Council (LGA) · Area profile
Central Coast
1,681 km²
A steady rise in the number of residents has seen the Central Coast (NSW) grow by 5.8% since 2016, reaching a total population of 346,596. This is an older community than most, with the typical resident aged 43 and a high proportion of seniors. Many residents have seen their incomes rise over the last five years, which aligns with a higher-than-average number of people earning over $3,000 a week. It is a large, predominantly residential area where a high proportion of families live in detached houses.
Explore Central Coast by topic
The area is noticeably older than the state and national figures, with 22.2% of residents aged 65 and over. This senior population is well above the national figure of 17.2%. About 4.9% of the community are First Nations people, a figure that has risen since 2016.
Most residents were born in Australia, and the area has a much lower proportion of overseas-born people (16.1%) compared to New South Wales (29.3%). English and Australian are the most common ancestries, followed by Irish and Scottish.
English is the main language for 87.7% of the community. The proportion of people using another language at home is 7.1%, which is far below the national figure of 22.3%.
About 39.9% of people report having no religion, a figure that rose by 12 points since 2016. This is well above the New South Wales figure of 33.2%.
The community has seen a rise in higher qualifications, with 17.9% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher. However, Year 12 completion at 47.2% remains far below the national figure of 58.8%.
Typical family incomes are higher than in most similar areas, and the number of households earning $3,000 or more a week rose by 8 points since 2016 to 18.7%.
Long-term health conditions are much more common here than in most areas, affecting 33.9% of residents. This is well above the national figure of 27.7%, with arthritis and mental health being the most reported conditions.
Volunteering has fallen by 5.1 points since 2016 to 12.1%, which is much lower than most similar areas. Unpaid housework is slightly more common here than in the rest of the state.
There are 17,047 First Nations people in the area. This group is a little younger than the national typical age, with a typical age of 23 years.
One-parent families make up 17.4% of households, which is well above the national figure of 14.1%. Most homes contain two people, and 27.2% of residents live alone.
Detached houses are very common, making up 78.4% of all homes. Typical weekly rents have risen by $50 since 2016 to $400, which is higher than most similar areas.
Working from home has jumped 20 points since 2016 to 25.5%, which is well above the national figure. While the area has many public transport stops, only 1.3% of people use them to commute.
The area is quite mobile, with 37.4% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 6.9% of the population, which is well below the national figure of 14.5%.
Full-time employment is much lower than most similar areas at 52.6%. The most common industries for local workers are health care and social assistance, followed by construction and retail.
The area is generally better off than 70% of similar areas, with a strong score for access to money and resources. Population growth since 2021 has been 2.7%, which is well below the state figure of 6.1%.
The region is much wetter than most of New South Wales, with average annual rainfall of 1,408mm. The average maximum temperature is 23.2 degrees, slightly lower than the state figure.
Burglary and theft rates are lower than most areas, but motor vehicle theft and sexual offences are higher. The overall recorded offence rate is around the middle for its level.
Most homes are within a short walk of a park or public transport. However, far fewer people can walk to groceries (50.4%) or health services (38.6%) compared to the New South Wales averages.