Cumberland · Council (LGA)
How well-off the area is, how fast its population is growing, and the businesses and new homes here.
A population growth rate of 8.4% marks Cumberland as a rapidly expanding hub, growing faster than the New South Wales average. While many residents are highly skilled, the area faces a significant gap in access to money and resources compared to most other regions.
All council (lga) areas, 2021. The marker is Cumberland — higher than 57% of areas.
SEIFA indexes ranking relative advantage and disadvantage.
Cumberland has a high level of education and job skills, scoring 8 out of 10. However, this contrasts with a low score of 2 for access to money and resources, which is smaller than about 80% of similar areas.
6
Higher than 57% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the 10% most advantaged. IRSAD summarises both advantage and disadvantage, so a high score reflects relatively many high-income, well-educated households and few low-income, low-skill ones.
2
Lower than 86% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% most disadvantaged areas in Australia, 10 = among the least disadvantaged. IRSD focuses on disadvantage alone (low income, low education, unemployment, unskilled occupations), so a higher decile means relatively less disadvantage.
2
Lower than 86% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Economic Resources, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for economic resources in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IER reflects the income, housing costs, dwelling size and assets of households, so a higher decile means relatively greater economic resources.
8
Higher than 71% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Education and Occupation, 2021, as a national decile: 1 = among the 10% lowest areas for education and occupation in Australia, 10 = among the highest. IEO reflects residents' qualifications and the skill level of their jobs, so a higher decile means a more highly educated and skilled workforce.
961
Higher than 57% of council (lga) areas.
ABS Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, 2021, as a raw index score (standardised so the Australian average is about 1000). Higher scores indicate relatively greater advantage; lower scores greater disadvantage.
Annual population estimates and change since the census.
The population grew by 8.4% since the last census, which is much higher than most areas and a little above the New South Wales figure of 6.1%. This brings the total population to 256,906.
256,906
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
Estimated resident population (ABS), 2025.
8.4%
Higher than 83% of council (lga) areas.
Population growth since the 2021 Census, from ABS annual estimates.
Operating businesses and dwellings approved.
With 30,222 businesses, Cumberland is among the largest areas at this level for commercial activity. This growth is supported by 1,305 approved dwellings, also among the largest counts for the region.
30,222
Higher than 88% of council (lga) areas.
Operating businesses (ABS Counts of Australian Businesses), June 2025.
1,305
Higher than 87% of council (lga) areas.
Dwelling units approved in 2024-25 (ABS Building Approvals).
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Economy & Advantage in Cumberland [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/lga/LGA12380/cumberland/topic/economy-advantage
