Merewether - The Junction
Statistical Area - sa2

Merewether - The Junction has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

As of November 2025, Merewether - The Junction's population is around 14,848. This figure reflects an increase since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 14,506 people. By June 2024, the estimated resident population was 14,808, with an additional 53 validated new addresses recorded after the census date. The population density is approximately 2,048 persons per square kilometer. This growth rate of 2.4% since the census places Merewether - The Junction within 2.7 percentage points of the non-metro area's growth rate of 5.1%. Overseas migration contributed around 85.8% 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, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Merewether - The Junction is expected to grow by approximately 1,590 persons, recording a total gain of around 10.4% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Merewether - The Junction when compared nationally

Merewether-The Junction has seen approximately 52 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years ending June 30, 2021, totalling 264 homes. As of April 2026, 15 approvals have been recorded in this financial year. On average, each dwelling constructed between FY-21 and FY-25 has accommodated around 1.5 new residents per year, indicating a balance between supply and demand that supports stable market conditions. The average construction value of new properties is approximately $565,000, reflecting developers' focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

In this financial year, $9.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting moderate levels of commercial development compared to other areas. Relative to the rest of NSW, Merewether-The Junction has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 59th percentile of areas assessed nationally, indicating its established nature and potential planning limitations. The area's building activity consists of approximately 54.0% standalone homes and 46.0% attached dwellings, offering a range of housing types catering to different price ranges. With around 266 people per dwelling approval, Merewether-The Junction is characterized as a low-density area.

Future projections estimate an increase of 1,550 residents by 2041, with existing development levels aligned with future requirements, maintaining stable market conditions without significant price pressures.

Merewether - The Junction has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 37 projects that may impact the area. Notable projects include The Merewether Residences, Lake Macquarie Private Hospital Expansion, Lingard Private Hospital Expansion, Gateshead LAHC General Housing Development. The following list details those likely to be most 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 analysis of employment trends sees Merewether - The Junction performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Merewether - The Junction has a highly educated workforce with professional services being strongly represented. The unemployment rate in June 2025 was 1.4%.

This is lower than the Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.4%. As of June 2025, 9,056 residents are employed with an unemployment rate of 2.3% and workforce participation at 68.1%, higher than Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key employment sectors include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services.

Health care & social assistance shows notable concentration with levels at 1.3 times the regional average, while agriculture, forestry & fishing has lower representation at 0.3% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities as indicated by Census working population vs resident population count. Over a 12-month period ending June 2025, employment increased by 2.4% while labour force rose by 2.5%, leading to a slight rise in unemployment rate of 0.1 percentage points. In comparison, Rest of NSW saw employment fall by 0.1%, labour force expand by 0.3%, and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Merewether - The Junction's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.4% over five years and 15.1% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only and do not account for localised population projections.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released for financial year 2022, Merewether - The Junction had a median income among taxpayers of $63,435. The average income stood at $104,063. This places it in the top percentile nationally. In comparison, Rest of NSW had median and average incomes of $49,459 and $62,998 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Merewether - The Junction are approximately $71,434 (median) and $117,185 (average) as of September 2025. From the Census conducted in August 2021, household, family, and personal incomes in Merewether - The Junction rank between the 82nd and 85th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that 27.3% of individuals earn between $1,500 and $2,999 per week, mirroring the regional average of 29.9%. The district demonstrates affluence with 37.8% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. Housing accounts for 13.8% of income. Residents rank within the 84th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Merewether - The Junction displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Merewether - The Junction, as per the latest Census, consisted of 62.5% houses and 37.5% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Non-Metro NSW's 70.5% houses and 29.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Merewether - The Junction stood at 36.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.7% and rented ones at 32.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, higher than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. The median weekly rent figure was $420, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, Merewether - The Junction's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,500 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Merewether - The Junction features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 66.2% of all households, including 30.2% couples with children, 27.6% couples without children, and 7.4% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 33.8%, with lone person households at 27.1% and group households comprising 6.9%. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.4.

Merewether - The Junction shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Merewether-The Junction shows a significant advantage, with 43.9% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications, compared to 21.3% in Rest of NSW and 26.1% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most common at 29.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (10.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.8%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 28.4% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (17.6%). Educational participation is high, with 30.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 9.1% in primary education, 8.4% in tertiary education, and 8.0% pursuing secondary education. Six schools operate within Merewether-The Junction, educating approximately 1,873 students. The area demonstrates significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement (ICSEA: 1101). All six schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas.

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

Merewether-The Junction has 129 active public transport stops operating within its area. These stops are served by a mix of buses along 24 individual routes. Together, these routes facilitate 1,626 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility to public transport in the area is rated excellent, with residents located an average of 118 meters from their nearest stop. On average, there are 232 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 12 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Merewether - The Junction is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Merewether - The Junction, as of recent data, shows superior health outcomes for both younger and older age groups, with low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 73% of its total population (10,779 people) has private health cover, notably higher than the Rest of NSW's 55.6%, and the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most prevalent conditions, affecting 8.4 and 7.5% of residents respectively, while 70.6% report no medical ailments, compared to 64.9% in the Rest of NSW.

As of recent census data, 16.5% of residents are aged 65 and over (2,455 people). Health outcomes among seniors align with those of the general population, both being above average.

Merewether - The Junction ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Merewether-The Junction showed lower cultural diversity, with 87.4% born in Australia, 93.3% being citizens, and 93.6% speaking English only at home. Christianity dominated at 49.1%. Judaism was overrepresented at 0.2%, compared to 0.1% regionally.

Top ancestry groups were English (31.0%), Australian (27.2%), Irish (10.6%). Welsh (0.8%) and Scottish (9.2%) were also notably represented, compared to regional averages of 0.8% and 8.4%, respectively. Macedonian was slightly underrepresented at 0.6%.

Merewether - The Junction's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Merewether - The Junction is 39 years, which is significantly lower than Rest of NSW's average of 43 but essentially aligned with Australia's median age of 38 years. Relative to Rest of NSW, Merewether - The Junction has a higher concentration of residents aged 25-34 (15.7%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (9.3%). According to the 2021 Census, the 25 to 34 age group has increased from 13.4% to 15.7% of the population while the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 13.0% to 11.3%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Merewether - The Junction's age structure. Notably, the 25 to 34 group is expected to grow by 29%, reaching 3,010 people from 2,325. Conversely, the 15 to 24 and 65 to 74 cohorts are projected to experience population declines.