State Electorate · Area profile
Terrigal
115 km²
A significant shift in age and wealth has seen Terrigal grow by 8.8% since 2011 to reach 77,613 people. It is now a noticeably older community, with a typical resident aged 45 and a high proportion of seniors. This shift is mirrored in the local economy, where the number of high-income households earning over $3,000 a week has risen sharply. These trends create a well-off area defined by large, owner-occupied homes and a growing population of retirees.
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The area is noticeably older than the national figure, with 24.2% of residents aged 65 and over, a figure that rose 6.4 points since 2011. While children under 15 make up 18.0% of the population, this has fell slightly over the last decade.
Most residents were born in Australia, and those born overseas make up 18.0% of the community, which is well below the national figure. English and Australian are the most common ancestries, though the overseas-born population rose 4.8 points since 2011.
English is the primary language for nearly 90% of people, meaning only 6.0% use another language at home. This is far below the national figure, and the proportion of people who speak little or no English is very low at 0.6%.
About 40.5% of residents have no religion, a figure that rose 22 points since 2011. This is well above the New South Wales figure of 33.2%, while 51.9% of the community identifies as Christian.
The community is well-qualified, with 25.0% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, up 14 points since 2011. Year 12 completion also rose 19 points over the same period to reach 56.4%.
Terrigal is a high-earning area where the typical family income is $2,286 a week. This wealth is evident in the 27.2% of households earning $3,000 or more weekly, a figure that rose 21 points since 2011.
Long-term health conditions are more common here than in most areas, affecting 30.9% of residents. Arthritis is the most reported condition at 10.5%, while 8.4% of people have a mental health condition.
Unpaid work is common, with 25.7% of people doing 15 or more hours of housework weekly, which is well above the national figure. Unpaid care for others is also higher than most areas at 12.6%.
Families are larger than the national typical, with 2.6 people per home. Most households are couples with children (58.7%) or without children (28.5%), while those living alone fell slightly to 23.8%.
Housing is dominated by large, separate houses, with 79.5% of homes having three or more bedrooms. A high 39.5% of these are owned outright, and renting is much lower than the state average at 17.8%.
Working from home is very common at 31.7%, far above the national figure. While most homes have at least one car, public transport use is very low, with only 0.7% of people commuting by it.
The population is relatively stable, as those who moved in the last five years (35.3%) is well below the national figure. Recent arrivals from overseas are also much lower than typical at 6.2%.
The unemployment rate is very low at 3.2%, though the proportion of full-time employees has fell 7.9 points since 2011. Many residents work in health care, social assistance, or construction.
While 92.7% of homes are within a short walk of public transport, the area is generally less walkable than the state average. This is partly due to the terrain, which has a mean slope of 10.9%.