Wamberal

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

As of May 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Wamberal is around 7,123. This figure reflects a growth of 132 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 6,991. The increase was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation based on the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and three additional validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 812 persons per square kilometer, comparable to averages seen across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Wamberal has shown resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.7%, outperforming the SA3 area. Overseas migration contributed approximately 63.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

For future projections, 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, 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 the years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, the suburb is expected to grow by 478 persons, reflecting an increase of 6.7% in total over the 16-year period, based on aggregated SA2-level projections.

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

Wamberal experienced approximately 14 dwelling approvals annually based on AreaSearch analysis. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 72 homes were approved, with an additional 10 approved in FY-26. On average, 1.9 new residents arrived per new home over the past five financial years, indicating balanced supply and demand. However, this ratio increased to 4.9 people per dwelling over the last two years, suggesting growing popularity and potential supply constraints.

New properties are constructed at an average cost of $741,000, targeting the premium segment. In FY-26, $3.2 million in commercial development approvals were recorded, reflecting Wamberal's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Wamberal shows about half the construction activity per person and ranks at the 26th percentile nationally, suggesting limited buyer options but strong demand for established properties. New development consists of 67.0% detached houses and 33.0% attached dwellings, offering a mix of medium-density options across price brackets. This marks a shift from existing housing patterns, which are currently 87.0% houses, indicating diminishing developable land availability and evolving lifestyle preferences.

The estimated population per dwelling approval is 644 people, reflecting Wamberal's quiet development environment. Population forecasts indicate an increase of 478 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

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

AreaSearch has identified 19 projects that could impact the area significantly. Notable ones include Central Coast Highway Upgrade from Wamberal to Bateau Bay, Wamberal Beach Coastal Protection Works, another Central Coast Highway Upgrade segment also from Wamberal to Bateau Bay, and Terrigal Public School Upgrade. The following list provides more details on projects likely to be most relevant.

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

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

Wamberal has an educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 1.4% and it experienced a 3.5% employment growth over the past year (AreaSearch data aggregation). As of December 2025, there are 3957 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.8%, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Workforce participation is similar to Greater Sydney at 68.8%. Census responses indicate that 38.0% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Employment concentrations are in health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training, with a notable specialization in health care (1.3 times the regional level) and lower employment in finance & insurance (4.1%, compared to Greater Sydney's 7.3%). Over the year ending December 2025, employment increased by 3.5% while labour force grew by 3.6%, causing unemployment to rise slightly.

In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.2%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Wamberal's industry mix suggests local employment could increase by 7.1% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

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

Wamberal suburb has one of Australia's highest income levels according to AreaSearch aggregated ATO data for financial year 2023. Wamberal's median taxpayer income is $57,465 and average income stands at $86,724, compared to Greater Sydney's figures of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. By March 2026, estimated incomes are approximately $63,395 (median) and $95,674 (average), based on a 10.32% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2023. Census data shows household incomes rank at the 88th percentile ($2,407 weekly). In Wamberal, 27.8% of residents earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, mirroring regional figures where 30.9% fall within this bracket. A substantial proportion, 40.1%, earn above $3,000 weekly, indicating strong economic capacity. Housing accounts for 14.3% of income, with residents ranking in the 88th percentile for disposable income. 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

In Wamberal, as recorded in the latest Census, 87.4% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 12.7% being semi-detached, apartments, or other types. In contrast, Sydney metro had 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, surpassing Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Weekly rent in Wamberal was $500, higher than Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Wamberal's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,500 compared to 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 account for 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 make up the remaining 19.7%, consisting of 16.7% lone person households and 2.9% group households. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is 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

Wamberal's educational attainment exceeds regional averages. 31.4% of residents aged 15+ have university qualifications, compared to 20.8% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most common at 22.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.3%) and graduate diplomas (2.9%). Vocational credentials are held by 36.7% of residents aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 13.1% and certificates at 23.6%.

Educational participation is high, with 32.5% currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.7% in primary, 9.9% in secondary, and 5.1% in 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 transport services is rated as excellent, with residents typically living within 155 meters of the nearest stop. Most residents commute outwards from Wamberal, and cars remain the primary mode of transportation at 95%. On average, there are 1.8 vehicles per dwelling in the area, which exceeds the regional average. According to the 2021 Census data, potentially influenced by COVID-19 conditions, 38% of residents work from home.

The service frequency averages 178 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 17 weekly trips per individual 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, based on AreaSearch's assessment. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were found to be low across both young and old age cohorts.

The rate of private health cover was exceptionally high at approximately 61% of the total population (4,355 people), compared to the national average of 55.7%. The most common medical conditions in the area were asthma and arthritis, impacting 7.3 and 7.0% of residents respectively. A total of 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. The area has 20.3% of residents aged 65 and over (1,445 people), which is higher than the 15.5% 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 population showed low cultural diversity, with 84.1% born in Australia and 92.2% being citizens. English was the language spoken at home by 94.8%. Christianity was the dominant religion, comprising 52.8%.

Judaism was overrepresented at 0.1%, compared to Greater Sydney's 0.8%. In terms of ancestry, English (31.6%) and Australian (30.1%) were significantly higher than regional averages of 19.0% and 17.8% respectively. Irish ancestry stood at 9.2%. Notable differences existed for Welsh (1.0%), South Australian (0.6%), and Lebanese (0.4%) groups compared to regional figures of 0.4%, 0.5%, and 2.6% respectively.

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. Compared to the Greater Sydney average, Wamberal has a notably higher proportion of people aged 55-64 (13.0%) and a lower proportion of those aged 25-34 (7.6%). Between 2021 and the present, the 75-84 age group increased from 5.1% to 6.7% of the population, while the 85+ cohort rose from 1.9% to 3.4%. Conversely, the 25-34 age group decreased from 8.9% to 7.6%, and the 5-14 age group fell from 14.9% to 13.8%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests significant changes in Wamberal's age profile. The 85+ age cohort is projected to increase by 279 people (116%), from 242 to 522. 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.