Wollongong - East
Statistical Area - sa2

Wollongong - East lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Wollongong - East's population was around 18,110 as of Aug 2025. This reflected an increase of 2,090 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 16,020. The change was inferred from ABS data showing an estimated resident population of 17,789 in June 2024 and an additional 701 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a population density ratio of 3,292 persons per square kilometer, placing Wollongong - East in the upper quartile nationally. The area's growth rate of 13.0% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area (3.9%) and non-metro areas, marking it as a regional growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 82.3% of overall population gains during recent periods, with other drivers also being positive factors.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 using 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 using 2021 as the base year are used. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on projected demographic shifts, exceptional growth is predicted over this period, with Wollongong - East expected to grow by 14,482 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, representing an increase of 78.2% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Wollongong - East was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Wollongong - East has averaged approximately 320 new dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, with 1603 dwellings approved over the past five financial years from FY-21 to FY-25, including 69 approvals so far in FY-26. On average, each new dwelling constructed over these five years has accommodated about 1.3 new residents annually. This balance between supply and demand has maintained stable market conditions, with new homes being built at an average expected construction cost of $397,000, aligning with regional trends.

Additionally, commercial approvals totalling $126.5 million have been registered in this financial year, indicating robust commercial development activity. Compared to the Rest of NSW, Wollongong - East has exhibited 235% more building activity per capita, offering greater choice for buyers and reflecting strong developer confidence in the area. Recent construction has primarily consisted of townhouses or apartments (99%), with detached dwellings comprising only 1%. This focus on higher-density living provides more affordable entry points, appealing to downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. Wollongong - East currently reflects a developing area, with approximately 78 people per approval. By 2041, the region is projected to grow by around 14,161 residents.

If current development rates persist, housing supply may struggle to keep pace with population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Wollongong - East has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 42 projects likely impacting the area. Notable ones are WIN Grand, NSW Illawarra Renewable Energy Zone, and Wollongong Station Masterplan. The following details projects expected to be most relevant.

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

The labour market performance in Wollongong - East lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Wollongong - East has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. The unemployment rate was 6.0% as of the past year.

Employment growth was estimated at 1.2%. As of June 2025, 9,949 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.3% above Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation was 60.1%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, education & training, and accommodation & food.

The area has a strong specialization in professional & technical services with an employment share of 1.8 times the regional level. Agriculture, forestry & fishing employs just 0.1% of local workers, below Rest of NSW's 5.3%. There are 1.4 workers for every resident, indicating it functions as an employment hub attracting workers from surrounding areas. In the 12 months prior to June 2025, employment increased by 1.2%, labour force grew by 0.7%, and unemployment rate fell by 0.5 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of NSW where employment contracted by 0.1%, labour force grew by 0.3%, and unemployment rose 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 Wollongong - East's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.0%% over five years and 14.3% over ten years.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

Wollongong - East's median income among taxpayers was $53,439 and average income stood at $73,030 in the financial year 2022. These figures are higher than those for Rest of NSW, which were $49,459 and $62,998 respectively. By March 2025, current estimates project median income to be approximately $59,104 and average income to be around $80,771, based on a 10.6% growth in the Wage Price Index since financial year 2022. According to data from the 2021 Census, personal income ranks at the 66th percentile ($892 weekly) and household income at the 40th percentile in Wollongong - East. Income analysis reveals that the largest segment comprises 33.2% of residents earning between $1,500 to $2,999 weekly. This is consistent with broader trends across the metropolitan region showing 29.9% in the same income category. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 80.2% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 37th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Wollongong - East features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Wollongong - East's dwelling structure in 2016 comprised 8.5% houses and 91.5% other dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 58.9% houses and 41.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wollongong - East was 25.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 18.0% and rented ones at 56.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,987, below Non-Metro NSW's average of $2,189. Median weekly rent in Wollongong - East was $410, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $400. Nationally, Wollongong - East's median monthly mortgage repayment exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, while median weekly rent surpassed the national figure of $375.

Wollongong - East features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 49.7% of all households, including 11.0% couples with children, 31.0% couples without children, and 6.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 50.3%, with lone person households at 39.4% and group households comprising 10.9%. The median household size is 1.9 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5.

The educational profile of Wollongong - East exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Wollongong - East has a higher educational attainment than broader benchmarks. Among residents aged 15+, 41.3% hold university qualifications, compared to 21.3% in the Rest of NSW and 25.2% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most common at 26.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.2%) and graduate diplomas (3.0%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 30.0% of residents holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas (10.4%) and certificates (19.6%).

Educational participation is high, with 27.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes tertiary education (14.4%), primary education (3.6%), and secondary education (3.1%). Wollongong - East's schools have a combined enrollment of 2,693 students. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1059. Educational provision is conventional, split between two primary and three secondary institutions.

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

Wollongong - East has 92 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 77 individual routes, facilitating 5,951 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 114 meters to the nearest stop.

Service frequency across all routes averages 850 trips per day, resulting in approximately 64 weekly trips per stop.

Health performance in Wollongong - East is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts

Wollongong East faces significant health challenges with common health conditions prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts.

The rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 56% of the total population (~10,141 people). The most common medical conditions are mental health issues affecting 10.0% of residents and arthritis impacting 8.5%. 67.6% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 68.6% across Rest of NSW. There are 18.5% of residents aged 65 and over (3,357 people). Health outcomes among seniors in the area are above average, performing better than the general population in health metrics.

Wollongong - East was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Wollongong-East had a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 30.8% of its population born overseas and 24.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Wollongong-East, making up 45.8% of the population. Islam, however, was more prevalent in Wollongong-East at 4.1%, compared to the regional average of 2.5%.

The top three ancestral groups were English (24.5%), Australian (19.9%), and Other (11.7%). Notably, Macedonian (1.8%) and Serbian (0.8%) populations in Wollongong-East were equal to or higher than the regional averages of 1.5% and 0.8%, respectively. Spanish-speaking population was also notably higher at 0.8%.

Wollongong - East's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Wollongong-East has a median age of 35 years, which is significantly lower than the Rest of NSW average of 43 and somewhat younger than the Australian median of 38. The 25-34 cohort is notably over-represented in Wollongong-East at 27.9%, compared to the Rest of NSW average, while the 5-14 year-olds are under-represented at 3.8%. This concentration of the 25-34 age group is well above the national average of 14.5%. Following the Census conducted on August 10, 2021, younger residents have shifted the median age down by 1.4 years to 35. The 25 to 34 age group has grown from 24.1% to 27.9% of the population, while the 55 to 64 cohort has declined from 12.0% to 10.6% and the 45 to 54 group has dropped from 9.7% to 8.7%. Demographic modeling suggests that Wollongong-East's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041, with the 25 to 34 cohort showing the strongest projected growth of 93%, adding 4,706 residents to reach a total of 9,754.