Newcastle - Cooks Hill
Statistical Area - sa2

Newcastle - Cooks Hill lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Newcastle-Cooks Hill's population is 14,560 as of November 2025. This shows an increase of 1,755 people from the 2021 Census figure of 12,805. The growth was inferred from ABS estimates of 14,264 in June 2024 and validated new addresses since then. The population density is 3,658 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile nationally. Newcastle-Cooks Hill's 13.7% growth since the Census exceeded the non-metro area's 5.1%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 55.9% of overall population gains recently.

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 years 2032 to 2041. Future population dynamics predict exceptional growth, placing Newcastle-Cooks Hill in the top 10 percent of non-metropolitan areas nationally. By 2041, the area is expected to increase by 6,824 persons, a total increase of 44.8% over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Newcastle - Cooks Hill was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Newcastle - Cooks Hill has seen approximately 236 dwellings granted development approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, around 1,180 homes were approved, with a further three approved so far in FY-26. On average, each dwelling constructed over these years has accommodated about 1.7 new residents yearly. This rate has eased to one person per dwelling over the past two financial years.

The average construction value of new homes is $496,000. Commercial approvals have totaled $207.4 million in the current financial year. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Newcastle - Cooks Hill exhibits 220.0% higher new home approvals per capita. Recent construction comprises 2.0% standalone homes and 98.0% townhouses or apartments. The area shows growth characteristics with around 29 people per dwelling approval. Population forecasts project an increase of 6,528 residents by 2041.

Current development levels appear aligned with future requirements, maintaining stable market conditions without significant price pressures.

Newcastle - Cooks Hill 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 55 projects that could impact this region. Major initiatives include East End Newcastle, Dairy Farmers Towers, The Store Newcastle, and Pottery Lane Residential Development - Newcastle. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

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Employment performance in Newcastle - Cooks Hill exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Newcastle - Cooks Hill has a highly educated workforce with professional services being strongly represented. The unemployment rate was 3.1% as of June 2024.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.0%. By June 2025, 9,271 residents were in work and the unemployment rate was 0.6% below Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation was at 68.5%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key industries for employment among residents were health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training.

The area had a particular specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share of 2.4 times the regional level. Agriculture, forestry & fishing employed just 0.5% of local workers, below Rest of NSW's 5.3%. As at the Census, there were 1.7 workers for every resident, indicating that the area functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas. Over the 12 months to June 2025, employment increased by 2.0% while labour force increased by 2.5%, resulting in an unemployment rise of 0.5 percentage points. In comparison, Rest of NSW recorded an employment decline of 0.1%, labour force growth of 0.3%, with unemployment rising by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest that Newcastle - Cooks Hill may experience local employment growth of approximately 7.5% over five years and 15.2% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation of industry-specific projections.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows median income in Newcastle - Cooks Hill is $59,678. Average income stands at $92,896. This contrasts with Rest of NSW's median income of $49,459 and average income of $62,998. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $67,203 (median) and $104,610 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows individual earnings rank at the 88th percentile nationally ($1,149 weekly). Household income ranks lower at the 61st percentile. Distribution data shows the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 32.4% of residents (4,717 people), aligning with surrounding region's 29.9%. High housing costs consume 17.6% of income. Disposable income ranks at the 59th percentile. Area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Newcastle - Cooks Hill features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Newcastle - Cooks Hill had 11.7% houses and 88.3% other dwellings in the latest Census, compared to Non-Metro NSW's 70.5% houses and 29.5% other dwellings. Home ownership was at 26.1%, with 19.7% mortgaged and 54.2% rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,169, higher than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. Median weekly rent was $445, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, Newcastle - Cooks Hill's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,169 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Newcastle - Cooks Hill features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 49.2% of all households, including 12.9% couples with children, 29.1% couples without children, and 6.2% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 50.8%, with lone person households at 40.8% and group households comprising 10.1%. The median household size is 1.9 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.4.

The educational profile of Newcastle - Cooks Hill exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Educational attainment in Newcastle - Cooks Hill is notably high, with 48.0% 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 30.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.3%) and graduate diplomas (4.0%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 27.1% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas at 10.4% and certificates at 16.7%. Educational participation is high, with 27.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 12.8% in tertiary education, 4.9% in primary education, and 4.5% pursuing secondary education.

The area has a robust network of 8 schools educating approximately 3,085 students, with above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1070). This includes 2 primary, 5 secondary, and 1 K-12 school. School capacity exceeds typical residential needs, with 21.2 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 15.6, indicating Newcastle - Cooks Hill serves as an educational center for the broader region. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to parent campus.

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

Newcastle-Cooks Hill has 82 active public transport stops. These include ferry, lightrail, and bus stops. There are 42 different routes serving these stops, providing a total of 9,015 weekly passenger trips.

Residents have excellent accessibility to transport, with an average distance of 116 meters to the nearest stop. The service frequency is 1,287 trips per day across all routes, which equals approximately 109 weekly trips per individual stop.

Newcastle - Cooks Hill's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with prevalence of common health conditions quite low across both younger and older age cohorts

Newcastle - Cooks Hill has a relatively low prevalence of common health conditions across both younger and older age groups. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 68% (9,929 people), compared to 55.6% in Rest of NSW, which is close to the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues are the most common medical condition, affecting 10.7% of residents, followed by asthma at 7.9%.

A total of 68.1% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 64.9% in Rest of NSW. The area has 18.3% (2,671 people) of residents aged 65 and over, which is higher than the 16.7% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

Newcastle - Cooks Hill ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Newcastle-Cooks Hill was found to have below average cultural diversity, with 87.4% of its population being Australian citizens, born in Australia (82.0%), and speaking English only at home (89.7%). Christianity is the predominant religion in Newcastle-Cooks Hill, comprising 39.2% of the population. Notably, Judaism is overrepresented, making up 0.2% compared to the regional average of 0.1%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (30.9%), Australian (22.6%), and Irish (11.2%). Other ethnic groups with notable divergences include Scottish (overrepresented at 9.9% vs regional 8.4%), Welsh (0.8% vs 0.8%), and Polish (0.9% vs 0.8%).

Newcastle - Cooks Hill's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Newcastle-Cooks Hill has a median age of 38, which is lower than Rest of NSW's figure of 43 but equivalent to Australia's national norm of 38. The 25-34 age group constitutes 22.9% of the population in Newcastle-Cooks Hill, higher than Rest of NSW's percentage and significantly above the national average of 14.5%. The 5-14 age group makes up only 5.0%, lower than both Rest of NSW and the national figure. According to the 2021 Census, the 25-34 age group has increased from 21.5% to 22.9%, while the 5-14 cohort has decreased from 6.2% to 5.0%. The 45-54 age group has also dropped, from 12.3% to 11.2%. Demographic projections indicate that Newcastle-Cooks Hill's age profile will change significantly by 2041. Notably, the 25-34 age group is projected to grow by 60%, reaching 5,333 people from its current total of 3,334.