Port Kembla - Warrawong

Port Kembla - Warrawong has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

Port Kembla - Warrawong's population is around 9,771 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 31 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 9,740 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 9,745 in June 2024 and an additional 30 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 1,401 persons per square kilometer, above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 69.5% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, 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. Anticipating future population dynamics, lower quartile growth of Australia's regional areas is anticipated, with the area expected to increase by 14 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a decrease of 0.1% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Port Kembla - Warrawong, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Port Kembla-Warrawong has experienced approximately 28 dwelling approvals per year. Between financial years 2021 to 2025144 homes were approved, with an additional 6 approved in the current financial year 2026. Despite population decline during this period, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice.

The average construction value of new properties is $301,000. In terms of commercial development, $13.7 million worth of approvals have been registered in the current financial year. Compared to the rest of NSW, Port Kembla-Warrawong shows significantly reduced construction activity, with 54.0% fewer approvals per person, suggesting stronger demand and values for established properties. This activity is also below the national average, indicating the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New development consists predominantly of standalone homes (81.0%) and a smaller proportion of attached dwellings (19.0%), maintaining the area's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes.

The population per approval in Port Kembla-Warrawong is around 527, indicating a mature market. With stable or declining population projections, housing demand pressures are expected to remain relatively low, benefiting potential buyers.

Port Kembla - Warrawong has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

AreaSearch has identified 17 projects that could impact the area, with key ones including Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library, Warrawong Plaza Redevelopment, Warrawong Community Health Centre, and Salvation Army Housing - Warrawong Group Home. 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.

Employment conditions in Port Kembla - Warrawong face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

Port Kembla-Warrawong has a balanced workforce with white and blue collar jobs, prominent essential services sectors, and an unemployment rate of 19.2% as of September 2025. The area's employment rate is 15.4 percentage points higher than the Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%, indicating room for improvement.

Workforce participation lags at 45.3%, compared to the Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. The area specializes in administrative & support services with an employment share 1.6 times the regional level. Agriculture, forestry & fishing employs only 0.5% of local workers, below the Rest of NSW's 5.3%.

There are 0.8 workers per resident, indicating higher-than-average local employment opportunities. Over the year to September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.1%, but employment declined by 1.9%, leading to a 1.6 percentage point rise in unemployment. In comparison, Rest of NSW saw an employment decline of 0.5% and a labour force decline of 0.1%, with unemployment rising by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. National forecasts suggest total employment will grow by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Port Kembla-Warrawong's industry mix indicates local employment should increase by 6.3% over five years and 13.4% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Port Kembla - Warrawong SA2 is lower than average nationally. The median income is $48,519 and the average income stands at $59,785. This contrasts with Rest of NSW's figures where the median income is $49,459 and the average income is $62,998. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Port Kembla - Warrawong would be approximately $54,637 (median) and $67,324 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows that household, family and personal incomes in Port Kembla - Warrawong all fall between the 6th and 7th percentiles nationally. Distribution data indicates that the $400 - 799 bracket dominates with 27.1% of residents (2,647 people), unlike surrounding regions where 29.9% fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 range. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Port Kembla - Warrawong, with only 80.5% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 7th percentile nationally.

Port Kembla - Warrawong is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Port Kembla-Warrawong's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 71.6% houses and 28.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasts with Non-Metro NSW's 85.5% houses and 14.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Port Kembla-Warrawong stood at 36.7%, similar to Non-Metro NSW. Dwellings were either mortgaged (21.6%) or rented (41.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,820, lower than Non-Metro NSW's $2,000 and the national average of $1,863. Median weekly rent was $300, below Non-Metro NSW's $365 and the national figure of $375.

Port Kembla - Warrawong features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 63.4% of all households, consisting of 23.9% couples with children, 21.6% couples without children, and 16.8% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 36.6%, with lone person households at 33.7% and group households comprising 2.7% of the total. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.6.

Port Kembla - Warrawong faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 15.0%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 10.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.4%) and graduate diplomas (1.3%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 35.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (8.7%) and certificates (26.5%). Educational participation is high at 27.4%, with 9.8% in primary education, 7.6% in secondary education, and 3.4% pursuing tertiary education.

Educational participation is notably high, with 27.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.8% in primary education, 7.6% in secondary education, and 3.4% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Port Kembla-Warrawong has 95 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 36 different routes that together facilitate 1,054 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average being located just 146 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 150 trips per day across all routes, which translates to approximately 11 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Port Kembla - Warrawong is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Port Kembla-Warrawong faces significant health challenges, as indicated by its health data. The prevalence of common health conditions is notable across both younger and older age groups.

Approximately 50% (~4836 people) of the total population has private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most common medical conditions in the area, affecting 10.3% and 10.0% of residents respectively. However, 62.8% of residents claim to be completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 63.9% across Rest of NSW. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 20.4% (1990 people), compared to the 19.0% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors present challenges broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

Port Kembla - Warrawong was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Port Kembla-Warrawong has a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 30.5% of its population born overseas and 31.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Port Kembla-Warrawong, comprising 61.5%, compared to 58.1% across the Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups are Australian (20.8%), English (20.6%), and Other (11.4%).

Notably, Macedonian (10.2%) is overrepresented in Port Kembla-Warrawong compared to the regional average of 3.8%. Spanish (1.2%) and Serbian (1.0%) also have higher representations than the regional averages of 0.9% and 0.8%, respectively.

Port Kembla - Warrawong's median age exceeds the national pattern

Port Kembla-Warrawong's median age is 42 years, similar to Rest of NSW's average of 43 but older than Australia's average of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 25-34 are prominent at 14.0%, while the 65-74 group is smaller at 10.0% compared to Rest of NSW. Between 2021 and present, the 0-4 age group has grown from 6.0% to 7.5% of the population, while the 25-34 cohort increased from 12.9% to 14.0%. Conversely, the 5-14 cohort has declined from 11.8% to 10.9%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes. The 25-34 cohort is projected to grow by 13%, adding 173 residents to reach 1,545. In contrast, population declines are projected for the 85+ and 5-14 cohorts.