Nowra Hill

Population growth drivers in Nowra Hill are above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of Nov 2025, Nowra Hill's population is estimated at around 2,145 people. This reflects an increase of 4 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,141 people. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of the resident population as 2,133 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and address validation since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 63 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Nowra Hill demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.9%, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth was primarily driven by interstate migration contributing approximately 36.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 for areas not covered by this data. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Population projections predict exceptional growth, placing Nowra Hill in the top 10 percent of Australian non-metropolitan areas over the period with an expected growth of 1,026 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a gain of 53.3% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Nowra Hill is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Nowra Hill has seen minimal construction activity with fewer than one new dwelling approved annually on average over the past five years. This low level of development reflects the rural character of the area, where housing needs are typically met through specific local projects rather than broader market demand. It should be noted that due to the small number of approvals, individual developments can significantly impact annual growth and relative statistics.

Compared to the Rest of NSW, Nowra Hill has notably lower development activity. Its development pattern is also well below national averages.

Nowra Hill has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified ten projects likely to impact the area. Notable ones include South Nowra Surcharge Main Upgrade, Cabbage Tree Lane Urban Release Area, Evergreen Rise Estate, and South Nowra Retail Precinct. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in Nowra Hill demonstrate exceptional strength compared to most Australian markets

Nowra Hill has a skilled workforce with essential services sectors well represented. Its unemployment rate was 1.4% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 3.8%.

As of September 2025790 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 2.5% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation lags significantly at 39.3%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Dominant employment sectors among residents include public administration & safety, construction, and health care & social assistance. Public administration & safety has a notable concentration with employment levels at 4.2 times the regional average.

Health care & social assistance has limited presence with 9.3% employment compared to 16.9% regionally. There are 2.4 workers for every resident, indicating it functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 3.8% and labour force increased by 4.0%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. This contrasts with Rest of NSW where employment contracted by 0.5%, labour force fell by 0.1%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. National employment forecasts from May-25 suggest national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Nowra Hill's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.5% over five years and 11.7% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ended June 2023, Nowra Hill had a median income among taxpayers of $60,154. The average income stood at $74,084. This is higher than the national average and compares to levels of $52,390 and $65,215 across Rest of NSW respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year ended June 2023, current estimates for Nowra Hill would be approximately $65,484 (median) and $80,648 (average) as of September 2025. From the Census conducted in August 2021, household, family and personal incomes in Nowra Hill cluster around the 58th percentile nationally. The earnings profile shows that 35.9% of locals (770 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 income category, which is consistent with broader trends across the broader area showing 29.9% in the same category. After housing expenses, 86.5% of income remains for other expenses.

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

Dwelling structure in Nowra Hill, as evaluated at the 2016 Census, consisted of 99.2% houses and 0.8% other dwellings. In comparison, Non-Metro NSW had 87.8% houses and 12.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Nowra Hill was 45.0%, similar to Non-Metro NSW's figure. Mortgaged dwellings accounted for 46.4% and rented dwellings were 8.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Nowra Hill was $2,167, higher than Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,733. Median weekly rent in Nowra Hill was $285, lower than Non-Metro NSW's figure of $350. Nationally, Nowra Hill's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,167 compared to the Australian average of $1,863. Rents in Nowra Hill were substantially below the national figure of $375.

Nowra Hill features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 82.7% of all households, including 40.7% couples with children, 31.0% couples without children, and 10.8% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 17.3%, with lone person households at 15.3% and group households making up 2.1%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.3.

Nowra Hill shows below-average educational performance compared to national benchmarks, though pockets of achievement exist

The area's university qualification rate is 17.5%, significantly lower than NSW's average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 11.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.8%) and graduate diplomas (2.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 56.5% of residents aged 15 and above holding them, including advanced diplomas (12.3%) and certificates (44.2%). Educational participation is high, with 52.8% currently enrolled in formal education, comprising 20.4% in secondary, 15.5% in primary, and 6.2% in tertiary education.

Educational participation is notably high, with 52.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 20.4% in secondary education, 15.5% in primary education, and 6.2% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Transport analysis indicates 33 active stops operating within Nowra Hill. These are mixed bus services, totaling 19 routes that facilitate 171 weekly passenger trips combined. Transport accessibility is rated good, with residents located an average of 330 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 24 trips daily across all routes, equating to approximately five weekly trips per individual stop.

Nowra Hill's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with prevalence of common health conditions quite low across both younger and older age cohorts

Health data shows relatively positive results for Nowra Hill residents. The prevalence of common health conditions is quite low across both younger and older age cohorts.

Approximately 56% (~1,205 people) have private health cover, which is higher than the 49.1% rate in Rest of NSW. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most common medical conditions, affecting 9.5 and 8.6% of residents respectively. About 68.6% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 59.4% across Rest of NSW. The area has 9.9% (212 people) of residents aged 65 and over, which is lower than the 27.8% in Rest of NSW. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, aligning with the general population's health profile.

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

Nowra Hill, surveyed in 2016, had a culturally diverse population that was below average. It comprised 58.5% citizens, with 87.3% born in Australia, and 95.7% speaking English at home. Christianity dominated Nowra Hill's religious landscape, with 56.6%, compared to the regional average of 52.6%.

The top three ancestry groups were Australian (33.8%), English (29.5%), and Irish (8%). Notably, Hungarian (0.4% vs 0.2%), New Zealand (0.9% vs 0.5%), and Maltese (0.7% vs 0.6%) ethnicities showed higher representation in Nowra Hill compared to the regional averages.

Nowra Hill's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The median age in Nowra Hill is 36 years, which is significantly lower than Rest of NSW's average of 43 and somewhat younger than Australia's median age of 38. The 25-34 age group constitutes 20.2% of the population in Nowra Hill, compared to Rest of NSW's percentage, while the 5-14 cohort makes up 5.9%. This proportion of the 25-34 age group is higher than the national average of 14.5%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 35 to 44 age group has increased from 16.8% to 18.1%, while the 25 to 34 cohort has risen from 19.0% to 20.2%. Conversely, the 65 to 74 age group has decreased from 7.5% to 6.4%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Nowra Hill, with the 25-34 age group projected to grow by 66%, reaching 720 people from its current total of 433.