Rutherford (South) - Telarah

Rutherford (South) - Telarah lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Rutherford (South) - Telarah's population is around 9,510 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,534 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 7,976 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 9,065 from ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 603 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 242 persons per square kilometer. Rutherford (South) - Telarah's growth rate of 19.2% since the 2021 census exceeded the non-metro area's growth rate of 5.1%. Population growth was primarily driven by interstate migration contributing approximately 66.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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. Considering projected demographic shifts, a significant population increase is forecast for the top quartile of non-metropolitan areas nationally. Rutherford (South) - Telarah is expected to increase by 2,200 persons to 2041 based on latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 18.4% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Rutherford (South) - Telarah was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Rutherford South-Telarah has seen approximately 161 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 807 homes. As of FY26, 73 approvals have been recorded. On average, 2 people per year move to the area with each new home constructed between FY21 and FY25, indicating strong demand that supports property values. New homes are being built at an average construction cost value of $315,000, below the regional average, offering more affordable housing options for buyers.

In FY26, $6.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's predominantly residential nature. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Rutherford South-Telarah records 61% more building activity per person, indicating robust developer interest. New building activity comprises 37% detached houses and 63% medium and high-density housing, offering affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. This shift reflects decreasing developable sites and changing lifestyles. With around 54 people per dwelling approval, Rutherford South-Telarah exhibits characteristics of a growth area. Population forecasts estimate an increase of 1,755 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favourable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting population growth beyond current projections.

Population forecasts indicate Rutherford (South) - Telarah will gain 1,755 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Rutherford (South) - Telarah has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 24 projects likely affecting the area. Notable ones include Truegain Site Remediation, Maitland Mental Health Rehabilitation Project, Max McMahon Oval Amenities Redevelopment, and Dalmore Park Employment Hub. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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AreaSearch assessment indicates Rutherford (South) - Telarah faces employment challenges relative to the majority of Australian markets

Rutherford South - Telarah has a balanced workforce with both white and blue collar jobs, prominently featuring manufacturing and industrial sectors. Its unemployment rate stands at 6.3% as of June 2025.

In this period, 4,028 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 2.7 percentage points higher than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation is similar to Rest of NSW, at 60.7%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction sectors. The area has a notable employment specialization in mining, with an employment share 2.7 times the regional average.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing shows lower representation at 1.3% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. As per Census data, there are 0.7 workers for each resident, indicating higher local employment opportunities than usual. Between June 2024 and June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 4.3%, with a corresponding 5.1% decline in employment, leading to an unemployment rate increase of 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW experienced a 0.1% employment decline and a 0.3% labour force growth, resulting in a 0.4 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. State-wide data up to Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, losing 2,260 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Rutherford South - Telarah's employment mix suggests local employment could grow by 6.0% over five years and 13.0% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

The area's income profile falls below national averages based on AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that in Rutherford (South) - Telarah SA2, the median income is $53,675 and the average income is $67,952. Nationally, the median income is lower at $49,459, with an average of $62,998. Based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022, current estimates for Rutherford (South) - Telarah SA2 are approximately $60,443 (median) and $76,521 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data ranks Rutherford (South) - Telarah modestly, between the 33rd and 34th percentiles for household, family, and personal incomes. The $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 36.6% of the community, similar to the metropolitan region at 29.9%. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 82.1% of income remaining, ranking at the 31st percentile.

Rutherford (South) - Telarah is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Rutherford (South) - Telarah, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 88.9% houses and 11.1% other dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 87.1% houses and 13.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in Rutherford (South) - Telarah was 26.2%, with the remainder mortgaged at 39.4% or rented at 34.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,647, below Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,862. The median weekly rent figure was $330, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $375. Nationally, Rutherford (South) - Telarah's mortgage repayments were significantly lower at $1,647 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Rutherford (South) - Telarah has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 70.8% of all households, including 26.8% couples with children, 25.6% couples without children, and 16.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 29.2%, with lone person households at 26.5% and group households comprising 3.0%. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.7.

Rutherford (South) - Telarah faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 10.7%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This discrepancy presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common qualification at 8.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (1.4%) and graduate diplomas (1.1%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 43.7% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas at 8.4% and certificates at 35.3%.

Educational participation is high, with 29.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.0% in primary education, 7.6% in secondary education, and 3.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Rutherford (South) - Telarah has 95 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 71 different routes that collectively facilitate 889 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located approximately 207 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 127 trips per day across all routes, which equates to roughly 9 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Rutherford (South) - Telarah is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Rutherford (South) - Telarah faces significant health challenges with various conditions affecting both younger and older residents.

Approximately 53% (~5,078 people) have private health cover, which is relatively high. Mental health issues and asthma are the most prevalent conditions, impacting 13.4 and 10.8% of residents respectively. However, 59.5% reported having no medical ailments, compared to 63.4% in Rest of NSW. The area has 14.4% (1,369 people) of residents aged 65 and over, lower than the 15.4% in Rest of NSW. Senior health outcomes align with the general population's health profile.

Rutherford (South) - Telarah is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Rutherford (South) - Telarah had a cultural diversity index below average, with 91.7% of its population being Australian citizens, 92.5% born in Australia, and 95.6% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Rutherford (South) - Telarah as of 2016, comprising 53.8% of people, compared to 57.0% across Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups were Australian (31.4%), English (30.5%), and Australian Aboriginal (8.1%).

Notably, Samoan representation was higher at 0.2% compared to the regional average of 0.1%, Polish representation was similar at 0.7%, and Maltese representation was slightly higher at 0.4% compared to the regional average of 0.3%.

Rutherford (South) - Telarah hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

The median age in Rutherford (South) - Telarah is 33 years, which is considerably lower than Rest of NSW's average of 43 years and substantially under the national average of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of NSW average, the 25-34 cohort is notably over-represented at 19.0% locally, while the 65-74 year-olds are under-represented at 8.6%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 25 to 34 age group has grown from 17.0% to 19.0% of the population. Conversely, the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 11.0% to 9.2%, and the 5 to 14 group dropped from 13.1% to 11.9%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Rutherford (South) - Telarah. Leading this shift, the 25 to 34 age group is projected to grow by 31% (551 people), reaching 2,356 from 1,804. Meanwhile, both the 55 to 64 and 65 to 74 age groups are expected to see reduced numbers.