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Central Coast vs Nelson Bay

Urban Area comparison ≈ 102 km apart · Central Coast profile · Nelson Bay profile

Central Coast Nelson Bay

Central Coast and Nelson Bay are two New South Wales areas with distinct age and housing profiles. Nelson Bay is far older, with a typical resident aged 54 compared to 43 in Central Coast. This is reflected in the share of people aged 65 and over, which is far higher in Nelson Bay at 33.9%. This older population is consistent with more people owning their homes outright in Nelson Bay (47.8%) compared to Central Coast (34.5%). Central Coast is more family-oriented, with a well higher share of children under 15 (18.0% vs 13.4%) and more detached houses (78.2% vs 67.2%).

Both areas sit about the same as the national figure for the share of people born overseas. They also share a similar feel in daily life, with both being somewhat walkable and having an identical unemployment rate of 4.7%. However, the gaps between them have generally widened since 2011. The age difference has grown significantly, as the gap in typical resident age was only 2 years a decade ago but is now 11 years.

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Where they differ most

Population: 314,762 larger in Central Coast Median age: 11 yrs older in Nelson Bay Household size: 0.2 larger in Central Coast People / bedroom: 0.10 higher in Central Coast Owned outright: 13.3 pts higher in Nelson Bay

Demographics & Identity

Population in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +314,762 larger in Central Coast gap widening
343,180 86th pct 28,418 47th pct
Median age in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +11 yrs older in Nelson Bay gap widening
43 yrs 64th pct 54 yrs 96th pct
First Nations in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.2 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
4.9% 45th pct 3.7% 29th pct
Aged 65+ in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +11.7 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap widening
22.2% 65th pct 33.9% 96th pct
Under 15 in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +4.6 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
18.0% 46th pct 13.4% 2nd pct
De facto in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.9 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
11.8% 28th pct 9.9% 0th pct

Age structure

22.2% Seniors (65+) +11.7 pts ▸ 33.9%
25.6% Older adults (45–64) +2.1 pts ▸ 27.7%
23.0% Young adults (25–44) ◂ +7.1 pts 15.9%
18.0% Children (0–14) ◂ +4.6 pts 13.4%
11.2% Youth (15–24) ◂ +2.1 pts 9.0%

Marital status

44.5% Married +7.5 pts ▸ 52.0%
33.7% Never married ◂ +8.7 pts 25.0%
11.2% Divorced +0.6 pts ▸ 11.8%
6.6% Widowed +1.3 pts ▸ 7.9%
4.0% Separated ◂ +0.6 pts 3.4%

Age & sex structure

Central Coast Nelson Bay

Bars show the share of each area's own population, so differently sized areas stay comparable.

Ancestry & Birthplace

Born overseas in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.7 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap narrowing
16.1% 69th pct 16.8% 72nd pct

Country of birth

78.9% Australia ◂ +0.6 pts 78.3%
4.6% England +1.1 pts ▸ 5.7%
1.7% New Zealand ◂ +0.1 pts 1.6%
0.7% Philippines ◂ +0.3 pts 0.4%
0.7% India ◂ +0.4 pts 0.3%
0.6% South Africa +0.1 pts ▸ 0.7%
0.6% China ◂ +0.4 pts 0.2%
0.3% Italy +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Nepal +0.2 pts ▸ 0.3%
0.1% Vietnam even 0.1%

Ancestry

42.6% English +3.4 pts ▸ 46.0%
39.8% Australian ◂ +2.8 pts 37.1%
12.0% Irish +0.7 pts ▸ 12.8%
10.5% Scottish +1.8 pts ▸ 12.3%
3.3% German +1.1 pts ▸ 4.4%
2.8% Italian ◂ +0.3 pts 2.5%
1.5% Dutch even 1.5%
1.5% Chinese ◂ +0.7 pts 0.7%
1.1% Filipino ◂ +0.4 pts 0.6%
1.0% Indian ◂ +0.6 pts 0.3%
0.8% Greek +0.1 pts ▸ 0.8%
0.2% Vietnamese ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Language

Other language in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +2.0 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
7.1% 57th pct 5.1% 30th pct
Limited English in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.3 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
0.9% 59th pct 0.5% 28th pct

Language used at home

87.7% English only +1.9 pts ▸ 89.6%
0.6% Mandarin ◂ +0.4 pts 0.2%
0.3% Italian +0.1 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.2% Greek +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%
0.3% Tagalog ◂ +0.1 pts 0.2%
0.3% Cantonese ◂ +0.2 pts 0.1%
0.2% Arabic ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.2% Punjabi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%
0.2% Hindi ◂ +0.1 pts 0.0%
0.1% Vietnamese even 0.1%

Religion

No religion in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +2.3 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
40.0% 37th pct 37.7% 26th pct

Religious affiliation

50.8% Christianity +3.4 pts ▸ 54.3%
40.0% No religion ◂ +2.3 pts 37.7%
6.5% Not stated ◂ +0.3 pts 6.2%
1.0% Buddhism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.8%
0.6% Hinduism ◂ +0.2 pts 0.5%
0.5% Other religions ◂ +0.2 pts 0.3%
0.4% Islam ◂ +0.2 pts 0.2%
0.1% Judaism ◂ +0.1 pts 0.1%

Education & Qualifications

Year 12 in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.9 pts higher in Central Coast gap narrowing
47.2% 63rd pct 43.3% 46th pct
Bachelor+ in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.5 pts higher in Central Coast gap narrowing
17.8% 65th pct 16.3% 58th pct

Highest year of school

47.2% Year 12 ◂ +3.9 pts 43.3%
29.2% Year 10 +2.4 pts ▸ 31.6%
10.7% Year 9 or below +0.7 pts ▸ 11.4%
6.4% Year 11 +0.5 pts ▸ 6.9%

Highest qualification level

34.2% Certificate III / IV +0.5 pts ▸ 34.7%
20.5% Bachelor degree ◂ +2.6 pts 17.9%
15.9% Advanced diploma / diploma +1.4 pts ▸ 17.3%
5.8% Postgraduate degree ◂ +0.6 pts 5.2%
2.9% Graduate diploma / certificate +0.2 pts ▸ 3.0%
2.3% Certificate I / II ◂ +0.1 pts 2.2%

Field of qualification

18.7% Management & commerce +0.1 pts ▸ 18.8%
13.2% Engineering & related +4.0 pts ▸ 17.2%
11.9% Society & culture ◂ +2.0 pts 9.8%
11.0% Health ◂ +1.7 pts 9.3%
8.5% Education +0.4 pts ▸ 8.8%
7.4% Architecture & building ◂ +0.6 pts 6.8%
5.6% Food, hospitality & personal services +0.6 pts ▸ 6.2%
3.6% Creative arts ◂ +1.0 pts 2.6%
1.9% Natural & physical sciences +0.4 pts ▸ 2.4%
1.9% Agriculture & environment +0.4 pts ▸ 2.3%
2.1% Information technology ◂ +0.8 pts 1.4%

Income

Personal income in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +$83 higher in Central Coast gap widening
$726 48th pct $643 21st pct
Household income in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +$228 higher in Central Coast gap widening
$1,499 57th pct $1,271 30th pct
Family income in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +$354 higher in Central Coast gap widening
$1,948 62nd pct $1,594 24th pct
High earners in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.5 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
9.7% 60th pct 8.1% 46th pct
High-income homes in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +5.1 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
18.5% 72nd pct 13.5% 39th pct

Household income distribution

28.4% $650–$1,499 +5.4 pts ▸ 33.8%
28.3% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +3.1 pts 25.2%
18.4% Under $650 +2.0 pts ▸ 20.5%
9.3% $3,000–$3,999 ◂ +2.7 pts 6.6%
9.2% $4,000 or more ◂ +2.3 pts 6.8%

Personal income distribution

42.5% Under $650 +4.5 pts ▸ 47.0%
31.7% $650–$1,499 ◂ +1.4 pts 30.2%
15.5% $1,500–$2,999 ◂ +2.7 pts 12.9%
3.4% $3,000 or more ◂ +0.4 pts 3.0%

Health & Disability

Health condition in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.6 pts higher in Nelson Bay
34.0% 62nd pct 37.6% 87th pct
Mental health in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.1 pts higher in Central Coast
11.0% 60th pct 9.8% 37th pct
Needs assistance in Central Coastin Nelson Bay even gap narrowing
7.1% 59th pct 7.1% 60th pct

Long-term health conditions reported

11.5% Arthritis +4.2 pts ▸ 15.7%
11.0% Mental health ◂ +1.1 pts 9.8%
9.6% Asthma ◂ +1.4 pts 8.3%
9.0% Other condition ◂ +0.1 pts 8.9%
5.0% Heart disease +1.5 pts ▸ 6.5%
5.5% Diabetes +0.6 pts ▸ 6.1%
3.7% Cancer +1.4 pts ▸ 5.1%
2.7% Lung condition +0.2 pts ▸ 2.9%
1.3% Stroke even 1.3%
1.1% Dementia ◂ +0.1 pts 1.0%

Number of long-term health conditions

58.1% None ◂ +3.6 pts 54.5%
21.9% One condition +1.9 pts ▸ 23.8%
7.7% Two conditions +1.4 pts ▸ 9.1%
4.4% Three or more +0.3 pts ▸ 4.7%

Community Participation

Volunteering in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.8 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap narrowing
12.1% 7th pct 15.9% 60th pct
Unpaid carers in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.7 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap steady
12.5% 41st pct 13.2% 56th pct
Unpaid child care in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +5.2 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
25.7% 51st pct 20.5% 5th pct
Defence service in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.0 pts higher in Nelson Bay
2.8% 28th pct 5.8% 91st pct
Housework 15h+ in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.7 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap narrowing
23.4% 77th pct 24.1% 86th pct

Family & Households

Household size in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.2 larger in Central Coast gap widening
2.5 71st pct 2.3 14th pct
One-parent in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.4 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
17.5% 61st pct 14.0% 20th pct
Living alone in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.6 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap steady
27.4% 34th pct 29.0% 56th pct

Family composition

53.9% Couples with children ◂ +9.9 pts 43.9%
27.7% Couples without children +13.6 pts ▸ 41.3%
17.5% One-parent families ◂ +3.4 pts 14.0%
0.9% Other families ◂ +0.2 pts 0.7%

Household size

34.3% 2 people +8.6 pts ▸ 42.9%
27.4% 1 person +1.6 pts ▸ 29.0%
14.9% 3 people ◂ +3.5 pts 11.4%
14.5% 4 people ◂ +4.1 pts 10.3%
6.1% 5 people ◂ +1.7 pts 4.4%
2.9% 6 or more ◂ +1.0 pts 2.0%

Housing & Dwellings

Rent in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +$10 higher in Central Coast gap narrowing
$400 90th pct $390 88th pct
Mortgage in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +$145 higher in Central Coast gap widening
$2,000 88th pct $1,855 80th pct
People / bedroom in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.10 higher in Central Coast gap widening
0.80 57th pct 0.70 0th pct
Renting in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +4.2 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
27.6% 32nd pct 23.4% 14th pct
Owned outright in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +13.3 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap widening
34.5% 55th pct 47.8% 97th pct
Separate houses in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +11.0 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
78.2% 25th pct 67.2% 9th pct
3+ bedrooms in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.6 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap narrowing
75.2% 30th pct 76.8% 41st pct

How homes are owned or rented

34.5% Owned outright +13.3 pts ▸ 47.8%
33.9% Owned with a mortgage ◂ +9.6 pts 24.3%
27.6% Rented ◂ +4.2 pts 23.4%
2.5% Other tenure +0.7 pts ▸ 3.2%
1.5% Not stated ◂ +0.1 pts 1.4%

Types of homes

78.2% Separate house ◂ +11.0 pts 67.2%
12.0% Townhouse / semi-detached +11.0 pts ▸ 23.0%
8.8% Flat or apartment ◂ +0.8 pts 8.0%
0.7% Other dwelling +0.5 pts ▸ 1.2%

Bedrooms per home

38.8% 3 bedrooms +2.6 pts ▸ 41.4%
28.1% 4 bedrooms +0.3 pts ▸ 28.3%
19.3% 2 bedrooms ◂ +0.3 pts 18.9%
8.4% 5 or more ◂ +1.3 pts 7.1%
3.6% 1 bedroom ◂ +0.8 pts 2.8%
0.4% Studio / none ◂ +0.3 pts 0.2%

Weekly rent distribution

53.7% $350–$549 ◂ +1.5 pts 52.2%
20.9% $200–$349 +4.4 pts ▸ 25.3%
10.2% $550–$749 ◂ +1.2 pts 9.0%
9.8% Under $200 ◂ +0.8 pts 9.0%
2.3% $750 or more ◂ +1.6 pts 0.7%

Monthly mortgage distribution

37.9% $1,800–$2,999 ◂ +2.8 pts 35.1%
26.2% $1,000–$1,799 +0.6 pts ▸ 26.9%
13.8% Under $1,000 +4.7 pts ▸ 18.5%
16.2% $3,000 or more ◂ +2.7 pts 13.5%

Transport & Vehicles

No car in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +2.2 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
6.5% 57th pct 4.4% 18th pct
Work from home in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +5.9 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
25.4% 98th pct 19.5% 89th pct
PT commute in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.8 pts higher in Central Coast gap steady
1.3% 76th pct 0.6% 48th pct

How people get to work

49.3% Car (driver) +2.8 pts ▸ 52.1%
25.4% Worked at home ◂ +5.9 pts 19.5%
3.3% Car (passenger) +0.4 pts ▸ 3.7%
1.3% Walked +1.3 pts ▸ 2.6%
0.8% Train ◂ +0.8 pts 0.0%
0.6% Bus even 0.6%
0.2% Bicycle +0.2 pts ▸ 0.4%

Motor vehicles per home

38.2% 1 vehicle +3.1 pts ▸ 41.3%
36.4% 2 vehicles +1.8 pts ▸ 38.2%
11.9% 3 vehicles ◂ +1.4 pts 10.5%
6.9% 4 or more ◂ +1.3 pts 5.6%
6.5% No vehicle ◂ +2.2 pts 4.4%

Migration & Movement

Recent movers in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +4.9 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap widening
37.5% 30th pct 42.4% 67th pct
Recent arrivals in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.6 pts higher in Nelson Bay gap narrowing
6.9% 13th pct 8.5% 22nd pct

Jobs & Industry

Unemployment in Central Coastin Nelson Bay even gap steady
4.7% 48th pct 4.7% 46th pct
Participation in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +8.7 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
55.6% 38th pct 46.9% 8th pct
Full-time in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.4 pts higher in Central Coast gap widening
52.6% 13th pct 49.2% 6th pct

Industries people work in

17.8% Health care & social assistance ◂ +4.1 pts 13.8%
7.0% Accommodation & food +5.4 pts ▸ 12.4%
11.5% Construction ◂ +0.6 pts 10.9%
10.2% Retail trade +0.3 pts ▸ 10.6%
8.2% Education & training even 8.2%
6.1% Public administration & safety +1.3 pts ▸ 7.4%
6.0% Professional & technical ◂ +0.1 pts 5.9%
5.9% Manufacturing ◂ +1.2 pts 4.7%
3.8% Other services +0.1 pts ▸ 3.9%
3.7% Transport & warehousing +0.1 pts ▸ 3.8%
3.3% Administrative & support +0.5 pts ▸ 3.8%
3.3% Finance & insurance ◂ +1.1 pts 2.1%

Occupations people work in

20.4% Professionals ◂ +3.3 pts 17.1%
14.6% Technicians & trades +2.0 pts ▸ 16.6%
13.0% Community & personal service +1.4 pts ▸ 14.4%
13.1% Clerical & administrative ◂ +1.1 pts 12.0%
12.2% Managers +0.6 pts ▸ 12.9%
9.7% Labourers +0.4 pts ▸ 10.1%
9.2% Sales workers +0.8 pts ▸ 10.0%
6.0% Machinery operators & drivers ◂ +1.0 pts 5.0%

Walkability

Walk score in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.3 higher in Central Coast
5.4 66th pct 5.1 53rd pct
Types ≤15 min in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.5 more in Central Coast
5.1 62nd pct 4.6 42nd pct
15-min city in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.0 pts higher in Central Coast
57.2% 58th pct 54.2% 51st pct
Walk to shops in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.3 pts higher in Central Coast
50.8% 40th pct 47.4% 30th pct
Walk to transit in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +2.6 pts higher in Nelson Bay
93.4% 89th pct 96.0% 98th pct
Walk to school in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +25.2 pts higher in Central Coast
61.6% 43rd pct 36.4% 10th pct
Walk to a park in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +1.7 pts higher in Nelson Bay
92.9% 71st pct 94.6% 81st pct
Walk to health in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +7.8 pts higher in Central Coast
38.9% 43rd pct 31.1% 22nd pct
Amenities/1k in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +3.1 more in Nelson Bay
16.9 62nd pct 20.0 75th pct
Intersections/km² in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +6 higher in Nelson Bay
21 56th pct 27 64th pct
Mean slope in Central Coastin Nelson Bay +0.1 pts higher in Central Coast
7.8% 89th pct 7.6% 88th pct

Compare Central Coast with nearby areas

Morisset - Cooranbong Sydney Newcastle - Maitland Singleton Medowie Nelson Bay Muswellbrook Lithgow Wollongong Bowral - Mittagong Bathurst Nowra - Bomaderry

Compare Nelson Bay with nearby areas

Medowie Newcastle - Maitland Forster - Tuncurry Morisset - Cooranbong Singleton Taree Central Coast Muswellbrook Camden Haven Port Macquarie Sydney Kempsey

Cite this page

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Central Coast vs Nelson Bay [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/compare/sua/1010/central-coast/vs/1024/nelson-bay