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 is inferred from ABS' estimated resident population of 10,211 in June 2024 and an additional 295 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in 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's growth of 4.8%. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 37.3% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as 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. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on demographic trends and latest population numbers, the area is projected to increase by 1,920 persons to 2041, recording a gain of 17.9% in total over the 17-year period.

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

Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill has seen approximately 52 dwellings granted development approval annually. Between financial years 2021 to 2025261 homes were approved, with one additional approval in the current financial year of 2026. On average, around 5.7 people per year have moved into the area for each dwelling constructed over these five years.

This indicates a significant gap between supply and demand, which typically results in heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures. The average construction cost value of new properties is $484,000. In terms of commercial development, approximately $10.0 million in approvals have been registered this financial year, suggesting balanced activity in the area compared to the rest of NSW. When considering dwelling types, 14.0% are detached houses while 86.0% are medium and high-density housing. This shift towards compact living offers affordable entry pathways, attracting downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers.

This change represents a notable departure from the area's existing housing stock, which is currently 56.0% houses. The population per dwelling approval in Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill stands at around 438 people, indicating a developed market. Population forecasts suggest that the area will gain approximately 1,837 residents by 2041. Building activity appears to be keeping pace with these growth projections, although buyers may still experience increased competition as the population grows.

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

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 41 projects likely to impact the region. Notable initiatives include Newcastle Future Transit Corridor, Hunter Park Precinct, Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, and The Store Newcastle. Relevant projects are listed below.

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 professional services representation. The unemployment rate was 3.2% as of June 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 2.0% over the past year.

As of this date, 6,534 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 0.5% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation in the area was higher at 71.8%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. The leading employment industries among residents were health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. The area showed strong specialization in professional & technical services with an employment share of 1.9 times the regional level.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing had lower representation at 0.4% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. The worker-to-resident ratio was 0.7 as of the Census, indicating a higher level of local employment opportunities. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.0%, while labour force grew by 2.6%, resulting in an unemployment rate rise of 0.5 percentage points. In comparison, Rest of NSW saw an employment decline of 0.1%, labour force growth of 0.3%, and an unemployment increase of 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a national employment expansion 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, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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 ending June 2022 shows that median income in Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill is $57,773 and average income is $70,042. This compares to Rest of NSW where median income is $49,459 and average income is $62,998. By September 2025, estimated median income would be approximately $65,058 and average income would be around $78,874, based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year ending June 2022. Census 2021 data indicates personal income ranks at the 78th percentile ($996 weekly) and household income is at the 60th percentile. Income brackets show that 34.5% of individuals earn between $1,500 - $2,999 per week (3,551 individuals), similar to metropolitan regions where this cohort represents 29.9%. Housing costs consume 18.0% of income, but strong earnings result in disposable income ranking at the 58th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it 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, 56.5% of dwellings were houses while 43.5% comprised semi-detached homes, apartments and other types. This contrasts with Non-Metro NSW where 70.5% were houses and 29.5% were other dwellings. Home ownership in Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill stood at 24.1%, with mortgaged properties at 32.1% and rented ones at 43.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,985, higher than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. Median weekly rent in the area was $450 compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,985 versus Australia's average of $1,863, and rents were substantially higher at $450 compared to 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 account for 58.0% of all households, consisting of 19.2% couples with children, 27.5% couples without children, and 10.3% single parent families. Non-family households constitute 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, 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 higher than broader benchmarks. 40.2% of residents aged 15 and above 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 holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas at 10.7% and certificates at 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 area's three schools have a combined enrollment of 649 students, while demonstrating above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1064). These schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas. Local school capacity is limited, with 6.3 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 15.6, leading many families to travel for schooling.

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

The transport analysis indicates that as of 2019 there are 64 active transport stops operating within Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill. These stops offer a mix of train and bus services, with a total of 23 individual routes providing 2,564 weekly passenger trips combined. The accessibility of public transport is rated as excellent, with residents typically located just 160 meters from the nearest transport stop.

On average, service frequency across all routes stands at 366 trips per day, 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 (~5,599 people). The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 12.2 and 8.5% of residents respectively. 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 (1,304 people), which is 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, surveyed in June 2016, had 86.4% of its population born in Australia, with 90.5% being citizens and 93.1% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 33.8%. Judaism, however, was slightly overrepresented at 0.1%, compared to the Rest of NSW's 0.1%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (30.2%), Australian (25.9%), and Irish (10.5%). Notably, Scottish ancestry was higher than regional averages at 9.4% vs 8.4%, Welsh was lower at 0.7% vs 0.8%, and Macedonian was also lower at 0.4% vs 0.8%.

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

Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill has a median age of 34, which is lower than Rest of NSW's figure of 43 and Australia's figure 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 present, the 25 to 34 age group 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 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.