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 approximately 14,560 as of August 2025. Between the 2021 Census and June 2024, the population increased by 1,755 people to around 14,264. This increase represents a 13.7% growth since the 2021 Census figure of 12,805. The growth is attributed to an estimated 420 new addresses validated since the Census date. Population density stands at approximately 3,658 persons per square kilometer, placing Newcastle - Cooks Hill in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch assessments. The area's population growth of 13.7% since the 2021 census surpassed the non-metro area's 4.8% and the SA4 region, indicating it as a growth leader.

Overseas migration contributed about 55.9% of overall population gains recently, with interstate migration and natural growth also playing positive roles. AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for areas not covered by this data, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas from these aggregations for the years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Newcastle - Cooks Hill is projected to increase by 6,824 persons based on current population numbers, marking a total increase of 44.8% over the 17-year period.

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 received approximately 301 dwelling development approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports this data on a financial year basis, with 1,508 homes approved between FY20 and FY25, including zero approvals so far in FY26. On average, 1.7 new residents have arrived per new home over the past five financial years, indicating balanced supply and demand conditions. However, this ratio has decreased to 1.0 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting more balanced supply conditions. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $678,000, reflecting a focus on premium segment developments.

This year alone, $207.4 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating strong local business investment. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Newcastle - Cooks Hill has shown 252.0% higher new home approvals per capita, offering greater choice for buyers and indicating robust developer interest in the area. Recent construction comprises approximately 2.0% standalone homes and 98.0% townhouses or apartments, providing affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. With around 29 people expected per dwelling approval, Newcastle - Cooks Hill exhibits characteristics of a growth area. Population forecasts project an increase of 6,528 residents by 2041, with current construction levels likely meeting demand and creating favorable conditions for buyers while potentially supporting growth that exceeds current projections.

Population forecasts indicate Newcastle - Cooks Hill will gain 6,528 residents through to 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Newcastle - Cooks Hill has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 58 potential impact projects. Notable ones are East End Newcastle, Dairy Farmers Towers, The Store Newcastle, and Pottery Lane Residential Development - Newcastle. The following details the most relevant projects.

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

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

Newcastle - Cooks Hill has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. As of June 2025, its unemployment rate is 3.1%, with an estimated employment growth of 2.0% over the past year.

This rate is 0.6% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation stands at 68.5%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training, with a specialization in professional & technical (2.4 times the regional level). Agriculture, forestry & fishing employs only 0.5% of local workers.

The area functions as an employment hub with 1.7 workers per resident. Over the year to June 2025, employment increased by 2.0%, while labour force grew by 2.5%, leading to a rise in unemployment of 0.5 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW saw employment decline by 0.1% and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project a growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Newcastle - Cooks Hill's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.5%% over five years and 15.2% over ten years.

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 income in Newcastle - Cooks Hill is among the highest in Australia. The median income is $59,678 and the average income stands at $92,896. In contrast, Rest of NSW has a median income of $49,459 and an average income of $62,998. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Newcastle - Cooks Hill would be approximately $66,004 (median) and $102,743 (average) as of March 2025. Census 2021 income data shows individual earnings rank at the 88th percentile nationally ($1,149 weekly), while household income ranks at the 61st percentile. Distribution data indicates that the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 32.4% of residents (4,717 people). High housing costs consume 17.6% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 59th percentile. The 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

In Newcastle - Cooks Hill, as per the latest Census evaluation, houses constituted 11.7% of dwellings while other dwellings (such as semi-detached units, apartments, and 'other' dwellings) made up 88.3%. This contrasts with Non-Metro NSW's dwelling structure of 70.5% houses and 29.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Newcastle - Cooks Hill stood at 26.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 19.7% and rented ones at 54.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,169, exceeding Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. The median weekly rent figure for Newcastle - Cooks Hill was $445, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, Newcastle - Cooks Hill's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than 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 comprise 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 make up the remaining 50.8%, with lone person households accounting for 40.8% and group households comprising 10.1%. The median household size is 1.9 people, 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

In Newcastle - Cooks Hill, educational attainment is notably high. Among residents aged 15+, 48.0% have university qualifications, exceeding the broader benchmarks of 21.3% in Rest of NSW and 26.1% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 30.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.3%) and graduate diplomas (4.0%). Vocational credentials are also common, with 27.1% of residents holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas account for 10.4% and certificates for 16.7%.

Educational participation is high, at 27.5%, including 12.8% in tertiary education, 4.9% in primary education, and 4.5% pursuing secondary education. The area has a robust network of schools, with 8 institutions educating approximately 3,085 students. Newcastle - Cooks Hill demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1070. The educational mix 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 that the area serves as an educational center for the broader region.

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 services. There are 42 individual routes operating a total of 9,015 weekly passenger trips.

Residents' average distance to the nearest stop is 116 meters. Daily service frequency averages 1,287 trips across all routes, resulting in approximately 109 weekly trips per 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 area's private health cover rate is high at approximately 68%, with 9,929 people covered, compared to 55.6% in the Rest of NSW and the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues and asthma are the most common medical conditions, affecting 10.7% and 7.9% of residents respectively.

68.1% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, higher than the 64.9% in the Rest of NSW. The area has 2,671 people aged 65 and over, representing 18.3% of its population, compared to 16.7% in the Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors are strong, with better metrics than the general population.

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 showed lower cultural diversity with 87.4% Australian citizens, 82.0% born in Australia, and 89.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion at 39.2%. Judaism was overrepresented at 0.2%, compared to 0.1% regionally.

Top ancestry groups were English (30.9%), Australian (22.6%), and Irish (11.2%). Scottish (9.9%) and Polish (0.9%) were overrepresented, while Welsh remained similar (0.8%) to the regional average.

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 the Rest of NSW figure of 43 but equivalent to the national norm of 38. The 25-34 age group makes up 22.9% of Newcastle-Cooks Hill's population compared to 17.8% in the Rest of NSW and 14.5% nationally. Meanwhile, the 5-14 cohort is less prevalent at 5.0%. Post the 2021 Census, the 25-34 age group has increased from 21.5% to 22.9%, while the 5-14 cohort has declined from 6.2% to 5.0% and the 45-54 group has dropped from 12.3% to 11.2%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant changes in Newcastle-Cooks Hill's age profile, led by a 60% increase in the 25-34 age group, which will grow from 3,334 to 5,333 people.