Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill

Population growth drivers in Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill's population is around 10,290 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 1,119 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 9,171. The change was inferred from ABS estimates of 10,211 in June 2024 and validated new addresses since then. The population density is 2,898 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch's assessment. Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill's growth of 12.2% since the 2021 Census exceeded the non-metro area's 5.1%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 37.3% of overall population gains recently, with all drivers being positive factors.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a 2022 base year, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections where necessary, with growth rates by age group applied until 2041. By 2041, the area is projected to increase by 1,920 persons based on latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 17.9% over the 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 seen approximately 52 dwellings granted development approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25261 homes were approved, with an additional 5 approved so far in FY-26. On average, about 5.7 people have moved to the area each year for every dwelling built during these years.

This substantial lag between supply and demand has led to heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $297,000. In FY-26, approximately $10.0 million in commercial approvals have been registered, indicating balanced commercial development activity compared to the rest of NSW. While development levels per person are similar to surrounding areas, building activity has slowed in recent years. The area's new building activity comprises 14.0% detached houses and 86.0% medium and high-density housing.

This shift from the existing housing stock (currently 56.0% houses) reflects decreasing availability of developable sites and changing lifestyles, offering more affordable entry pathways for downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. With around 438 people per dwelling approval, Wickham-Carrington-Tighes Hill exhibits a developed market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, the area is projected to gain 1,841 residents by 2041. Building activity is keeping pace with these growth projections, though buyers may face 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 that could impact this region. Notable ones include Newcastle Future Transit Corridor, Hunter Park Precinct, Hunter Net Zero Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, and The Store Newcastle. 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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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 3.4% as of September 2025, which is below the Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%.

The area experienced an estimated employment growth of 3.3% over the past year. As of September 2025, 6,692 residents were employed, with a workforce participation rate of 71.8%, significantly higher than the Rest of NSW's rate of 56.4%. The leading industries for residents are healthcare & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. Notably, professional & technical services have an employment share that is 1.9 times the regional level.

Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing show lower representation at 0.4% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. The area had a worker-to-resident ratio of 0.7 as per the Census, indicating local employment opportunities above the norm. Over the year to September 2025, employment increased by 3.3%, while labour force grew by 4.0%, leading to an unemployment rise of 0.6 percentage points. Comparatively, Rest of NSW saw employment decline by 0.5% and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points during the same period. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, with an unemployment rate of 3.9%, which is favourable compared to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's projections indicate 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 employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's data for financial year 2022 shows Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill SA2 had a median income of $57,773 and an average income of $70,042. This is higher than the national averages of $49,459 (median) and $62,998 (average) for Rest of NSW. By September 2025, estimates based on a 12.61% Wage Price Index growth would be approximately $65,058 (median) and $78,874 (average). Census 2021 data ranks personal income at the 78th percentile ($996 weekly) and household income at the 60th percentile. The $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 34.5% of the community (3,550 individuals), similar to metropolitan regions where this cohort represents 29.9%. Housing costs consume 18.0% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income 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 evaluation, 56.5% of dwellings were houses while 43.5% consisted of semi-detached homes, apartments, and other dwellings. This contrasts with Non-Metro NSW's 70.5% houses and 29.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in the area was at 24.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 32.1% and rented ones at 43.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill was $1,985, exceeding Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,962. Weekly rent stood at $450 compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, the area'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 comprise 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 shows significant surpassing of broader benchmarks, with 40.2% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 21.3% in Rest of NSW and 26.1% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees lead at 27.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.4%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 31.4% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (10.7%) and certificates (20.7%). Educational participation is notably 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.

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

The transport analysis indicates that there are 64 active transport stops operating in the Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill area. These stops offer a mix of train and bus services. The analysis shows that these stops are serviced by 23 individual routes, collectively providing 2,564 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 160 meters from the nearest transport 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 (~5,597 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 (1,303 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 August 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 overrepresented at 0.1%, compared to 0.1% regionally.

The top three ancestry groups were English (30.2%), Australian (25.9%), and Irish (10.5%). Notably, Scottish (9.4%) and Welsh (0.7%) were overrepresented compared to regional averages of 8.4% and 0.8%, respectively. Macedonian was underrepresented at 0.4%.

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

The median age of Wickham - Carrington - Tighes Hill is 34, which is lower than the Rest of NSW 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 in 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 822 people (34%), from 2,431 to 3,254, while the 65 to 74 group is expected to contract by 13 residents.