Young

An assessment of population growth drivers in Young reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Young's population was around 11,026 as of November 2025, reflecting an increase of 22 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 11,004. This change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,971 from the ABS in June 2024 and an additional 37 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density was approximately 21 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration contributed about 98.7% 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 released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 are used. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, the area is expected to grow by 552 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of approximately 4.5% in total over the 17-year period.

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

Young has seen approximately 32 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, totalling around 160 homes. As of FY-26, 15 approvals have been recorded so far. The average construction cost value for new properties in Young is around $528,000. This year, $39.9 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating strong commercial development momentum.

Compared to the rest of NSW, Young records about three-quarters the building activity per person and places among the 54th percentile nationally, though construction activity has intensified recently. Recent construction comprises 83.0% detached dwellings and 17.0% attached dwellings, preserving the area's low density nature. The location has approximately 285 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. Population forecasts indicate Young will gain around 497 residents by 2041.

Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Young has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 12 projects likely to impact the area. Key projects include Young Stormwater Infrastructure Upgrades, Apollo Fabrication Group Expansion, Hill Street Subdivision Young, and Burrangong Creek Bridge Duplication. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

The labour market performance in Young lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Young has a balanced workforce with diverse sector representation. As of June 2025, the unemployment rate is 5.3%.

In Young, 4,841 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 7.0% (1.6 percentage points above Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%). Workforce participation in Young is at 54.1%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Key industries employing residents include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. Young shows strong specialization in agriculture, forestry & fishing (employment share 1.9 times the regional level).

However, health care & social assistance is under-represented with only 14.5% of Young's workforce compared to Rest of NSW's 16.9%. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census working population data. In the period from Jun-24 to Jun-25, labour force decreased by 3.6% and employment decreased by 4.8%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 1.2 percentage points. In contrast, Rest of NSW experienced an employment decline of 0.1% and labour force growth of 0.3%, with a 0.4 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. State-level data as of Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 estimate growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Young's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.8% over five years and 12.5% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes and do not account for localised population projections.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ending June 2022, Young SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $46,662. The average income stood at $56,303. This was below the national average and compared to levels of $49,459 and $62,998 across Rest of NSW respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year ending June 2022, current estimates would be approximately $52,546 (median) and $63,403 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census figures, household, family and personal incomes in Young all fell between the 11th and 21st percentiles nationally. Distribution data showed that 27.1% of the population (2,988 individuals) fell within the $800 - $1,499 income range, contrasting with regional levels where the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket led at 29.9%. After housing costs, 85.9% of income remained, though this ranked at only the 14th percentile nationally.

Young is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

The dwelling structure in Young, as per the latest Census evaluation, consisted of 87.9% houses and 12.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Non-Metro NSW's 87.9% houses and 12.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Young was at 39.9%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.0% and rented dwellings at 30.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,300, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,699. The median weekly rent figure in Young was recorded at $250, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $270. Nationally, Young's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Young features high concentrations of lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 66.5% of all households, consisting of 25.1% couples with children, 27.6% couples without children, and 12.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 33.5%, with lone person households at 31.0% and group households comprising 2.4% of the total. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5.

Young faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 14.1%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 10.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.5%) and graduate diplomas (1.3%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 38.5% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas account for 9.0% and certificates for 29.5%. Educational participation is high, with 28.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 11.7% in primary education, 9.0% in secondary education, and 1.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Young has 370 active public transport stops, offering a mix of train and bus services. These are served by 30 routes, providing a total of 324 weekly passenger trips. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 178 meters to the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 46 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately zero weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Health data indicates significant health challenges for Young residents, with common health conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups. Approximately 48% (~5,292 people) have private health cover, lower than Rest of NSW's 53.6%, and below the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (11.0%) and asthma (9.4%), with 62.5% reporting no medical ailments, compared to 63.6% in Rest of NSW.

Young has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 22.7% (2,504 people), compared to Rest of NSW's 21.4%. Health outcomes among seniors present challenges broadly inline with the general population's health profile.

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

Young's population was found to be predominantly culturally homogeneous, with 90.1% being citizens, 91.2% born in Australia, and 92.5% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 65.4% of Young's population, compared to 61.3% across the Rest of NSW. The top three ancestry groups were Australian (34.2%), English (30.4%), and Irish (9.9%).

Notably, Lebanese, Australian Aboriginal, and Serbian ethnicities were overrepresented in Young compared to regional averages: Lebanese at 1.9% vs 0.7%, Australian Aboriginal at 3.9% vs 2.9%, and Serbian at 0.3% vs 0.2%.

Young's median age exceeds the national pattern

Young's median age is 42 years, similar to Rest of NSW's average of 43 but considerably older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 5-14 years are particularly prominent at 13.8%, while the 25-34 year-olds make up only 10.6% of the population, compared to Rest of NSW. Between 2021 and present day, the proportion of residents aged 35-44 has grown from 11.2% to 11.9%. Conversely, the proportion of those aged 65-74 has declined from 12.1% to 11.4%. Population forecasts for Young in 2041 indicate significant demographic changes. The 75-84 age cohort is projected to grow by 26%, adding 229 residents to reach a total of 1,117. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 65-74 and 55-64 age cohorts.