Katherine East

Katherine East is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Based on analysis of ABS population updates for the broader area, as of Nov 2025, the estimated population of Katherine East is around 3,406. This reflects an increase of 345 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,061 people. The change is inferred from the resident population of 3,369, estimated by AreaSearch following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024, and an additional 22 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 432 persons per square kilometer. Katherine East's 11.3% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the national average (8.9%), along with the state, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by natural growth that contributed approximately 61.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, and to estimate growth across all areas in the years post-2032, AreaSearch is applying growth rates by age cohort to each area, as provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023, based on 2022 data. Moving forward with demographic trends, a population increase just below the median of Australia's regional areas is expected for Katherine East. The area is expected to grow by 358 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an increase of 11.6% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Katherine East, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Katherine East has seen approximately 10 dwelling approvals per year based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 52 homes were approved, with another 6 approved in FY26 so far. The average population growth per dwelling built over these years is 0.8 people annually.

New supply has kept pace with or exceeded demand, offering ample buyer choice and supporting population growth beyond current forecasts. The average construction value of new properties is $356,000, reflecting more affordable housing options in the area. In FY26, there have been $399.9 million in commercial approvals, indicating high levels of local commercial activity. Compared to the Rest of NT, Katherine East has slightly more development, with 49.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period, maintaining good buyer choice while supporting existing property values.

This is also below the national average, suggesting possible planning constraints. Recent construction comprises 75.0% detached houses and 25.0% attached dwellings, preserving the area's traditional low density character focused on family homes. The estimated population count per dwelling approval is 404 people, reflecting a quiet, low activity development environment. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Katherine East is expected to grow by 394 residents through to 2041, suggesting that current development appears well-matched to future needs and supports steady market conditions without extreme price pressure.

Katherine East has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 1stth percentile nationally

The performance of an area can significantly be influenced by changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of 4 projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable projects include Katherine Logistics and Agribusiness Hub, Supporting Growth in Katherine East (Katherine East Residential Estate), Katherine Aquatic Centre Upgrade, and Tindal Village. The following list provides details on those likely to be most relevant.

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

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While Katherine East retains a healthy unemployment rate of 3.8%, recent employment declines have impacted its national performance ranking

Katherine East has a skilled workforce with an unemployment rate of 3.8%, as per AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of June 2025, 2,255 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 2.1% lower than Rest of NT's rate of 5.9%.

Workforce participation in Katherine East stands at 65.3%, surpassing Rest of NT's 50.7%. Key industries for employment among residents include public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Notably, public administration & safety has an employment concentration 1.4 times the regional average. Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing has limited presence with only 1.6% of employment compared to the regional average of 5.0%.

The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census working population vs resident population comparison. Between June 2024 and June 2025, labour force decreased by 2.0%, alongside a 1.5% decline in employment, leading to a fall in unemployment rate of 0.5 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of NT where employment fell by 1.7%, labour force contracted by 1.8%, and unemployment fell marginally. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project overall employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Katherine East's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only and does not account for localised population projections.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Katherine East is above the national average, with a median assessed at $61,981 and an average income of $67,988. This contrasts with Rest of NT's figures of a median income of $51,655 and an average income of $61,577. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.01% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $69,425 (median) and $76,153 (average) as of September 2025. From the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Katherine East, between the 70th and 84th percentiles nationally. The data shows that 36.9% of locals (1,256 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 income category, which is consistent with broader trends across regional levels showing 33.6% in the same category. Housing accounts for 14.8% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 73rd percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

Katherine East is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

Dwelling structure in Katherine East, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 83.7% houses and 16.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro NT's 77.7% houses and 22.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Katherine East was at 12.2%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (25.1%) or rented (62.7%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,517, below Non-Metro NT's average of $1,615. The median weekly rent figure was $350, compared to Non-Metro NT's $178. Nationally, Katherine East's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were less than the national figure of $375.

Katherine East features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 71.9% of all households, consisting of 32.7% couples with children, 22.8% couples without children, and 14.5% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 28.1%, with lone person households at 22.2% and group households making up 6.0% of the total. The median household size is 2.8 people, which is smaller than the Rest of NT average of 3.2.

Educational outcomes in Katherine East fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's educational profile is notable regionally with university qualification rates at 25.8% among residents aged 15+, surpassing the SA3 area average of 17.4% and the SA4 regional rate of 20.1%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 16.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.4%) and graduate diplomas (2.1%). Vocational credentials are prominent with 40.3% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (11.0%) and certificates (29.3%).

Educational participation is high at 38.0%, comprising 17.5% in primary education, 9.9% in secondary education, and 3.8% pursuing tertiary education. Katherine East has 4 schools with a combined enrollment of 1,286 students, serving varied educational conditions (ICSEA: 859). The area's educational mix includes 2 primary, 1 secondary, and 1 K-12 school. It functions as an education hub with 37.8 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 15.6, attracting students from surrounding communities.

No public transport data available for this catchment area.

Katherine East's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data shows excellent results across Katherine East, particularly for younger cohorts who have a very low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is approximately 54% (1,828 people), which is higher than the rest of NT at 49.8%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and diabetes, affecting 7.2% and 5.1% of residents respectively. A total of 77.9% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 78.3% in the rest of NT. Katherine East has 7.1% (241 people) of its population aged 65 and over, lower than the 8.2% in the rest of NT. However, health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population.

Katherine 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

Katherine East's population was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 21.3% born overseas and 23.7% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the main religion in Katherine East as of 2021, comprising 40.7% of its population. Hinduism was overrepresented compared to the Rest of NT, making up 4.5% versus 1.4%.

In terms of ancestry, Australians made up 22.7%, higher than the regional average of 17.5%. Australian Aboriginals comprised 22.5%, lower than the regional average of 43.9%. English ancestry constituted 16.5%. Notably, Filipino (4.8% vs 1.6%), Samoan (0.3% vs 0.1%), and Sri Lankan (0.3% vs 0.2%) ethnic groups were overrepresented in Katherine East compared to regional averages.

Katherine East hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Katherine East's median age is 30 years, close to Rest of NT's 31 and significantly lower than the national average of 38 years. Compared to Rest of NT, Katherine East has a higher proportion of residents aged 5-14 years (17.1%) but fewer residents aged 55-64 years (7.7%). Between the 2021 Census and now, the proportion of residents aged 35-44 has grown from 15.2% to 17.4%, while the proportion of those aged 25-34 has declined from 19.4% to 18.4%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Katherine East's age profile will change significantly. The 45-54 age group is projected to grow by 31%, adding 106 people and reaching 447 from the current 340. In contrast, the 35-44 age group shows minimal growth of just 1% (an increase of 4 people).