Wollongong
NSWWollongong is a growing suburb in NSW with 20,446 residents.
- SAL code
- 14376
- SA2
- 107041548
- Population
- 20,446
- LGA
- Wollongong
Wollongong, NSW had 20,446 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 14.8% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 35. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $1,950 a month. Around 41.8% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 54.5%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 78.5% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 21 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Wollongong, NSW at a glance
Wollongong is the dense CBD core of NSW's third-largest city, ~84 km south of Sydney on the coastal strip between the Illawarra Escarpment and the Pacific. The dwelling mix is overwhelmingly strata — a mid- and high-rise apartment market that has been the focus of a decade of CBD redevelopment, with new towers continuing to reshape the skyline. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
The Wollongong suburb is essentially the city centre — the highest-density pocket of the Illawarra at ~2,150 people per km² (City of Wollongong demographics). Dwelling stock skews heavily strata (~64% per CoreLogic), with apartment buildings clustered around Crown Street, Corrimal Street and the Railway Street precinct. You'll find Wollongong Central mall (~200 stores, supermarkets, cinemas) anchoring everyday retail, the small-bar + restaurant scene along Crown and Globe Lane, and the Blue Mile foreshore (North Wollongong Beach to Coniston) within walking distance. Wollongong railway station puts Sydney Central ~1h32m away on the South Coast line; the Free Gong Shuttle loops the CBD, hospital, university and Innovation Campus every 10–20 minutes. University of Wollongong is ~3 km west. In short: a walkable, beach-adjacent CBD apartment market with direct rail to Sydney — best suited to owner-occupiers comfortable with strata living.
For investors
Wollongong is a unit-led market with growth diverging sharply between dwelling types. Median unit $740,000 against $650/week rent gives a ~4.17% gross yield; median house $1.30M / $750/wk rent only a 3.20% yield (Your Investment Property, May 2026). 12-month unit growth +5.34% (quarterly +2.07%) versus +4.00% for houses (quarterly flat). 589 unit sales vs 70 house sales in the past 12 months — this is overwhelmingly a strata market. Days-on-market: 36 units, 62 houses.
Strengths
- Deep, liquid unit market — 589 unit sales in 12 months and 36-day DOM (Your Investment Property May 2026) makes entry and exit straightforward.
- Best-of-suburb yield sits in units at ~4.17% gross — the lever for investors here is dwelling type, not location.
- Steady unit price growth (+5.34% YoY, +2.07% quarterly to May 2026) outpacing the suburb's house segment.
- Direct rail to Sydney (~1h32m) plus University of Wollongong tenant catchment underpins rental demand.
Trade-offs
- Houses are a low-yield segment — 3.20% gross at a $1.30M median (Your Investment Property May 2026) and 62-day DOM signals weaker cashflow + slower turnover.
- Heavy CBD apartment pipeline: towers like Signature (21 storeys, 150 units), Avante (18 storeys), Skye Wollongong (19 storeys) plus shoptop infill (~161 affordable units flagged) (Illawarra Mercury 2025–2026) could pressure unit growth as supply lands.
- Strata dominance (~64% of stock per CoreLogic) limits land-banking / value-add plays — this is a yield + growth-on-paper market, not a renovation one.
- House segment growth has stalled this quarter (0.00% Q4 to May 2026 per Your Investment Property) after several years of strong gains.
What's coming
Wollongong City Council's draft 2026/27 Delivery Program commits a record $157m Infrastructure Delivery Program (~250 projects) within an $850m four-year envelope (April 2026). CBD-relevant items include the new Wollongong City Centre skatepark, ongoing Blue Mile foreshore + North Wollongong seawall works, and CBD height-bonus planning rules unlocking more affordable-housing high-rise. The Crown Street social-housing redevelopment (NSW Govt) is delivering ~120 dwellings.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a walkable beach-side CBD with direct rail to Sydney — apartment living is the default. For investors: a unit market with moderate yield and steady growth, weighed against a thick CBD pipeline.
Population
?20,446
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+14.8%
3yr: +9.3% · 10yr: +28.3%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$1,549/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
35
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?6/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?6.3%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
6
4 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
?1
Within suburb
Childcare services
?21
17 long day, 3 OSHC
Parks & green space
?21
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?73
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?73
Wollongong · Feb 2026
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 — Wollongong - East (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Wollongong suburb alone is ~20,446 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 9,764 to 18,274 over 24 years, averaging 2.6% per year.
Schools
3 in suburbSector
3 public
Type
1 primary · 1 secondary
Total enrolment
1,314(2 of 3 reporting)
Avg per school
657
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Wollongong PS45.5%
- Coniston PS 35.3%
- Wollongong WPS 15.2%
- Gwynneville PS 3.1%
Secondary
Keira HS81.6%
- Wollongong HS of the Performing Arts 18.3%
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
Public housing 5.1%Almost entirely apartments (78.5%), rental-heavy (54.5% renting), built for families (53% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: NSW RFS BFPL via SEED
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
16 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 19.0% | 1.10 km² |
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 17.7% | 1.02 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 14.8% | 0.85 km² |
| E2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 10.7% | 0.61 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 10.1% | 0.58 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 9.9% | 0.57 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 6.0% | 0.35 km² |
| SP1 | ZoneSpecial use | 4.5% | 0.26 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 2.4% | 0.14 km² |
| SP3 | ZoneSpecial use | 1.2% | 0.07 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 1.0% | 0.06 km² |
| W2 | ZoneWaterway | 1.0% | 0.06 km² |
| W4 | ZoneWaterway | 0.5% | 0.03 km² |
| W3 | ZoneWaterway | 0.3% | 0.02 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 0.3% | 0.02 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.3% | 0.01 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.