East Maitland - Metford
Statistical Area - sa2

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 was around 18,275 as of Aug 2025. This showed an increase of 294 people from the 2021 Census figure of 17,981. The change was inferred from ABS estimates: 18,260 in Jun 2024 and additional validated new addresses since then. This resulted in a population density ratio of 842 persons per square kilometer. Natural growth contributed approximately 57.0% to overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year; NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are used where data is not available, released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future trends project an above median population growth for regional Australia, with this area expected to increase by 2,386 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 13.0% over the 17-year period.

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 14 dwellings receive development approval annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, totalling 70 approvals from FY20 to FY25, with 6 so far in FY26. Over the past five financial years (FY20-FY25), an average of 0.3 new residents arrived per new home, indicating that new supply has kept pace with or exceeded demand, offering ample buyer choice and capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts. The average development value per dwelling is $520,000.

This financial year (FY26) has seen $12.6 million in commercial development approvals, demonstrating moderate levels of commercial development. Comparatively, East Maitland - Metford records significantly lower building activity than the Rest of NSW region, with an 88.0% deficit per person, indicating constrained new construction that typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing homes. This trend is also observed when compared to the national average, suggesting the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. The current housing mix in East Maitland - Metford is shifting, with 54.0% standalone homes and 46.0% medium and high-density housing, offering choices across price ranges from spacious family homes to more accessible compact options. This represents a considerable change from the current housing mix of 81.0% houses, reflecting reduced availability of development sites and addressing shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. The estimated population density in the area is approximately 581 people per dwelling approval, indicative of its quiet, low activity development environment.

Future projections suggest East Maitland - Metford will add 2,371 residents by 2041. If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag behind population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

East Maitland - Metford has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

The performance of an area is significantly influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. A total of 17 such projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area. Notable among these are the East Maitland Catalyst Area project, the Stony Pinch Urban Development initiative, the Bloomfield Colliery Continuation Project, and the Ashtonfield Public School Upgrade. The following list provides details on those projects likely to be most relevant.

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

Despite maintaining a low unemployment rate of 3.7%, East Maitland - Metford has experienced recent job losses, resulting in a below average employment performance ranking when compared nationally

East Maitland - Metford has an unemployment rate of 3.7% as of June 2025. There are 8,931 residents in work, with a workforce participation rate of 61.6%.

The leading employment industries among residents are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. The area shows strong specialization in mining, with an employment share of 2.0 times the regional level, while agriculture, forestry & fishing shows lower representation at 1.0% versus the regional average of 5.3%. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data analysis. Between Jun-24 and Jun-25, labour force decreased by 4.2%, employment declined by 4.6%, resulting in an unemployment rate rise of 0.4 percentage points.

In NSW as of Sep-25, employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest East Maitland - Metford's employment could increase by approximately 6.3%% over five years and 13.4% over ten years, based on industry-specific projections.

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

AreaSearch aggregated latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022. East Maitland - Metford had a median income of $52,533 and an average income of $64,560 among taxpayers. These figures are inline with national averages. They compare to $49,459 and $62,998 respectively across Rest of NSW. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes as of March 2025 would be approximately $58,101 (median) and $71,403 (average). According to 2021 Census figures, incomes in East Maitland - Metford rank modestly between the 41st and 41st percentiles for household, family, and personal incomes. Income analysis reveals that the largest segment comprises 33.1% earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly (6,049 residents), reflecting patterns seen in the broader area where 29.9% similarly occupy this range. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 83.5% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 41st 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

In East Maitland - Metford, as per the latest Census data, 81.1% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 18.9% being semi-detached homes, apartments, and other types. This differs slightly from Non-Metro NSW's figures of 87.1% houses and 13.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in East Maitland - Metford stood at 30.0%, similar to Non-Metro NSW's rate. The majority of dwellings were either mortgaged (35.2%) or rented (34.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area, as of the latest available data, was $1,733, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,862 and the national average of $1,863. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent figure for East Maitland - Metford was recorded at $350, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $375 and the national average 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, consisting of 30.0% couples with children, 25.7% couples without children, and 13.5% single parent families. Non-family households make up 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.

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

East Maitland-Metford has a university qualification rate of 18.0%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. 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+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (30.2%). Educational participation is high at 29.7%, comprising 10.4% in primary, 8.3% in secondary, and 4.2% in tertiary education.

The area has a robust network of 9 schools serving approximately 3,857 students, with typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 1000) and balanced educational opportunities. This includes 4 primary and 5 K-12 schools.

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 services. They are serviced by 150 individual routes.

Collectively, these provide 6,185 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent. Residents are typically located 150 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 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.

The prevalence of common health conditions is notable across both younger and older age cohorts. Private health cover stands at approximately 52% of the total population (~9,484 people), slightly higher than the average SA2 area's rate. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most prevalent medical conditions in the region, affecting 12.2 and 9.7% of residents respectively. A total of 61.4% of residents claim to be completely free from medical ailments, compared to 63.4% across Rest of NSW. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 17.5%, with approximately 3,196 people falling into this category, compared to the 15.4% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges, broadly aligning 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 had a low level of cultural diversity, with 89.0% born in Australia, 91.7% being citizens, and 92.9% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 56.8%. This figure is similar to the regional average of 57.0% across Rest of NSW.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (31.5%), Australian (30.9%), and Irish (8.2%). Notably, Australian Aboriginal was overrepresented at 4.8%, compared to 5.1% regionally, while Welsh and Samoan remained relatively stable at 0.6% and 0.2% respectively.

East Maitland - Metford's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in East Maitland - Metford is 39 years, which is significantly lower than Rest of NSW's average of 43 but closely aligned 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 of 25 to 34 years has increased from 12.6% to 14.1% of the population in East Maitland - Metford. Conversely, the age group of 5 to 14 years has decreased from 13.6% to 12.4%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in East Maitland - Metford's age structure. Notably, the 25-34 age group is expected to grow by 30%, reaching 3,352 people from its current figure of 2,569. Conversely, the 55-64 and 15-24 age groups are projected to experience population declines.