East Maitland - Metford

An assessment of population growth drivers in East Maitland - Metford reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

East Maitland - Metford's population, according to AreaSearch's analysis, was approximately 18,272 as of November 2025. This figure represents an increase of 291 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 17,981. The increase is inferred from ABS data: East Maitland - Metford's estimated resident population was 18,260 in June 2024, with an additional 135 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density of 842 persons per square kilometer, roughly aligning with averages across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Natural growth accounted for approximately 57.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are utilized, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends project an above median growth for Australia's regional areas. East Maitland - Metford is expected to increase by 2,386 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a total increase of 13.0% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in East Maitland - Metford, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

East Maitland - Metford has seen approximately 30 dwelling approvals per year over the past five financial years, totalling 153 homes. As of FY26, 16 approvals have been recorded. On average, 0.3 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY21 and FY25. This suggests supply is meeting or exceeding demand, offering greater buyer choice while supporting potential population growth above projections.

The average construction value of new homes is $340,000. In FY26, there have been $12.6 million in commercial approvals, indicating steady commercial investment activity. Compared to the rest of NSW, East Maitland - Metford has significantly lower building activity, 86.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing homes, also being under the national average, suggesting the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New building activity comprises 54.0% standalone homes and 46.0% medium to high-density housing, offering choices across price ranges from spacious family homes to more affordable compact options. This is a considerable change from the current housing mix of 81.0% houses, reflecting reduced availability of development sites and shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements.

The area has an estimated 581 people per dwelling approval, indicating its quiet, low activity development environment. Future projections suggest East Maitland - Metford will add 2,374 residents by 2041 (based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

East Maitland - Metford has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 17 projects that could impact this region. Notable projects include Stony Pinch Urban Development, Bloomfield Colliery Continuation Project, Ashtonfield Public School Upgrade, and Sophia Waters Sportsground. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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Despite maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.6%, East Maitland - Metford has experienced recent job losses, resulting in a below average employment performance ranking when compared nationally

East Maitland - Metford has a skilled workforce with an unemployment rate of 3.6% as of September 2025. The area has 8,884 residents in work, which is 0.2% below the Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%.

Workforce participation is high at 61.6%, compared to the Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key employment industries include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. The area has a strong specialization in mining with an employment share of 2.0 times the regional level, but agriculture, forestry & fishing shows lower representation at 1.0% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data.

In the 12 months prior, labour force decreased by 2.8% alongside a 2.7% employment decline, with unemployment remaining essentially unchanged. This contrasts with Rest of NSW where employment contracted by 0.5%, labour force fell by 0.1%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data to 25-Nov shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. National forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to East Maitland - Metford's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.3% over five years and 13.4% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data for financial year 2022 shows East Maitland - Metford SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $52,533 and an average income of $64,560. These figures align with national averages and compare to Rest of NSW's levels of $49,459 and $62,998 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, estimated median income as of September 2025 is approximately $59,157, with average income at around $72,701. According to the 2021 Census, incomes in East Maitland - Metford rank modestly between the 40th and 41st percentiles for household, family, and personal incomes. Income analysis reveals that 33.1% of residents earn $1,500-$2,999 weekly (6,048 residents), reflecting broader area patterns where 29.9% occupy this income range. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 83.5% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 40th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

East Maitland - Metford is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in East Maitland - Metford, as per the latest Census, consisted of 81.1% houses and 18.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro NSW's 87.1% houses and 13.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in East Maitland - Metford was 30.0%, with the rest either mortgaged (35.2%) or rented (34.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,733, below Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,862. The median weekly rent was $350, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $375. Nationally, East Maitland - Metford's mortgage repayments were lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were less than the national figure of $375.

East Maitland - Metford has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 70.4% of all households, including 30.0% couples with children, 25.7% couples without children, and 13.5% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 29.6%, with lone person households at 26.8% and group households comprising 2.8%. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.7 people.

East Maitland - Metford shows below-average educational performance compared to national benchmarks, though pockets of achievement exist

The area's university qualification rate is 18.0%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 12.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.4%) and graduate diplomas (1.8%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 41.0% of residents aged 15 and above holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (30.2%).

Educational participation is high, with 29.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (10.4%), secondary education (8.3%), and tertiary education (4.2%).

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

East Maitland - Metford has 180 active public transport stops. These are a mix of train and bus stations. They are served by 150 individual routes.

Together, these provide 6,185 weekly passenger trips. Residents have excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 150 meters to the nearest stop. On average, there are 883 trips per day across all routes. This equates to approximately 34 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in East Maitland - Metford is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

East Maitland - Metford faces significant health challenges, as indicated by its health data.

Notably, common health conditions are prevalent across both younger and older age groups. The area has a higher rate of private health cover at approximately 52% of its total population (~9,483 people) compared to the average SA2 area. Mental health issues and arthritis were found to be the most common medical conditions, affecting 12.2 and 9.7% of residents respectively. However, 61.4% of residents reported having no medical ailments, which is slightly lower than the 63.4% reported across Rest of NSW. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 17.5%, with 3,195 people falling into this age group compared to the 15.4% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors present challenges broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

East Maitland - Metford is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

East Maitland-Metford showed low cultural diversity, with 89.0% born in Australia, 91.7% being citizens, and 92.9% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, at 56.8%, compared to 57.0% regionally. The top three ancestry groups were English (31.5%), Australian (30.9%), and Irish (8.2%).

Notably, Australian Aboriginal representation was higher at 4.8% (vs regional 5.1%), Welsh remained the same at 0.6%, and Samoan was slightly higher at 0.2% (vs regional 0.1%).

East Maitland - Metford's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The median age in East Maitland - Metford is 39 years, which is significantly lower than Rest of NSW's average of 43 but aligns with Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Rest of NSW, East Maitland - Metford has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (14.1%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (9.7%). According to the 2021 Census, the age group 25 to 34 increased from 12.6% to 14.1%, while the 5 to 14 age group decreased from 13.6% to 12.4%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in East Maitland - Metford's age structure. The 25 to 34 age group is expected to grow by 30%, reaching 3,352 people from the current 2,569. Conversely, the 55 to 64 and 15 to 24 age groups are projected to experience population declines.