Culburra Beach
Statistical Area - sa2

An assessment of population growth drivers in Culburra Beach reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Culburra Beach's population is around 5,024 as of Aug 2025. This reflects a decrease since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 5,105 people. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 5,016 in June 2024 and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. Population density is around 65 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration primarily drove recent population growth.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections where applicable. Future trends suggest national non-metropolitan areas may have lower quartile growth by 2041, with Culburra Beach expected to expand by 138 persons, reflecting a total increase of 2.6%.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Culburra Beach according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Culburra Beach has averaged approximately 26 new dwelling approvals annually. Between FY-21 and FY-25133 homes were approved, with a further 6 approved so far in FY-26. The average expected construction cost for new dwellings is $629,000.

In FY-26, commercial approvals totaling $16.6 million have been registered. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Culburra Beach records about three-quarters the building activity per person and ranks in the 58th percentile nationally. New building activity consists of 74.0% detached houses and 26.0% attached dwellings, maintaining the area's low density character. This marks a shift from the current housing pattern of 89.0% houses, indicating diminishing developable land availability and evolving lifestyle preferences.

The location has approximately 276 people per dwelling approval, suggesting a low density market. Population forecasts indicate Culburra Beach will gain 130 residents by 2041. Current construction levels should adequately meet housing demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling population growth to exceed current forecasts.

Culburra Beach has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 47thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified four projects expected to impact this region. Major initiatives include West Culburra Development, Culburra Beach Access Stairs at Penguins Head Road, Shoalhaven Heads Master Plan, and West Culburra Development. Details of these key projects are listed below.

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

AreaSearch analysis reveals Culburra Beach significantly outperforming the majority of regions assessed nationwide

Culburra Beach has a diverse workforce with representation from both white and blue collar jobs. Key sectors include essential services, with an unemployment rate of 2.0% as of June 2025.

This is lower than the Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. The area experienced employment growth of 3.4% over the past year. There are currently 2,028 residents in work, but workforce participation lags behind the Rest of NSW at 47.1%. Leading industries among residents are health care & social assistance, construction, and accommodation & food services.

The area specializes in construction employment with a share 1.4 times higher than the regional level, while mining has limited presence at 0.4% compared to the regional rate of 2.5%. Employment opportunities locally appear limited based on Census data comparison between working population and resident population. Over the past year, employment increased by 3.4%, labour force grew by 2.6%, leading to a decrease in unemployment rate by 0.7 percentage points. Conversely, Rest of NSW saw employment contraction by 0.1% with unemployment rising by 0.4%. State-level data for NSW as of Sep-25 shows employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%, slightly lower than the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia predict a growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Culburra Beach's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.4% over five years and 13.3% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

Culburra Beach's median taxpayer income was $46,457 and average income was $58,560 in financial year 2022. This is lower than national averages, with Rest of NSW having a median income of $49,459 and average income of $62,998. By March 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $51,381 (median) and $64,767 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022. According to the 2021 Census, Culburra Beach's household, family, and personal incomes fall between the 13th and 14th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that the $800 - $1,499 income bracket dominates with 27.1% of residents (1,361 people), differing from regional patterns where the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket dominates with 29.9%. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 84.8% of income remaining, ranking at the 15th percentile nationally.

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

Culburra Beach's dwelling structure in its latest Census evaluation showed 89.0% houses and 11.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Non-Metro NSW's 87.8% houses and 12.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Culburra Beach stood at 50.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 26.0% and rented ones at 23.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,710, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,733. Median weekly rent in Culburra Beach was $331, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $350. Nationally, Culburra Beach's median monthly mortgage repayment is below the Australian average of $1,863, and its median weekly rent figure is substantially lower than the national average of $375.

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

Family households constitute 65.4% of all households, including 19.2% couples with children, 35.9% couples without children, and 9.4% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 34.6%, with lone person households at 31.2% and group households comprising 3.4%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.3.

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

The area has lower university qualification rates at 17.1% compared to the NSW average of 32.2%. This presents both challenges and opportunities for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 11.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.3%) and graduate diplomas (2.5%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 42.9% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (10.2%) and certificates (32.7%).

A substantial 20.5% of the population is actively pursuing formal education, including 7.1% in primary, 5.7% in secondary, and 2.1% in tertiary education. Educational provision includes Culburra Public School and Greenwell Point Public School, serving a total of 308 students. Both schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas. Local school capacity is limited at 6.1 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 12.8, leading many families to travel for schooling.

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

Culburra Beach has 107 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 16 different routes that together offer 132 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these services is rated as excellent, with residents typically living just 154 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 18 trips per day across all routes, which translates to approximately one weekly trip per individual stop.

Health performance in Culburra Beach is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Culburra Beach faces significant health challenges, with various conditions affecting both younger and older age groups. Approximately 49% (~2,466 people) have private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (13.8%) and mental health issues (8.8%). Conversely, 58.1% report no medical ailments, slightly below Rest of NSW's 59.4%. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 35.0% (1,757 people), compared to Rest of NSW's 27.8%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are better than the general population in certain metrics.

Culburra Beach is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Culburra Beach's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 87.8% of its population born in Australia, 93.4% being citizens, and 96.1% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the main religion, making up 56.5% of Culburra Beach's population, compared to 52.6% across Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups were English (32.7%), Australian (30.6%), and Irish (9.1%).

Notably, Australian Aboriginal was overrepresented at 4.7%, Maltese at 0.8%, and Hungarian at 0.3%.

Culburra Beach ranks among the oldest 10% of areas nationwide

The median age in Culburra Beach is 54 years, which is significantly higher than the Rest of NSW average of 43 years and the national norm of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of NSW average, the 65-74 age cohort is notably over-represented in Culburra Beach at 18.2%, while the 5-14 age group is under-represented at 7.7%. The concentration of the 65-74 age group is well above the national average of 9.4%. Between the Census conducted on August 3, 2021 and the previous Census on August 9, 2016, there has been a growth in the 15 to 24 age group from 7.8% to 10.2%, while the 55 to 64 cohort declined from 16.9% to 15.1% and the 45 to 54 age group decreased from 11.0% to 9.7%. By 2041, Culburra Beach is expected to see notable shifts in its age composition, with the 75 to 84 age cohort projected to grow steadily by 130 people (21%) from 607 to 738. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 59% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. On the other hand, both the 45 to 54 and 5 to 14 age groups are expected to see reduced numbers.