Palmers Island
NSWPalmers Island is a growing suburb in NSW with 482 residents.
- SAL code
- 13147
- SA2
- 104011082
- Population
- 482
Palmers Island, NSW had 482 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 7.1% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 55-64 years, and the median age sits at 49. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,733 a month. Around 88.5% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 53.7%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 97.3% of the suburb's housing stock. There is 1 school located inside the suburb. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Population
?482
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+7.1%
3yr: +5.0% · 10yr: +12.4%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,404/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
49
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?3/10
SA2 · more disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.5%
SA4 · Q4 2025
Schools
1
1 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?1
1 OSHC
Parks & green space
No data for this suburb
Transport stops
?2
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Maclean - Yamba - Iluka (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Palmers Island suburb alone is ~482 (Census 2021).
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 14,359 to 18,562 over 24 years, averaging 1.1% per year.
Schools
1 in suburbGovernment school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Palmers Island PS95.2%
- Chatsworth IPS 1.8%
- Harwood Island PS 1.3%
- Iluka PS 0.6%
- Yamba PS 0.4%
- Gulmarrad PS 0.4%
- Maclean PS 0.4%
Secondary
Maclean HS
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Almost entirely detached houses (97.3%), owner-occupied (89%), built for families (42% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire & flood risk
Bushfire
Hazard data is not yet available for this state.
Flood
Source: NSW Planning Portal EPI Flood
As of Apr 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped hazard polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Planning zones
7 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| RU1 | ZoneRural | 52.4% | 18.24 km² |
| RU2 | ZoneRural | 19.7% | 6.88 km² |
| W2 | ZoneWaterway | 18.7% | 6.53 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 7.1% | 2.47 km² |
| W1 | ZoneWaterway | 1.0% | 0.35 km² |
| C3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.8% | 0.26 km² |
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 0.3% | 0.10 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.