Merewether - The Junction

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

Merewether - The Junction's population was 14,848 as of November 2025. This showed an increase of 342 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 14,506. The growth was inferred from ABS estimated resident population figures of 14,808 in June 2024 and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a population density ratio of 2,048 persons per square kilometer. The area's 2.4% growth rate since the census was close to the non-metro average of 5.1%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 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, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are used, 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 suggest an increase just below the median for locations outside capital cities. The area is expected to grow by 1,590 persons to 2041 based on latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a total gain of 10.4% over the 17 years.

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, totalling 264 homes. By June 2026 (FY-26), 17 approvals have been recorded. On average, each dwelling constructed between FY-21 and FY-25 accommodated around 1.5 new residents. This suggests a balance between supply and demand, maintaining stable market dynamics.

New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $565,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment. In FY-26, $9.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to the rest of NSW, Merewether-The Junction has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person. Nationally, it places at the 58th percentile of areas assessed, below the national average, suggesting an established area with potential planning limitations.

New building activity comprises 54% standalone homes and 46% attached dwellings, offering a range of housing types across different price points. With around 266 people per dwelling approval, Merewether-The Junction displays characteristics of a low-density area. By 2041, it is projected to add approximately 1,550 residents (AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Current development levels appear 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 40% nationally

The performance of an area can significantly be influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of 37 such projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable among these are The Merewether Residences, Lake Macquarie Private Hospital Expansion, Lingard Private Hospital Expansion, and the Dual Occupancy Development at 44 Cadaga Road. The following list details those projects likely to be most relevant.

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

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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 well represented. Its unemployment rate was 1.6% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 3.1%.

As of September 2025, 9,071 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.3%, below Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation was at 68.1%, higher than Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services, with a notable concentration in health care & social assistance at 1.3 times the regional average. Agriculture, forestry & fishing showed lower representation at 0.3% compared to the regional average of 5.3%.

Employment opportunities locally appear limited as indicated by Census working population vs resident population counts. In the past year, employment increased by 3.1%, labour force by 3.5%, raising unemployment rate by 0.4 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of NSW where employment fell by 0.5% and labour force contracted by 0.1%. State-level data to 25-Nov shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with state unemployment rate at 3.9%, compared to national unemployment rate of 4.3%. 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 Merewether-The Junction's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 15.1% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

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

AreaSearch reports that based on postcode-level ATO data released for financial year 2022, Merewether - The Junction SA2 had a median income of $63,435 and an average income of $104,063. These figures place the area in the top percentile nationally, compared to $49,459 and $62,998 for Rest of NSW respectively. Using Wage Price Index growth data from financial year 2022 to September 2025, estimated median income is approximately $71,434 and average income is $117,185. The 2021 Census shows household, family, and personal incomes in Merewether - The Junction rank between the 82nd and 85th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals that 27.3% of individuals (4,053 people) earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, mirroring the region's 29.9%. Notably, 37.8% earn over $3,000 per week, indicating affluence that supports premium retail services. Housing accounts for 13.8% of income, with residents ranking in the 83rd 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

In Merewether-The Junction, as per the latest Census evaluation, 62.5% of dwellings were houses while 37.5% consisted of other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This is compared to Non-Metro NSW's figures of 70.5% houses and 29.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Merewether-The Junction stood at 36.6%, with mortgaged properties at 30.7% and rented dwellings at 32.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, surpassing Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. Weekly rent in the area was recorded at $420, higher than Non-Metro NSW's figure of $400. Nationally, Merewether-The Junction's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than 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, consisting of 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% of the total. 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 and above holding university qualifications, compared to 21.3% in the rest of NSW and 26.1% in the SA4 region as of 2021 data. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 29.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (10.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.8%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 28.4% of residents 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 as of the latest census data.

This includes 9.1% in primary education, 8.4% in tertiary education, and 8.0% pursuing secondary education.

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

The analysis of public transport in Merewether - The Junction shows that there are currently 129 active transport stops operating. These stops serve a mix of bus routes, with a total of 24 individual routes providing service to the area. Collectively, these routes facilitate 1,626 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of public transport in this region is rated as excellent, with residents typically residing just 118 meters from their nearest transport stop. On average, there are 232 trips per day across all routes, which equates 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 prevalence of common health conditions quite low across both younger and older age cohorts

Merewether - The Junction shows better-than-average health outcomes with lower prevalence of common conditions across both younger and older age groups. Approximately 73% of its total population (10,779 people) has private health cover, compared to 55.6% in the Rest of NSW and the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues affect 8.4% of residents, while arthritis impacts 7.5%.

About 70.6% report being free from medical ailments, higher than the 64.9% across the Rest of NSW. The area has 16.5% (2,455 people) aged 65 and over, with health outcomes among seniors being above average and generally aligned with the overall population's health profile.

Merewether - The Junction is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Merewether-The Junction, as per the 2016 Census, showed lower cultural diversity with 87.4% of residents born in Australia, 93.3% being Australian citizens, and 93.6% speaking English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 49.1%. Judaism, however, was overrepresented at 0.2%, compared to 0.1% regionally.

Top ancestral groups were English (31.0%), Australian (27.2%), and Irish (10.6%). Notable divergences included Welsh (0.8% vs regional 0.8%), Scottish (9.2% vs 8.4%), and Macedonian (0.6% vs 0.8%) groups.

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. Compared 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 proportion of residents aged 25 to 34 has grown from 13.4% to 15.7%, while the proportion of those aged 55 to 64 has declined from 13.0% to 11.3%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Merewether - The Junction's age structure. Notably, the number of residents aged 25 to 34 is expected to grow by 29%, reaching 3,010 from 2,325. Conversely, the populations of those aged 15-24 and 65-74 are projected to decline.