Wamberal

Wamberal has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

As of Feb 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Wamberal is around 7,117. This reflects an increase of 126 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 6,991. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 7,106 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024, along with an additional 3 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 811 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Wamberal has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.0%, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth for the suburb was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 63.0% 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. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Anticipating future population dynamics, the suburb is expected to increase by 509 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an increase of 6.8% in total over the 17 years.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers shows Wamberal averaged around 14 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 72 homes. As of FY-26, 8 approvals have been recorded. On average, each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25 resulted in 2.4 new residents per year. New homes are being constructed at an average value of $741,000, indicating focus on the premium market with high-end developments.

In FY-26, $3.2 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded. Compared to Greater Sydney and national averages, Wamberal shows lower construction activity per person, placing it among the 26th percentile nationally. Recent construction comprises 67% detached houses and 33% townhouses or apartments, reflecting a shift from the area's existing housing composition of 87% houses. The estimated population density is 643 people per dwelling approval. AreaSearch estimates Wamberal will grow by 481 residents by 2041.

Current construction levels are expected to meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers and potentially enabling growth exceeding current forecasts.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 19 projects likely affecting the area. Notable ones include the Central Coast Highway Upgrade from Wamberal to Bateau Bay, Wamberal Beach Coastal Protection Works, and Terrigal Public School Upgrade. 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.

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Wamberal performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Wamberal has an educated workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 1.4% as of September 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 3.1% over the past year, according to AreaSearch's statistical area data aggregation. As of that date, 3943 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 2.8 percentage points lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Workforce participation was similar to Greater Sydney's 70.0%. Census responses indicated that 38.0% of residents worked from home, with Covid-19 lockdown impacts considered. Key industries of employment among residents were health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training. Wamberal showed strong specialization in health care & social assistance, with an employment share 1.3 times the regional level.

Finance & insurance had limited presence at 4.1% compared to the regional 7.3%. The predominantly residential area appeared to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the Census working population count versus resident population. Over a 12-month period ending in September 2025, employment increased by 3.1%, labour force by 3.4%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.3 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.1%, labour force expand by 2.4%, and unemployment rise by 0.2 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offered insights into potential future demand within Wamberal. These projections estimated national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with varying rates between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Wamberal's employment mix suggested local employment should increase by 7.1% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, though these are simple weighting extrapolations for illustrative purposes only and do not account for localized population projections.

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

The latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 indicates that Wamberal had a median income among taxpayers of $57,465 and an average of $86,724. Nationally, these figures are extremely high compared to Greater Sydney's median of $60,817 and average of $83,003. Based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2023, current estimates for September 2025 would be approximately $62,556 (median) and $94,408 (average). According to the 2021 Census figures, household incomes rank at the 88th percentile with a weekly income of $2,407. The earnings profile shows that the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 27.8% of residents (1,978 people). Economic strength is evident through 40.1% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. Housing accounts for 14.3% of income. Strong earnings rank residents within the 88th percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Wamberal is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure in Wamberal, as per the latest Census, consisted of 87.4% houses and 12.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wamberal stood at 38.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 44.6% and rented ones at 17.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, exceeding the Sydney metro average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Wamberal was $500, higher than Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Wamberal's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 80.3% of all households, including 42.0% couples with children, 28.1% couples without children, and 9.9% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 19.7%, with lone person households at 16.7% and group households comprising 2.9%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Wamberal shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Wamberal is notably higher than broader benchmarks. 31.4% of residents aged 15 and above have university qualifications, compared to the SA4 region's 20.8%. University graduates comprise 22.2%, postgraduate qualifications are held by 6.3%, and graduate diplomas by 2.9%. Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 36.7% of residents aged 15 and above holding them, including advanced diplomas (13.1%) and certificates (23.6%).

Educational participation is high, with 32.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 10.7% in primary, 9.9% in secondary, and 5.1% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Wamberal has 70 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 83 different routes that together facilitate 1,246 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these stops is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 155 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to Wamberal's predominantly residential nature. Cars remain the primary mode of transport, used by 95% of residents. On average, there are 1.8 vehicles per dwelling, which is higher than the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, 38% of residents work from home, a figure that may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency averages 178 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 17 weekly trips per stop.

Wamberal's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Wamberal. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were low across both young and old age cohorts.

Private health cover was found to be exceptionally high at approximately 61% of the total population (4,352 people), compared to the national average of 55.7%. The most common medical conditions were asthma and arthritis, impacting 7.3 and 7.0% of residents respectively. 72.4% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents had low chronic condition prevalence. As of 2021, the area has 20.6% of residents aged 65 and over (1,466 people), which is higher than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors were above average, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Wamberal ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Wamberal's cultural diversity was found to be below average, with 84.1% of its population born in Australia, 92.2% being citizens, and 94.8% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the main religion, comprising 52.8% of Wamberal's population. Judaism was overrepresented at 0.1%, compared to Greater Sydney's average of 0.8%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (31.6%), Australian (30.1%), and Irish (9.2%). Notably, Welsh (1.0%) and South African (0.6%) ethnicities were overrepresented in Wamberal compared to regional averages.

Wamberal's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Wamberal has a median age of 40, which is slightly higher than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's median age of 38 years. Comparing Wamberal's demographics with the Greater Sydney average, the 55-64 age group is notably over-represented at 13.1%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 7.2%. Between 2021 and present, the 75-84 age group has grown from 5.1% to 6.8% of the population, and the 85+ cohort has increased from 1.9% to 3.5%. Conversely, the 25-34 age group has declined from 8.9% to 7.2%, and the 45-54 age group has dropped from 14.8% to 13.7%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests that Wamberal's age profile will change significantly. The 85+ age cohort is projected to increase dramatically by 278 people (112%), from 249 to 528. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 75% of total population growth, reflecting Wamberal's aging demographic profile. Meanwhile, the 5-14 and 0-4 age cohorts are projected to experience population declines.