Sawtell - Boambee

Sawtell - Boambee is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

As of November 2025, Sawtell - Boambee's population is approximately 20,487, reflecting a growth of 421 people since the 2021 Census. The population in 2021 was recorded as 20,066. This increase is inferred from ABS estimates; the resident population in June 2024 was 20,394, with an additional 132 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 173 persons per square kilometer. Sawtell - Boambee's growth rate of 2.1% since the census is comparable to its SA3 area's growth of 4.2%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 71.1% 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. By 2041, the area's population is projected to decrease by 875 persons. However, specific age cohorts like those aged 85 and over are expected to grow, with a projection of an increase of 401 people in this group.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Sawtell - Boambee according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Sawtell-Boambee has granted around 47 residential property approvals annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, it approved 235 homes and a further nine in FY26. The average new resident arrival rate per new home over these years was 1.2 persons.

This balance suggests stable supply-demand conditions, with new homes averaging $505,000 in construction cost value. In FY26, commercial development approvals totalled $8.7 million, indicating limited focus on commercial projects. Compared to the rest of NSW, Sawtell-Boambee has roughly half the rate of new dwelling approvals per capita and ranks at the 36th percentile nationally, suggesting somewhat limited buyer options but strong demand for established properties. This level is below the national average, reflecting the area's established nature and potential planning limitations.

New building activity comprises 91% detached houses and 9% townhouses or apartments, maintaining low-density character with a focus on family homes. The estimated population per dwelling approval is 462 people, indicating a quiet development environment. Given stable or declining population forecasts, Sawtell-Boambee may experience less housing pressure, benefiting buyers.

Sawtell - Boambee has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 21stth percentile nationally

Ten infrastructure projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area. Key projects include Boambee East Residential Subdivision, Toormina Oval Upgrade, 95 on First Townhouses (Sea Esta), and Wonga Park Sawtell Playground Renewal. 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 conditions in Sawtell - Boambee remain below the national average according to AreaSearch analysis

Sawtell - Boambee has a skilled workforce with essential services sectors well represented. The unemployment rate was 4.0% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 2.4%.

As of June 2025, there were 9,015 residents employed, and the unemployment rate was 3.7%, which is 0.3% higher than Rest of NSW's rate. Workforce participation was on par with Rest of NSW at 56.4%. The leading employment industries among residents were health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. The area had a particular specialization in health care & social assistance, with an employment share of 1.3 times the regional level.

Meanwhile, agriculture, forestry & fishing had limited presence with 2.6% employment compared to 5.3% regionally. Employment opportunities locally appeared limited based on Census working population vs resident population comparison. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.4%, labour force increased by 3.6%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 1.2 percentage points in Sawtell - Boambee. This contrasted with Rest of NSW where employment fell by 0.1%, labour force expanded by 0.3%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from Nov-25 showed NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. This compared favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 estimated that national employment would expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Sawtell - Boambee's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

The Sawtell-Boambee SA2 had median and average incomes lower than national averages in financial year 2022. Its median income was $45,902, with an average of $55,224. These figures compared to Rest of NSW's median of $49,459 and average of $62,998. By September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $51,690 (median) and $62,188 (average), based on a 12.61% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022. Census data showed Sawtell-Boambee's household, family, and personal incomes were between the 24th and 25th percentiles nationally. The $1,500-$2,999 earnings band captured 30.6% of its community (6,269 individuals), similar to metropolitan regions where 29.9% fell within this range. Housing affordability pressures were severe, with only 82.7% of income remaining, ranking at the 23rd percentile nationally.

Sawtell - Boambee is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

The dwelling structure in Sawtell - Boambee, as per the latest Census, consisted of 77.4% houses and 22.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 78.4% houses and 21.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Sawtell - Boambee was 38.9%, with the rest of dwellings either mortgaged (33.0%) or rented (28.1%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,700, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,733. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $370, matching Non-Metro NSW's figure. Nationally, Sawtell - Boambee's mortgage repayments were lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were less than the national figure of $375.

Sawtell - Boambee has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 69.6% of all households, consisting of couples with children (26.1%), couples without children (28.9%), and single parent families (13.6%). Non-family households account for the remaining 30.4%, with lone person households at 27.4% and group households comprising 3.0%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which aligns with the average in the Rest of NSW.

Educational outcomes in Sawtell - Boambee fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's university qualification rate is 21.2%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. This disparity presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 14.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.6%) and graduate diplomas (2.7%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 40.6% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas at 10.9% and certificates at 29.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 27.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.4% in primary education, 8.3% in secondary education, and 2.8% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Sawtell-Boambee has 180 active public transport stops. These include train and bus services. There are 89 individual routes operating in total.

Collectively, these provide 1,397 weekly passenger trips. Residents have excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 190 meters to the nearest stop. Service frequency is high, with 199 trips per day across all routes. This averages out to approximately 7 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Health data shows significant issues in Sawtell - Boambee. Common health conditions are prevalent across both younger and older age groups.

Private health cover is low at approximately 48% of the total population (around 9,751 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions are arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 11.6% and 9.6% of residents respectively. About 61.2% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 63.9% in the rest of NSW. There are 24.6% seniors aged 65 and over (around 5,043 people). Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges but perform better than the general population in health metrics.

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

Sawtell-Boambee was found to be below average in cultural diversity, with 87.9% of its population born in Australia, 91.0% being citizens, and 95.3% speaking English only at home. The main religion in Sawtell-Boambee is Christianity, comprising 51.9% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation was in Other religions, which comprises 1.2% of the population compared to 3.3% across Rest of NSW.

In terms of ancestry, the top three represented groups in Sawtell-Boambee are English (32.1%), Australian (29.9%), and Irish (9.3%). Notably, Australian Aboriginal is overrepresented at 4.4%, Scottish at 8.6%, and Maltese at 0.4%.

Sawtell - Boambee hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

Sawtell-Boambee has a median age of 45 years, which is slightly higher than Rest of NSW's median age of 43 years, and considerably older than the national norm of 38 years. Compared to the Rest of NSW average, Sawtell-Boambee has an over-representation of the 75-84 age cohort (8.8% locally), while the 25-34 age group is under-represented (10.1%). Between 2021 and present, the 75 to 84 age group has increased from 7.7% to 8.8% of the population. Conversely, the 55 to 64 age cohort has decreased from 13.6% to 12.2%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Sawtell-Boambee's age profile will change significantly. The 85+ age cohort is projected to grow by 406 people (62%), from 653 to 1,060. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 87% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, population declines are projected for the 45-54 and 0-4 age cohorts.