48.2%38.1%
Christianity39.1%40.5%
Other / not stated12.7%21.5%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic17%16.9%
Anglican9.8%6%
Uniting Church3.4%3.7%
Christian (not further defined)2.1%3.2%

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

Figures are for the NT Police reporting region, not this suburb alone.

Reported offences are running lower than the same point last year.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2026 to Sep 2026)
375
Against the person
261
Against property
114
Decrease (daily rate, partial year)
-5.2%

Most common offence types

  • 021 Serious Assault
  • 023 Common Assault
  • 044 Acts That Threaten, Harass Or Control
  • 07* Other Theft
  • 11 Property Damage Offences

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

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

Data sources & freshness

  • NT Police crime statistics (reporting region / SA2) — Northern Territory Police · Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 → Jan 2026 to Sep 2026; Jan 2026 to Sep 2026 · Updated · Monthly CSV; regional totals where suburb-level data unavailable

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
2
Median school ICSEA (2 schools)
988
Median ICSEA percentile
42th
School list
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran CollegeCombined · Independent · ICSEA 1025 · 58th percentile · LBOTE 19% · 1,117 students · Top SEA quarter 17%View on My School →
  • Howard Springs Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 951 · 25th percentile · LBOTE 13% · 277 students · Top SEA quarter 9%View on My School →

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

20 public transport stops in this suburb

  • 39660.4604166667
  • Good Shepherd Lutheran School
  • Hillier Rd before Finlay Rd
  • Stuart Hwy after Bowhunters Rd
  • Stuart Hwy opp Virginia Rd

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

Amenities

6 mapped amenities

1 caravan parks

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • A car helps for daily needs
  • Well connected by public transport — 20 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
0
Sport & outdoors(5)
  • Darwin-Palmerston Intercity Bike PathCycling route
  • North Australia Rail TrailCycling route
  • Howard Springs Hunting ReserveNature reserve
  • Howard Springs Nature ParkNature reserve
  • Howard Springs Nature ReserveNature reserve
Camping & holiday parks(1)
  • BIG4 Howard Springs Holiday ParkCaravan park

    170 Whitewood Road, Howard Springs

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

Parks & reserves

1 parks and public open space in this suburb

  • Howard Springs Nature ReserveNature reserve

Data sources & freshness

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
12.2%
Woodland / forest cover
12.2%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
28
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
31°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
Palmerston Regional Hospital (6.3 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)
101
Participants per 1,000 residents
26.6

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
31° / 25°
Rainfall
1,010 mm · ~90 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
31° / 24°
Rainfall
491 mm · ~61 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
30° / 20°
Rainfall
8 mm · ~1 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
32° / 24°
Rainfall
171 mm · ~21 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
No overlay at centroid

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via state planning hazard mapping. Flood cover uses inundation polygons against the suburb boundary where published.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Lingiari
Member of Parliament
Marion SCRYMGOUR (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
76,817
Turnout (2025)
62.2%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+6.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 41.9%Labor 58.1%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 258.1 km away).

Coalition 63.5%Labor 36.5%

21.7 percentage points more Coalition-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: -0.3 pp toward Coalition

Nearest polling places

  • Howard SpringsLabor 37.1% · Coalition 62.9% TPP (2025)3.8 km away
  • CoolalingaLabor 35.3% · Coalition 64.7% TPP (2025)6.5 km away
  • Bees CreekLabor 33.8% · Coalition 66.2% TPP (2025)8.2 km away
  • Humpty DooLabor 37.6% · Coalition 62.4% TPP (2025)13.2 km away
  • Berry SpringsLabor 36.1% · Coalition 63.9% TPP (2025)28.7 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)
8/10
IRSD decile (2021)
8/10

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

This suburb ranks highly for

Compare with

Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.

More in Litchfield Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of Northern Territory.