Singleton
Mining employs 24.0% of Singleton's workforce, 361 people, more than healthcare and education combined, and that single fact shapes the rest of the town. The median house price sits at $615,000, well below Sydney levels, yet the household income lands only in the 47.4th percentile nationally, so affordability holds without high earnings. The population of 5,185 is overwhelmingly Anglo, with just 9.7% born overseas, 11.9 points below the national figure, and only 19.1% hold university qualifications, 11.0 points under national. SEIFA paints a mixed picture: IEO sits at decile 2 while economic resources reach decile 6, a gap that reflects high mining wages alongside modest formal education.
Population
5,185
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,517/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
70
Median House
$615K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $615,000 median house price climbed 14.0% in a single year, from $570,000 in 2024 to $650,000 in 2025, faster growth than most regional NSW markets despite the modest absolute price. Stock strongly favours buyers wanting space: 83.2% of dwellings are separate houses against just 6.4% apartments, and 48.6% have three bedrooms with another 27.1% offering four or more. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even though household income only reaches the 47.4th percentile nationally. Ownership is evenly split, 33.0% own outright and 33.0% carry a mortgage, a balance that signals an established owner base rather than a churn of recent first-home buyers.
For Buyers
The $615,000 median house price climbed 14.0% in a single year, from $570,000 in 2024 to $650,000 in 2025, faster growth than most regional NSW markets despite the modest absolute price. Stock strongly favours buyers wanting space: 83.2% of dwellings are separate houses against just 6.4% apartments, and 48.6% have three bedrooms with another 27.1% offering four or more. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,733, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.4%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold even though household income only reaches the 47.4th percentile nationally. Ownership is evenly split, 33.0% own outright and 33.0% carry a mortgage, a balance that signals an established owner base rather than a churn of recent first-home buyers.
For Investors
A 34.0% renter share gives landlords a steady tenant pool, and weekly rent of $300 against the $615,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.5%, higher than premium Sydney suburbs though still modest. The 9.1% vacancy rate is elevated, which caps rent escalation, yet rent still grew 17.9% over the measured period. Demand support is structural rather than speculative: overseas migration adds 84 residents a year while internal migration removes 113, leaving thin natural growth of 0.49% annually. Development activity is moderate at 70 applications in 12 months, including subdivisions and secondary dwellings that point to incremental supply. With the gentrification stage reading not gentrifying, the investment case rests on yield and mining-driven tenant demand more than capital appreciation.
Development Activity
Total DAs
339
Last 12 Months
70
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+20.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Singleton iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Australian Christian College - Singleton
K-12 · 389 students
St Catherine's Catholic College
K-12 · 1010 students
Singleton Public School
K-6 · 353 students
Mount Pleasant Public School
K-6 · 56 students
Singleton High School
7-12 · 877 students
Demographics
Singleton skews Australian-born and Anglo: only 9.7% of residents were born overseas, 11.9 points below the national figure, and English ancestry dominates at 2,201 residents, followed by Irish at 645 and Scottish at 567. The median age of 40 matches the national figure exactly, but the trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 3.7 points and the working-age share down 1.3 points over the decade. University qualifications reach just 19.1%, 11.0 points under national, consistent with a workforce built around mining and trades rather than knowledge sectors. Average household size is 2.3, 0.2 below national, and couples without children make up 28.1% of the 3,844 families, a share that helps explain the aging profile. Christianity remains the dominant religion at 2,827 residents.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
83.2%
Houses
10.5%
Townhouse
6.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits almost perfectly into thirds: 33.0% own outright, 33.0% carry a mortgage and 34.0% rent, a balance unusual for a regional town and a sign of a stable, established population. The stock is 83.2% separate houses with apartments at only 6.4%, so detached living is the default rather than the exception. Three-bedroom homes account for 48.6% of dwellings and four-plus bedrooms another 27.1%, leaving small dwellings scarce. The median house price rose from $570,000 in 2024 to $650,000 in 2025, a 14.0% one-year move, with the current median at $615,000. Both housing stress measures stay healthy, mortgage-to-income at 26.4% and rent-to-income at 19.8%, each below the 30% threshold, because prices remain low relative even to the 47.4th-percentile household incomes that mining wages support.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,733
Rent / wk
$300
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$736
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.1%
Unoccupied
209
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.4%
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
28.1%
Couples, no children
3,844
Total families
Economy & Employment
Mining anchors the local economy, employing 24.0% of workers, 361 people, far ahead of healthcare at 13.8% and education at 9.4%, with construction at 7.3% and hospitality at 5.9%. By occupation, machinery operators and drivers lead at 377, ahead of professionals at 307, a structure that reflects coal mining and heavy transport rather than office work. Unemployment sits at 5.7% and the full-time employment rate at 64.5%, while participation reads 55.2%, held down by 1,517 residents not in the labour force on an aging profile. The SEIFA pattern is telling: IEO sits at decile 2 for education and occupation, yet economic resources reach decile 6, a gap that exists because high mining wages lift incomes even where formal qualifications stay low at 19.1% university.
Unemployment
3.7%
Labour Force
9,106
Unemployed
337
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.5%
Part-time
29.8%
Participation
55.2%
Employed
2,206
Occupations
Top Industries
University
19.1%
Postgraduate
4.4%
Born Overseas
9.7%
Dwellings
2,084
Transport to Work
Singleton is built for cars: 88.1% of commuters drive, far above the national reliance on vehicles, while only 0.3% use public transport and 5.6% walk or cycle, reflecting a regional town without rail-grade transit. The town scores decile 4 on IRSD for relative disadvantage and decile 3 on IRSAD, both below the national midpoint, which signals a working community of modest means rather than affluence. Volunteering runs at 14.6% and 8.2% of residents, 405 people, need daily assistance, consistent with the aging median age of 40. Housing keeps pressure low, with rent-to-income at 19.8% well under the 30% stress line. No schools are recorded inside the 4.36 km2 suburb boundary in this dataset, so families draw on institutions across the wider Singleton area.
Drive
88.1%
Public Transport
0.3%
Walk / Cycle
5.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.49%/yr
(+85 people/yr)
EstablishedSingleton is classified as established and slow-growing, with annual population growth of just 0.49%, about 85 residents a year, and a 10-year change of 5.5%. The medium forecast lifts the wider area from 17,396 in 2025 toward 18,050 by 2031, a gentle climb rather than expansion. Overseas migration of 84 a year is the only positive driver, offset by net internal outflow of 113, which is why the gentrification stage reads not gentrifying with a score of 18. Real incomes grew only 2.2% over the decade, well below the pace of house prices, yet affordability still improved from 42.7% in 2011 to 40.1% in 2021 because wage gains and price moderation moved together. The aging trajectory, senior share up 3.7 points, reinforces the steady, mature growth outlook.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+84
Net Internal / yr
-113
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -113/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Singleton compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Singleton a good suburb to live in?
Singleton suits buyers who want space and affordability: 83.2% of dwellings are separate houses and the median sits at $615,000, well below Sydney. Both housing stress measures stay healthy, mortgage-to-income at 26.4% and rent-to-income at 19.8%, though it scores decile 4 on IRSD and is heavily car-dependent at 88.1% driving.
What is the median house price in Singleton?
The median house price is $615,000, having risen 14.0% from $570,000 in 2024 to $650,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $300 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,733, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.4%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Singleton?
No schools are recorded inside the 4.36 km2 Singleton boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools across the wider Singleton area. University qualifications among residents reach 19.1%, which is 11.0 points below the national figure, reflecting a trades and mining workforce.
Is Singleton safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Singleton in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 4 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, below the national midpoint, and 8.2% of its 5,185 residents need daily assistance, consistent with a working regional community.
Is Singleton good for property investment?
Rent of $300 a week against the $615,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.5%, higher than premium Sydney suburbs. The 9.1% vacancy rate is elevated and caps rent growth, but a 34.0% renter share and mining-driven demand support steady tenancy over capital appreciation.
How is Singleton's population changing?
Population growth is slow at 0.49% annually, about 85 residents a year, with a 5.5% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 3.7 points and the working-age share down 1.3 points. Overseas migration adds 84 a year, offset by net internal outflow of 113.
How much development is happening in Singleton?
There were 70 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, moderate activity for a town of 5,185 residents. Recent examples include subdivisions, secondary dwellings and swimming pools, pointing to incremental supply rather than large new estates, consistent with 0.49% annual population growth.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
Explore Singleton on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map