> Source: https://www.k-stra.com/australia/new-south-wales/ > Updated: 2026-11-03 Australia · New South Wales # How many people live in New South Wales, and where are its markets? The largest state is two markets in one: a city with one of the steepest income gradients in Australia, and a long coast and inland where people are older and earn less. In short New South Wales had 8,592,524 residents at 30 June 2025, 65.6% of them in Greater Sydney. The population grew 6.8% from 2019 to 2025, on average 1.13% a year, fastest on Sydney’s outer edge. Residents spend about A$53,068 each a year, close to the national average, while council income indices range from about 67 to about 150. [Open NSW on the map](https://www.k-stra.com/a/?mv=146.3489,-32.8288,4.8,0,0&src=australia-new-south-wales) Key figures ## What are the key figures for New South Wales? Key figures for New South Wales against Australia Indicator New South Wales Australia Residents, 30 June 2025 8,592,524 27,613,654 Average yearly change, 2019–2025 1.13% 1.50% Residents added since 2019 545,776 2,278,828 Area 800,798 km² 7,688,095 km² Residents per km² 10.7 3.6 Share in Greater Sydney 65.6% — Median age 38.6 38.5 Aged under 15 17.4% 17.4% Aged 65 and over 18.0% 17.5% Income index 101.0 100.0 Consumption index 100.9 100.0 Spending per resident, a year A$53,068 A$52,582 Resident spending, a year A$456.0 billion A$1,452.0 billion Families (Census 2021) 2,135,968 6,730,182 Homes rented (Census 2021) 35.8% 33.6% Flats and apartments (Census 2021) 29.6% 19.6% - Residents: ABS Estimated Resident Population at 30 June 2025, by council (2025 boundaries). Change: ABS Estimated Resident Population by council, 2019 to 2025; average yearly change as in the K-Stra area dashboard. - Age: ABS population by five-year age group at 30 June 2025; median age worked out from the age groups. Capital: Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (ABS ASGS Edition 3), residents counted by K-Stra on the address points inside them. - Indices: Income index from ABS Personal Income 2022–23 (tax data), measured or estimated; consumption index derived from it; 100 = Australia. Spending: Spending per resident from the consumption index and ABS national accounts (5204.0) for 2024–25. Housing and families: ABS Census 2021 (families, rented homes, flats and apartments). Where people live ## Where do people live in New South Wales? Greater Sydney counts 5,638,736 residents, 65.6% of the state. Council by council, its income peaks on the lower North Shore and in the east — North Sydney at an income index of 149.7, Woollahra at 147.5 — while Canterbury-Bankstown, the second-largest council with 389,687 residents, sits at 85.6. By postcode the highest incomes are around the inner harbour, in Balmain, Erskineville and Rozelle, as the page on Sydney shows. Outside Sydney the Hunter is the largest market: Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and the Hunter Valley together hold 728,669 residents, more than all of Tasmania. The Illawarra adds 330,646. Up the coast, the Mid North Coast has a median age of 50.9 and an income index of 75.3. Greater Sydney and the regions of New South Wales with residents, median age and income index Area (capital city, then SA4 regions) Residents 2025 Share Median age Income index Greater Sydney 5,638,736 65.6% 37.0 106.5 Newcastle and Lake Macquarie 411,991 4.8% 39.5 101.0 Illawarra 330,646 3.8% 39.4 98.8 Hunter Valley exc Newcastle 316,678 3.7% 39.8 95.6 Richmond – Tweed 265,822 3.1% 46.1 78.5 Capital Region 248,294 2.9% 44.6 96.6 Mid North Coast 239,522 2.8% 50.9 75.3 Central West 217,048 2.5% 41.3 92.7 New England and North West 191,363 2.2% 41.0 86.3 Riverina 166,492 1.9% 39.2 93.0 Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven 165,286 1.9% 48.5 83.3 Coffs Harbour – Grafton 152,330 1.8% 46.3 77.9 Murray 129,959 1.5% 43.6 87.1 Far West and Orana 118,357 1.4% 39.5 91.5 Residents counted by K-Stra on the address points inside each area; median age from the five-year age groups, income index weighted by residents. The income index comes from ABS personal income tax data for 2022–23, measured for councils and SA2 areas and estimated elsewhere; 100 is the Australian average. One city has a page of its own, with residents within 15, 30 and 45 minutes of the centre and incomes by postcode: [Greater Sydney](https://www.k-stra.com/australia/sydney/) . Growth ## Which councils in New South Wales are growing fastest? Camden, on Sydney’s south-western fringe, grew 39.9% from 2019 to 2025, on average 6.65% a year, the fastest of any New South Wales council with more than 20,000 residents; The Hills and Blacktown follow. These are suburbs of young families: Camden’s median age is 33.5. At the other end, Woollahra and Mosman, two of the wealthiest councils in the country, lost residents over the same years. In Sydney income and growth point in different directions: the money is in established suburbs, the new households are on the edge. Councils of New South Wales with more than 20,000 residents growing fastest and slowest, 2019 to 2025 Council Residents 2019 Residents 2025 Change a year Rank Camden 104,706 146,483 6.65% Fastest The Hills 180,102 222,675 3.94% Fastest Blacktown 380,186 449,385 3.03% Fastest Maitland 85,313 100,439 2.96% Fastest Wollondilly 52,826 62,080 2.92% Fastest Woollahra 56,892 55,218 −0.49% Slowest Lithgow 21,216 20,693 −0.41% Slowest Mosman 30,020 29,374 −0.36% Slowest Councils with more than 20,000 residents in 2025. Average yearly change = (residents 2025 ÷ residents 2019 − 1) ÷ 6, on 2025 council boundaries. Spending ## How much do residents of New South Wales spend, and on what? With a consumption index of 100.9, residents of New South Wales spend almost exactly the national figure per head: A$53,068 a year against A$52,582. What sets the state apart is size — A$456.0 billion a year, 31.4% of all resident spending in Australia. Spending per resident by category in New South Wales and Australia, with the total for New South Wales Category Per resident, NSW Per resident, Australia Total, NSW (A$ million) Food and non-alcoholic beverages A$5,050 A$5,032 43,392 Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics A$1,517 A$1,509 13,035 Clothing and footwear A$1,878 A$1,869 16,137 Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels A$12,884 A$12,788 110,706 Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance A$2,274 A$2,243 19,539 Health A$3,863 A$3,823 33,193 Transport A$5,611 A$5,558 48,213 Information and communication A$965 A$956 8,292 Recreation, sport and culture A$5,447 A$5,380 46,803 Education services A$1,892 A$1,862 16,257 Restaurants and accommodation services A$4,508 A$4,447 38,735 Insurance and financial services A$4,186 A$4,146 35,968 Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services A$2,993 A$2,969 25,717 All categories A$53,068 A$52,582 455,988 Spending per resident from the consumption index and ABS national accounts (5204.0) for 2024–25. Spending of residents, wherever it happens; visitors are not included. Businesses ## How many businesses of each kind does New South Wales have? Per 10,000 residents New South Wales sits near the national figure in most sectors. It has more real estate agencies (5.80 against 5.34) and fewer fuel stations (3.38 against 3.74), in the state with the largest share of flats and apartments: 29.6% of homes in 2021. Businesses by sector in New South Wales, per 10,000 residents, against Australia Sector Locations in NSW Per 10,000 residents Australia Supermarkets 2,516 2.93 2.92 Pharmacies 2,266 2.64 2.63 Gyms & fitness centers 5,959 6.94 7.06 Bars & cafés 10,593 12.33 12.00 Restaurants 10,797 12.57 12.17 Hairdressers 8,186 9.53 9.31 Childcare & early learning 4,693 5.46 5.24 Aged care & retirement living 2,179 2.54 2.50 Fuel stations 2,908 3.38 3.74 Real estate agencies 4,986 5.80 5.34 Hotels & accommodation 11,511 13.40 15.11 K-Stra places catalogue, October 2026, as the app classifies each business; residents at 30 June 2025. A higher count per resident can mean smaller outlets, visitors or a crowded market: the catchment of each site tells which. Free in the app ## What can you see about New South Wales without an account? *[Image: The free K-Stra dashboard of New South Wales, opened by clicking its name on the map without an account: residents, families, median age, consumption index and demographic rows.]* No account needed New South Wales · area dashboardThe dashboard of New South Wales: the same residents, median age and consumption index as the table above, and the rows behind them. On the map of Australia, a click on “New South Wales” opens this dashboard; zooming in, the same click works on every council, postcode and suburb in NSW. Browsing them costs nothing. Figures for the whole of New South Wales are a starting point: credits start when you measure the catchment of one of its addresses — the residents within a drive, their spending and the competitors already there. Reading the numbers ## What does this mean for choosing a location in New South Wales? In Sydney a state or city average hides more than it shows. North Sydney and Canterbury-Bankstown, less than twenty kilometres apart, differ by 64.1 points of income index, so a site decision needs the catchment of the address, not the figures of the council. Formats that follow young families — childcare, gyms, supermarkets — find the new demand in Camden, Blacktown, The Hills and Liverpool, where residents are added every year. Premium formats find the spending on the North Shore and in the east, with flat or falling numbers of residents and long-established competitors. Beyond Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra are large enough for a network plan of their own. The north coast is older and earns less, and its demand leans towards health, aged care and services. FAQ ## What else do people ask about New South Wales? ### What is the population of New South Wales? 8,592,524 at 30 June 2025, according to the ABS estimate, which is 31.1% of all Australians. Greater Sydney accounts for 5,638,736 of them. ### Which is the largest council in New South Wales? Blacktown, with 449,385 residents in 2025, followed by Canterbury-Bankstown and the Central Coast. The City of Sydney, at 241,797, is far smaller, because most of the metropolitan area lies in other councils. ### Where in New South Wales are people oldest? On the south and mid-north coast: Eurobodalla has a median age of 55.0 and Mid-Coast 54.4, against 38.6 for the state. The youngest councils over 20,000 residents are Strathfield, Burwood and the City of Sydney. 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[Open the app — free to explore](https://www.k-stra.com/a/?mv=146.3489,-32.8288,4.8,0,0&src=australia-new-south-wales) Browsing areas and dashboards is free