Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill
Statistical Area - sa2

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes 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

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill's population is 10,294 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,123 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 9,171. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,211 in June 2024 and an additional 295 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,899 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill's growth rate of 12.2% since the 2021 Census exceeded the non-metro area (4.8%). Overseas migration contributed approximately 37.3% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers including interstate migration and natural growth were positive factors.

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. Based on latest population numbers, an above median growth is projected for regional areas across the nation, with Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill expected to increase by 1,920 persons to 2041, recording a gain of 17.9% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential approval activity sees Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill among the top 30% of areas assessed nationwide

Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill has received around 150 dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics' financial year data shows 752 homes approved between FY-20 and FY-25, with one approval in FY-26. On average, 5.7 new residents arrive per dwelling constructed yearly over the past five years. Supply has lagged demand, leading to heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures.

New homes are being built at an average construction cost of $484,000. Commercial development activity is balanced, with $10.0 million in approvals this financial year. When compared to the Rest of NSW, Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill has similar development levels per person, maintaining market equilibrium. However, building activity has slowed recently. New building activity consists of 14.0% detached houses and 86.0% medium and high-density housing, offering affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers.

This represents a significant shift from the area's existing housing composition, which is currently 56.0% houses. With around 438 people per dwelling approval, Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill indicates a developed market. Population forecasts project an increase of 1,837 residents by 2041. Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should meet demand, offering favourable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating further population growth beyond projections.

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 43 projects likely affecting this region. Notable initiatives include Hunter Park Precinct, Newcastle Light Rail Extension, Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, and The Store Newcastle, as detailed subsequently for their potential relevance.

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

AreaSearch assessment positions Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill ahead of most Australian regions for employment performance

Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate was 3.2% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 2.0%.

As of June 2025, 6,534 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 3.2%, which is 0.5% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation in the area is 71.8%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Leading employment industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services, with a particularly strong specialization in the latter at 1.9 times the regional level. Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing shows lower representation at 0.4% compared to the regional average of 5.3%.

The area had a ratio of 0.7 workers per resident as at the Census, indicating local employment opportunities above the norm. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.0%, labour force grew by 2.6%, 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. State-level data to Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.2% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population 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 Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill at $57,773 and average income at $70,042. 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 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill would be approximately $63,897 (median) and $77,466 (average) as of March 2025. Census 2021 income data shows personal income ranks at the 78th percentile ($996 weekly), while household income sits at the 60th percentile. Income brackets indicate that the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 34.5% of the community (3,551 individuals). High housing costs consume 18.0% of income, placing disposable income at the 58th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking in the 7th decile.

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

In Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill, as per the latest Census evaluation, 56.5% of dwellings were houses while 43.5% were other types such as semi-detached properties, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This contrasts with Non-Metro NSW's figures of 70.5% houses and 29.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill stood at 24.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 32.1% and rented ones at 43.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,985, exceeding Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent in the area was $450 compared to Non-Metro NSW's figure of $400. Nationally, Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 58.0% of all households, including 19.2% couples with children, 27.5% couples without children, and 10.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 42.0%, with lone person households at 31.4% and group households comprising 10.5%. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.4.

The educational profile of Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Educational attainment in Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill is notably higher than broader benchmarks. 40.2% of residents aged 15+ have university qualifications, compared to 21.3% in the rest of NSW and 26.1% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most common at 27.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.4%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 31.4% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas (10.7%) and certificates (20.7%).

Educational participation is high, with 28.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.5% in tertiary education, 6.7% in primary education, and 4.3% pursuing secondary education. The three schools in Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill have a combined enrollment of 649 students as of the latest data. These schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. School capacity is limited locally (6.3 places per 100 residents vs 15.6 regionally), leading many families to travel for schooling. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1064.

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

Public transport analysis shows 64 active stops operating within Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill area. These include a mix of train and bus services. There are 23 individual routes servicing these stops, collectively providing 2564 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically located 160 meters from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 366 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 40 weekly trips per individual stop.

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill's residents are relatively healthy in comparison to broader Australia with common health conditions slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age cohorts

Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill's health metrics are close to national benchmarks.

Common health conditions are slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age cohorts. The rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 54% of the total population, which is around 5,599 people. Mental health issues impact 12.2% of residents, while asthma affects 8.5%. About 67.5% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 64.9% across Rest of NSW. The area has 12.7% of residents aged 65 and over, which is around 1,304 people, lower than the 16.7% in Rest of NSW. This is broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill, as per the 2016 Census, had a population with 86.4% born in Australia, 90.5% being citizens, and 93.1% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, comprising 33.8% of the population. Judaism, however, was proportionally similar to Rest of NSW, with 0.1%.

The top three ancestral groups were English (30.2%), Australian (25.9%), and Irish (10.5%). Notably, Scottish ancestry was higher at 9.4%, Welsh lower at 0.7%, and Macedonian lower at 0.4% compared to regional averages.

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill's population is younger than the national pattern

The median age of Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill is 34, which is significantly lower than the Rest of NSW figure of 43 and Australia's median age of 38. The 25-34 cohort is notably over-represented at 23.6% locally compared to the Rest of NSW average, while the 5-14 year-olds are under-represented at 7.6%. This concentration of the 25-34 age group is well above the national figure of 14.5%. Between 2021 and the present day, the proportion of the population aged 25 to 34 has grown from 21.5% to 23.6%, while the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 12.3% to 10.5% and the 45 to 54 group has dropped from 12.5% to 11.3%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests that Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill's age profile will evolve significantly. The 25 to 34 age cohort is projected to expand by 821 people (34%), from 2,432 to 3,254. Conversely, the 65 to 74 group is projected to contract by 14 residents.