Batemans Bay

Population growth drivers in Batemans Bay are above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Batemans Bay's population is approximately 8,720 as of May 2026. This figure represents an increase of 139 people from the 2021 Census total of 8,581, indicating a growth rate of 1.6%. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 8,679 in June 2025 and an additional 118 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 136 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Batemans Bay has shown resilience with a compound annual growth rate of 1.0%, outperforming its SA3 area. Interstate migration contributed approximately 52.8% to overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch employs NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 using 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on projected demographic shifts, Batemans Bay is expected to experience above median population growth compared to other non-metropolitan areas nationally. By 2041, the area's population is projected to increase by 1,417 persons, reflecting a total increase of 15.8% over the 16-year period, according to the latest annual ERP population numbers.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Batemans Bay recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Batemans Bay has received approximately 44 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 224 homes. As of FY-26, 35 approvals have been recorded. Over these five years (FY-21 to FY-25), an average of 1.6 people moved to the area per dwelling built. However, this figure has decreased to 0.1 people per dwelling over the past two financial years. The average construction value for development projects is $294,000.

This year, commercial approvals totalling $85.2 million have been registered, indicating strong commercial development activity in the area. Batemans Bay's development levels are similar to those of the rest of NSW, maintaining market equilibrium with surrounding areas. New developments consist of 70% detached dwellings and 30% attached dwellings, preserving the area's low-density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers.

The location has approximately 337 people per dwelling approval, further indicating a low-density market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Batemans Bay is expected to grow by 1,376 residents by 2041. Building activity is keeping pace with these growth projections, but increased competition among buyers may arise as the population expands.

Batemans Bay has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 22ndth percentile nationally

Eight projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area's performance. Key projects include Batemans Bay Community Health Facility, 24 Beach Road Residential Development, Batemans Bay Dredging, and 3 Clyde Street Mixed Use Tourist, Residential & Retail Development. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

AreaSearch assessment indicates Batemans Bay faces employment challenges relative to the majority of Australian markets

Batemans Bay's workforce is balanced across white and blue-collar jobs, with tourism and hospitality prominent. The unemployment rate was 5.9% as of December 2025. In that month, 3,274 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.9% above Regional NSW's rate of 3.9%.

Workforce participation in Batemans Bay lagged at 47.2%, compared to Regional NSW's 60.5%. According to Census responses, only 9.8% of residents worked from home. Leading employment industries were retail trade, health care & social assistance, and construction. Retail trade had a particularly high share of employment, at 1.5 times the regional level.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing employed just 1.6% of local workers, below Regional NSW's 5.3%. Many residents appeared to commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. Between December 2024 and December 2025, Batemans Bay's labour force decreased by 4.5%, with employment declining by 3.6%, leading to a fall in unemployment of 0.8 percentage points. In comparison, Regional NSW saw an employment decline of 1.2% and a labour force decrease of 0.8%, with unemployment rising by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Batemans Bay's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.3% over five years and 13.0% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis

Batemans Bay SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $43,434 and an average of $53,438 in the financial year 2023. This is lower than national averages of $52,390 for Regional NSW and $65,215 nationally. By March 2026, estimates suggest median income will be approximately $47,916 and average income will be around $58,953, based on a 10.32% increase since financial year 2023. In Batemans Bay, incomes fall between the 8th and 11th percentiles nationally, according to Census 2021 data. The largest income bracket comprises 30.1% earning $800 - $1,499 weekly, with 2,624 residents in this category. This differs from broader areas where the $1,500 - $2,999 category is predominant at 29.9%. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 83.2% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 9th percentile nationally.

Batemans Bay is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Batemans Bay's dwellings, as per the latest Census, consisted of 75.6% houses and 24.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), contrasting with Regional NSW's 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Batemans Bay stood at 44.4%, with mortgaged dwellings at 24.2% and rented ones at 31.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,519, lower than Regional NSW's average of $1,733. Median weekly rent in Batemans Bay was $330, matching Regional NSW's figure but significantly below the national average of $375. Nationally, Batemans Bay's median monthly mortgage repayment is lower at $1,519 compared to Australia's average of $1,863.

Batemans Bay features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 64.4% of all households, including 18.0% couples with children, 33.4% couples without children, and 12.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 35.6%, with lone person households at 32.6% and group households comprising 3.0% of the total. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Regional NSW average of 2.4.

Batemans Bay faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area has university qualification rates of 14.9%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 9.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.0%) and graduate diplomas (2.5%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 42.4% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (10.2%) and certificates (32.2%).

A substantial 24.7% of the population is actively pursuing formal education, including 9.7% in primary education, 7.1% in secondary education, and 1.8% pursuing tertiary education.

Transport servicing is moderate compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Batemans Bay operates 180 active public transport stops, all of which are bus services. These stops are covered by 41 different routes that collectively facilitate 606 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average being located 170 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to the area's primarily residential nature. Cars remain the dominant mode of transport at 93%. Vehicle ownership averages 1.2 per dwelling, which is below the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, a relatively low 9.8% of residents work from home, which may reflect COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 86 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 3 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map displays the 100 nearest stops to the location's centrepoint.

Health performance in Batemans Bay is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Batemans Bay faces substantial health challenges as per AreaSearch's assessment conducted on August 20th, 2022. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were notably high across both younger and older age groups. Private health cover was found to be extremely low at approximately 47% of the total population (around 4,063 people), compared to 51.9% in Regional NSW and the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions were arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 12.5 and 9.8% of residents respectively, while 58.1% reported being completely free from medical ailments compared to 63.3% in Regional NSW. Working-age residents faced significant health challenges with high chronic condition rates. The area had 30.8% of residents aged 65 and over (2,681 people), higher than the 23.4% in Regional NSW. Health outcomes among seniors presented notable challenges, ranking even higher than the general population nationally.

Batemans Bay ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Batemans Bay, as per the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census Data from 28th June 2016, had a cultural diversity score below average with 84.1% of its population born in Australia, 89.7% being citizens and 94.4% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, comprising 54.7% of people in Batemans Bay compared to 55.9% across Regional NSW. The top three ancestry groups were English (32.2%), Australian (28.1%) and Irish (9.2%).

Notably, Australian Aboriginal individuals made up 5.9%, Maltese 0.5% and Polish 0.7% of Batemans Bay's population, higher than the regional averages of 4.6%, 0.4% and 0.5% respectively.

Batemans Bay ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

Batemans Bay's median age is 51 years, which is significantly higher than Regional NSW's average of 43 and considerably older than Australia's median of 38. Compared to Regional NSW, Batemans Bay has a notably over-represented 65-74 cohort at 16.7%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 8.6%. This 65-74 concentration is well above the national average of 9.4%. Post-2021 Census data shows the 35 to 44 age group has grown from 9.2% to 10.2%, while the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 15.4% to 14.7%. By 2041, Batemans Bay is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition. The 35 to 44 group is projected to grow by 24%, reaching 1,100 people from the current 890. Meanwhile, numbers in the 15 to 24 age range are expected to fall by 10%.