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This analysis uses Suburbs and Localities (SAL) boundaries, which can materially differ from Statistical Areas (SA2) even when sharing the same name.
SAL boundaries are defined by Australia Post and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to represent commonly-known suburb names used in postal addresses.
Statistical Areas (SA2) are designed for census data collection and may combine multiple suburbs or use different geographic boundaries. For comprehensive analysis, consider reviewing both boundary types if available.
est. as @ -- *
2021 Census | -- people
The median house price in Denman is $582k, with units at $562k. House values have moved 11.8% a year compounded over five years.
Curious about local property values? Filter the chart to assess the volume and appreciation (including resales) trends and regional comparisons, or scroll to the map below view this information at an individual property level.
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Denman has an estimated 1,814 residents. Density is about 16 people per square kilometre. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.
Detail
According to AreaSearch evaluations combining broader ABS demographic updates with post-Census address validations, the suburb of Denman has an estimated population of approximately 1,814 as of Aug 2026. Relative to the 2021 Census tally of 1,821 people, this indicates a reduction of 7 people (0.4%). This shift incorporates an estimated resident population base of 1,803 established from the ABS ERP release (June 2025) alongside 3 validated new addresses confirmed after the Census. Spatially, this corresponds to 15.6 persons per square kilometer, providing local inhabitants with substantial living space. Denman's 0.4% contraction stands in contrast to the broader SA3 area, which recorded 2.4% growth over the identical interval.
Net expansion in the wider locality was predominantly underpinned by interstate migration, responsible for around 50.0% of recent population additions, with natural increase and overseas migration also making positive contributions. Demographic projections compiled by AreaSearch incorporate 2024 ABS/Geoscience Australia models baseline-set to 2022, alongside 2022 NSW State Government SA2 datasets indexed to 2021 where needed. These aggregated profiles further apply age-specific growth trajectories across all districts from 2032 to 2041. Based on these SA2-level outlooks, the suburb of Denman is anticipated to experience growth outpacing the median for regional Australia, adding 269 persons by 2041 and representing an overall expansion of 14.2% across the 16 years.
Frequently Asked Questions - Population
31 new dwellings have been approved in Denman over the past five years, an average of 6 a year. That is 3.5 approvals per 1,000 residents. Approvals are currently running at an annualised 1, well below that longer-run average. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this Suburb (SAL) boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.
Detail
Statistical allocations of ABS building approvals examined by AreaSearch show Denman averaging approximately 6 residential approvals annually, yielding around 31 homes across the preceding 5 financial years. Within FY-25 to date, 1 approvals have been lodged. Given recent population contractions, this level of construction has maintained balanced conditions between supply and demand, ensuring adequate purchasing options. Furthermore, with an average construction cost of $596,000 per dwelling, residential building activity reflects an emphasis among developers on upmarket, premium housing. Denman's residential building volume has trended slightly above the Rest of NSW benchmark, exceeding the per-capita regional baseline by 14.0% over the 5 year period to support choice and protect existing values, even as building rates have slowed recently.
Approvals consist of 83.0% detached dwellings against 17.0% medium and high-density housing, reinforcing the low-density character of the locality and catering to purchasers prioritizing space. A ratio of 1803 people per approved dwelling highlights an overall subdued development context. Forecasts from the most recent AreaSearch quarterly release indicate that Denman will gain 258 residents by 2041. If building rates do not accelerate from their current trajectory, dwelling construction may fall short of demographic expansion, creating heightened buyer competition and upward momentum on residential values.
Frequently Asked Questions - Development
Development applications around Denman
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| Lodged | Address | Description | Type | Distance | Status |
|---|
SOURCE: Planning portals and council registers, compiled by AreaSearch. Distance & bearing measured from the suburb midpoint.
AreaSearch tracks 3 current infrastructure and development projects inside Denman. A further 45 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $14.8 billion. 18 are already under construction and 22 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans energy, residential development and transport & logistics. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.
Detail
Major planning frameworks, project works, and utility upgrades play a critical role in shaping local outcomes. AreaSearch has outlined 4 specific initiatives positioned to influence the area. Key works encompass the West Denman Urban Release Area, Denman Park Estate, Denman Renewable Energy Park, alongside the Denman to Sandy Hollow Pipeline and Denman Water Treatment Plant upgrade, with details on notable projects outlined below.
Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.
INFRASTRUCTURE SEARCH
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.
Frequently Asked Questions - Infrastructure
Denman Park Estate
Residential land subdivision offering vacant land and house & land packages, with 194 new homes planned. Civil works commencing Q2 2025.
West Denman Urban Release Area
Approximately 133 hectares of land zoned RU5 - Village Zone, identified as an extension to the Denman urban area to provide additional serviced land for housing, with a capacity for up to 750 residential lots. To be developed in stages.
Denman to Sandy Hollow Pipeline and Denman Water Treatment Plant upgrade
Construction of the Denman to Sandy Hollow Pipeline and upgrade of the Denman Water Treatment Plant. Funded by an $18.9 million grant. Aims to provide consistent and high-quality water supply to residents and enable future development.
Muswellbrook Pumped Hydro Energy Storage (Bells Mountain)
400MW/3,200MWh pumped hydro energy storage facility using existing mine void as lower reservoir and new upper reservoir at Bells Mountain. Joint venture between AGL Energy and Idemitsu Australia to provide long-duration storage for NSW grid stability. The project aims to offer 250MW of capacity and is planned near Muswellbrook, NSW, 11km north of the Liddell Power Station.
Eastbrook Links Estate
A master-planned residential community spanning 230 hectares at the eastern gateway of Muswellbrook. The development comprises approximately 1,100 to 1,500 lots across 32 stages, featuring open space, walking trails, and cycle paths. It includes substantial infrastructure such as new road intersections with the New England Highway and a childcare center. Ongoing stages include construction and land registration through late 2024 and into 2026.
Muswellbrook Fair Shopping Centre
Muswellbrook Fair is a neighbourhood shopping centre featuring 8,750 sqm of retail space anchored by Coles Supermarket, with mini-majors Harvey Norman and The Reject Shop, plus 23 specialty retailers. The single-level centre is configured over three buildings surrounding a centrally located on-grade car park with 270 parking spaces.
Muswellbrook South Public School Upgrade
Major upgrade and modernisation of Muswellbrook South Public School facilities including new classrooms, learning spaces, and playground improvements. Completed as part of NSW Government school infrastructure program.
Muswellbrook Marketplace Redevelopment
A multi-stage transformation of the primary shopping hub following Muswellbrook Shire Council's 34.25 million dollar acquisition. The project focuses on revitalizing the town centre by improving pedestrian flows, creating active street frontages, and enhancing accessibility. Works include the reconstruction of the Marketplace Laneway to connect with Bridge Street and internal renovations to modernize retail spaces.
884 residents of Denman are employed, from a labour force of 903. Unemployment sits at 2.1%, with participation at 59.2%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 4.9% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth. The working-day population is estimated at 1,435, about 79% of the resident population, so more people leave the area for work than travel in. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
Denman maintains a varied labour pool across blue-collar and professional occupations, featuring solid industrial and manufacturing footprints, a low unemployment rate of 2.1%, and an estimated 0.8% increase in employment over the preceding year per AreaSearch modeling. As of March 2026, employed residents count 884, with local joblessness tracking 2.0% beneath the 4.1% recorded for Regional NSW, while local labour force participation closely tracks the Regional NSW level of 60.6%. In the Census, a modest 8.5% of working locals indicated they worked from home, a metric potentially shaped by prevailing Covid-19 restrictions.
Mining, health care & social assistance, and agriculture, forestry & fishing represent the primary employment sectors for local workers. Denman displays an exceptional concentration in mining, where resident employment share reaches 9.0 times the wider regional proportion. Conversely, health care & social assistance accounts for only 8.4% of the local workforce, compared to 16.9% across Regional NSW. Comparing resident worker counts with local Census employment indicates that internal job generation within the area is relatively constrained. AreaSearch evaluations of ABS and SALM series indicate that over the 12-month period, local employment grew by 0.8% while the labour pool expanded by 0.2%, resulting in a 0.6 percentage points reduction in unemployment. Over the same timeframe, Regional NSW recorded a 0.9% decline in employment and a 0.4% reduction in its labour force, alongside a 0.5 percentage point increase in joblessness. Broader industry hiring patterns can be evaluated via Jobs and Skills Australia national forecasts from Mar-26. Countrywide projections anticipate total workforce expansion of 6.6% across five years and 13.7% over ten years, with performance varying by sector. Weighting these sectoral paths against Denman's employment base suggests potential local job expansion of 4.9% across five years and 11.3% over ten years, noting this extrapolation is purely illustrative and excludes localized population models.
Frequently Asked Questions - Employment
Median household income in Denman is $1,427 a week (about $74,000 a year), with median personal income at $721 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $47,150 a year against an average of $60,890. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.
Detail
ATO taxpayer records aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023 place personal earnings in the suburb of Denman below the national benchmark. Median taxable income sits at $47,150 while average earnings are $60,890, compared to $52,390 and $65,215 respectively across Regional NSW. Adjusting for 10.32% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2023 yields estimated values of $52,016 for median income and $67,174 for average income as of March 2026. From the 2021 Census, Denman ranks modestly between the 30th and 32nd percentiles for personal, family, and household earnings. A prominent segment comprising 25.9% of residents (469 people) falls into the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings bracket, aligning with the metropolitan proportion of 29.9%.
Non-housing expenditure retains 84.9% of total household income.
Frequently Asked Questions - Income
Denman had 718 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 85% detached houses and 4% apartments. 38% are owned with a mortgage, 26% rented and 36% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $280 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,650 a month. Rent absorbs 19.6% of household income here and mortgage repayments 26.7%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.
Detail
At the time of the latest Census, Denman's residential stock comprised 85.1% standalone houses alongside 14.9% other dwellings like apartments and semi-detached units, compared to 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings in Regional NSW. Outright homeownership was slightly beneath the broader regional benchmark at 36.4%, with remaining properties distributed between mortgaged tenures (37.6%) and rental arrangements (26.0%). Median monthly mortgage costs of $1,650 and median weekly rent of $280 sat below Regional NSW averages of $1,733 and $330. In the national context, Denman's mortgage obligations are markedly lower than the Australian median of $1,863, while local rental payments sit substantially below the nationwide figure of $375.
Frequently Asked Questions - Housing
Denman counted 718 households at the 2021 Census, averaging 2.4 people each. 27% are couples with children, against 27% couples without children. 32% of households are people living alone, and families average 2.0 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Families constitute the majority of local living arrangements at 67.8%, split between couples with children at 27.4%, couples without children at 27.2%, and single-parent households at 12.2%. Non-family dwellings make up 32.2% of the total, comprised of 31.5% single-person homes and 0.6% group residences. Average household size is 2.4 people, perfectly aligning with the Regional NSW norm.
Frequently Asked Questions - Households
9.2% of adults in Denman hold a university qualification, including 6.8% with a bachelor degree and 1.8% with postgraduate qualifications, lower than 78% of areas nationally. A further 35.9% hold a vocational qualification. 2 schools serve the area, with 193 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 965 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.
Detail
Higher education attainment presents a key development focus in the area, with 9.2% of residents holding a tertiary qualification compared against the NSW benchmark of 32.2%. Among university graduates, bachelor degrees account for 6.8%, postgraduate credentials represent 1.8%, and graduate diplomas comprise 0.6%. Technical and vocational training is widely represented, with 44.7% of the population aged 15+ possessing vocational credentials, including 35.9% holding certificates and 8.8% holding advanced diplomas. Community educational engagement is extensive, as 29.8% of inhabitants are engaged in study programs. This cohort is made up of 11.6% in primary schooling, 8.2% undertaking secondary education, and 2.2% enrolled in tertiary institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions - Education
Schools Detail
Public transport in Denman reaches 67 stops on 11 routes, timetabled for about 450 services a week. The typical home sits about 140 m from its nearest stop. Households keep an average of 1.5 vehicles. Stop and service counts are built from operators' published GTFS timetables and refresh with each timetable release; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.
Detail
An assessment of public transit networks shows 67 passenger stops operating across Denman, serviced entirely by buses. Across 11 distinct bus lines, the network delivers 450 weekly passenger trips. Access to transit is strong, with an average distance of 137 meters from households to their closest stop. Commuters primarily travel outside the suburb, with private vehicles accounting for 91% of journeys and walking representing 7%. Households maintain an average of 1.5 vehicles. Census records from 2021 show a modest 8.5% working from home, which may have been influenced by COVID-19 settings.
Bus routes provide a collective frequency of 64 trips per day across the network, translating to roughly 6 weekly trips for each stop.
Frequently Asked Questions - Transport
Transport Stops Detail
60.8% of residents in Denman report no long-term health condition, a less healthy profile than 90% of areas nationally. 5.9% need daily assistance with core activities, and 51.0% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 7.4 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.
Detail
Evaluations of mortality and condition incidence by AreaSearch point to health challenges in Denman, where chronic ailments are prevalent across younger and older demographics alike. In addition, private health insurance coverage is somewhat low, taken up by approximately 51% of the community (~925 people). The primary medical diagnoses reported locally are arthritis and asthma, affecting 10.6 and 9.0% of the community respectively. Meanwhile, 60.8% of inhabitants reported no long-term illnesses, slightly under the 63.3% level recorded for Regional NSW. Chronic conditions are elevated among the working-age population. Older residents aged 65 and over comprise 23.5% of the populace (426 people), with senior health metrics presenting challenges that align broadly with national health rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions - Health
Denman is largely Australian-born, at 93.4% of residents, with 1.4% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are Australian (36.3%) and English (33.0%). 5.5% of residents identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.
Detail
Demographic indicators for Denman point to a culturally homogenous population, where 92.5% hold Australian citizenship, 93.4% were born locally in Australia, and 98.6% speak exclusively English at home. Christianity is the dominant faith, observed by 70.2% of residents in comparison to 55.9% across Regional NSW. Examining parental ancestry reveals that the three largest reported heritages in Denman are Australian at 36.3% (well above the 30.0% regional level), English at 33.0%, and Irish at 8.4%. Notable differences also appear among smaller heritage cohorts: Australian Aboriginal representation stands at 5.5% (compared to 4.6% regionally), while Maltese and New Zealand ancestries each account for 0.7% (compared to 0.4% each across the wider region).
Frequently Asked Questions - Diversity
The median resident of Denman is 43. 24.0% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.
Detail
The age distribution in Denman aligns closely with Regional NSW, showing a maximum variance of only 2.5 percentage points. As of August 2026, the estimated median age is 43, holding steady from the 2021 Census and matching the Regional NSW median of 43 at that Census, while tracking above the nationwide Census median of 38. The senior demographic (65+) has risen from 21.4% at the Census to an estimated 23.5%. Looking ahead to 2041, retirees and seniors will account for the bulk of population gains, expanding by 159 residents (37%) to a total of 585, while cohorts of younger adults and children are projected to contract.
Frequently Asked Questions - Age
Data & MethodBoundaries, Sources & Method for Denman
8 of 14 data sections on this page were updated within the last 12 months — the newest current to Oct 2026.
Everything is aggregated to the Suburb (SAL) boundary shown above, on a 2021 Census baseline. Only 3 sections — housing, households and cultural diversity — still wait on the 2026 Census.
The ledger — source, cycle and currency by section
| Section | Source & update cycle | Currency |
|---|---|---|
| Updated within the last 12 months 8 sections | ||
| Population | ABS, GNAF, Geoscience Australia Annual (ABS ERP) | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release) and updated with new dwellings from GNAF address data. Current to Aug 2026, with the 2021 Census supplying the small-area baseline. | ||
| Age profile | ABS, Geoscience Australia, State governments Annual | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Age cohorts are re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections, current to Aug 2026. Each cohort is held as a Census baseline and a current estimate. | ||
| Development & approvals | ABS, GNAF Monthly (ABS approvals) | Aug 2026 2 months ago headline measures · Jul 2026 baseline |
| Property sales & rents | Valuer General, Rental Board, ABS Weekly sales, quarterly rents | Oct 2026 this month headline measures · Sep 2026 baseline |
| Sales from the state Valuer General register, refreshed weekly, and rents from quarterly rental bond lodgements. Both are read live each time this page loads, current to Oct 2026. | ||
| Employment | ABS, DEWR, JSA Quarterly (ABS SALM) | Mar 2026 7 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Unemployment and labour force from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, current to Mar 2026. The growth outlook applies Department of Employment (now Jobs and Skills Australia) forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to the local industry mix, so it measures sector composition rather than local expansion and makes no allowance for population growth. Job demand comes from the same agency via its Internet Vacancy Index; industry and occupation structure from the 2021 Census. | ||
| Education | ABS, ACARA Annual (ACARA) | Sep 2026 last month headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Transport | ABS, State Transport Departments Each timetable release | Jul 2026 3 months ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Services & amenities | Provider directories, ACECQA Continuous | Sep 2026 last month all 14 measures |
| Annual and financial-year sources 3 sections | ||
| Infrastructure projects | Infrastructure Australia, State agencies, Local governments Daily | Jul 2025 about a year ago all 3 projects tracked here |
| Project pipeline maintained continuously from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, local government and public announcements. Records are added and revised daily; this area was last updated Jul 2025. | ||
| Income | ABS, ATO Annual (ATO) | FY 2023 3 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| ATO taxable income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index. Census household income provides the distribution detail. | ||
| Health | ABS, ATO Annual | 2024 2 years ago headline measures · 2021 Census baseline |
| Census-measured — next update: 2026 Census 3 sections No more current small-area source exists for these, so they are labelled as Census-measured rather than implied to be current. | ||
| Housing | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 30 measures |
| Households | ABS 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 18 measures |
| Cultural diversity | ABS, Geoscience Australia 5-yearly (Census) | 2021 Census next update 2026 all 44 measures |
"Currency" is the most recent release feeding that section. Where the Census supplies the structural baseline underneath a current headline figure, the row says so.
How the numbers are built
Population
The Census provides the small-area baseline, aggregated from mesh blocks to this boundary. It is then re-based to the ABS Estimated Resident Population (June 2025 release), and new dwellings built since Census night are counted from address data — 3 validated new addresses here. The headline figure is therefore a current estimate for Aug 2026, not a 2021 count (1,821 at the 2021 Census → 1,814 now). Annual growth rates are compound (CAGR), not simple averages.
Age profile
Cohort shares are not raw Census counts. Every cohort is held as a pair — the Census baseline and a current estimate — and the split is re-based using ERP and state population projections, current to Aug 2026. Median age is the Census median plus modelled change since. Charts that show both are labelled "2021 Census vs Current Estimate".
Property sales
Sourced from the state valuation authority's sales register — current, not Census, and refreshed weekly. Medians are calculated from settled transactions in the period shown; periods with very low transaction counts are flagged or suppressed, because a handful of sales can move a median substantially.
Rents
Derived from state rental bond lodgement data, by dwelling type and bedroom count. Bonds are lodged at the start of a new tenancy, so this reflects new lettings, not the whole rented stock.
Development & infrastructure
Building approvals come from current ABS releases; development applications are collected from council and state planning portals; the infrastructure pipeline is compiled from Infrastructure Australia and local government sources. Applications are matched to this boundary by address or coordinates, so very recent lodgements may not yet appear.
Employment & income
Industry and occupation structure comes from the Census, but the headline labour-market indicators do not. Unemployment and labour force are derived from ABS Small Area Labour Markets (quarterly). The employment outlook applies Department of Employment forecasts for all 19 industry divisions to this area's own industry mix (the agency is now Jobs and Skills Australia), as does the Internet Vacancy Index used for job demand. Because it is weighted on industry composition alone, that outlook carries no allowance for local population growth — in fast-growing areas the real rise in local jobs will typically be higher. Income combines Census household income with ATO taxable-income statistics for FY 2023, indexed forward using the Wage Price Index.
Education, transport & amenities
School enrolments, ICSEA and performance come from ACARA's current release, not the Census. Public transport stops and service frequency are derived from GTFS timetable feeds published by state transport departments. Services and amenities are proximity and count scores built from provider directories, refreshed on their own cycle. The Census contributes only the travel-to-work and qualification measures.
Rankings and benchmarks. Where we rank this area, the comparison set is every area of the same boundary type — suburbs against suburbs, SA2s against SA2s. Benchmarks compare this area against its greater capital city region and the national figure for the same measure and period.
Limits worth knowing. Small areas carry larger error margins, and the ABS introduces small random adjustments to Census counts to protect confidentiality — so totals may not sum exactly. Estimates re-based from regional data describe the area's expected trajectory, not a direct count of it. Figures are indicative for research and are not financial, planning or valuation advice.
Cross-check us. The Census baseline for this boundary is at ABS 2021 Census QuickStats (SAL11243). QuickStats reports 2021 only — the figures on this page are more current wherever the ledger shows a later date.