Singleton vs Hawkesbury

Singleton and Hawkesbury are both large New South Wales regions that rely heavily on cars. Hawkesbury is more walkable, with 67.5% of homes within a 15-minute walk of public transport compared to 53.1% in Singleton. A higher share of Hawkesbury homes are also within 15 minutes of a school (48.7% versus 36.8% in Singleton) and have better access to a variety of local amenities. In Hawkesbury, First Nations Year 12 completion is 35.7%, which is well higher than the 30.4% seen in Singleton.

These two areas have tracked similarly since 2011, maintaining similar economic conditions for their First Nations residents. Typical personal incomes for First Nations people are nearly identical, at $684 in Singleton and $686 in Hawkesbury. Both regions also have similar terrain slopes and a similar share of people who speak a First Nations language. While Hawkesbury has a larger First Nations population and a slightly older typical age for this group, the unemployment rate for First Nations people is only a little higher in Singleton (8.0% versus 6.2% in Hawkesbury).