suburb.guide

NSW · Wollongong Council

Scarborough, 2515

Est. population · Jun 2025

329

Growth (1 yr)

+0.3%

Growth (5 yr)

+1.9%

Median age

41

Median income

$2,571/wk

Employment rate

60.2%

University qualified

40.2%

Work from home

44.7%

Median house price · October to December 2025

$2,000,000

Languages at home

3.8%non-English

Most common: Urdu

2021 Census · usual residence

Desirability score

45.7/100
Average

Top 47% of New South Wales' suburbs

Verified 95% confidence

How this score is calculated
  • Beach
  • Excellent transport
What Scarborough is known for: Beach, Excellent transport

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Scarborough, NSW suburb snapshot — Suburb Guide

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Suburb Guide, “Scarborough, NSW Suburb Guide”, updated 1 October 2026, https://suburb.guide/nsw/scarborough-nsw

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Suburb profile

Scarborough is a coastal town in New South Wales, in Wollongong Council. Notable landmarks include Scarborough Railway Station group.

Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked coastal towns, and university qualifications are among the highest in the peer group, with university qualifications 71% above the peer median. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The clearer weaknesses are thinner park access, limited amenity for the price and higher recorded crash rates relative to resident population, with park access 100% below the peer median.

Overall, Scarborough suits people prioritising socio-economic advantage and university qualifications over open space.

Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.

Strengths and weaknesses

Coastal town · compared with coastal towns in New South Wales (162)

Strengths

  • Socio-economic advantage is among the highest in the peer group
  • University qualifications are among the highest in the peer group

Weaknesses

  • Park access is a relative weakness
  • Buyers pay a premium despite relatively limited amenity access
  • Recorded crashes relative to resident population are elevated

What stands out

  • Scarborough Beach
  • Scarborough Railway Station group
  • Space is a strength, but car dependence is high

Who it suits

  • Families
  • Professionals
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Budget buyers

Housing, growth and risk

How Scarborough compares

A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk

Median house price

$2M

+11% change

Median rent

$900/wk

Houses $1,063 · Units $675

Population (ERP)

329

+0.3% annual growth

Dwelling vacancy

16.4%

Census unoccupied dwellings

Livability profile

Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)

How it compares

Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles

Desirability

#19

among Coastal & beach · Emerging

Crime rate

29th

percentile in state (higher = more crime)

Pop. growth

44th

percentile in NSW

Rented dwellings

18%

2021 Census tenure

Advantage (IRSAD)

10/10

national SEIFA decile

School ICSEA

78th

percentile among schools with ICSEA

Population growth

Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years

Housing mix

Dwelling types from the 2021 Census

Risks & flags

Quick scan — open a section below for full context

Living here

Desirability

Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
45.7/100 — Average
State standing
Top 47% of New South Wales' suburbs
National rank
2944th in Australia
State rank
994th in NSW
Peer rank
#19 among Coastal & beach · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#131 among Coastal & beach suburbs
Data confidence
95%

Data sources & freshness

  • Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated

Housing

Flats / units (January to March 2026)
$675
Houses (January to March 2026)
$1,063
All types (January to March 2026)
$900
Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
69
Median house price (October to December 2025)
$2,000,000
Median price change
+11.1%

Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.

Contributes to desirability score · Housing (10%) · Future Growth (6%)

Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band

Data sources & freshness

Population

Estimated resident population

329(June 2025)

+0.3% annual · +1.9% over 5 years · 44th percentile in NSW

Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+0.3%
5-year growth
+1.9%
Change in 1 year
+1
Change in 5 years
+6
Growth rank in NSW
44th percentile

ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.

Methodology

Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.

The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~350), extrapolated at +0.6% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.

2021 Census figures

2021 Census

Population
325
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$2,571
Dwelling vacancy
16.4%
Unoccupied private dwellings
19 of 116
Median monthly mortgage
$2,500
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$575
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
38.8% / 42.9% / 18.4%
Employment rate
60.2%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
44.7% / 0% / 33.3%
Walked or cycled to work
0%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
96 / 0 / 0

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)

Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

  • Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries

Qualifications

40.2% of adults have a university degree, compared with 27.8% across New South Wales. 17.3% have a trade or vocational qualification.

  • University qualified40.2% · 27.8% NSW
  • Diploma qualified10.4% · 9.3% NSW
  • Trade / vocational17.3% · 15% NSW
  • Year 12 or below32.1% · 47.9% NSW

Highest qualification field

Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).

  • Management and commerce17.6%
  • Society and culture15.3%
  • Engineering and related technologies14.7%
  • Creative arts13.5%
  • Health11.2%
  • Education10%
How these groups are defined
MeasureDefinition
University qualifiedBachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualifiedAdvanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocationalCertificate III + IV
Year 12Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below

People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

University qualifications from the 2021 Census

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Tax & income

Median taxable income (2023–24)
$64,991

77th percentile in NSW · +11% vs Australia

Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$72,394

77th percentile in NSW · +11% vs Australia

Residents with rental investments
22.0%

89th percentile in NSW · +59% vs Australia

Median super balance (2023–24)
$146,679

97th percentile in NSW · +132% vs Australia

Residents with business income
13.0%

80th percentile in NSW · +25% vs Australia

Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 2515 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.

Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
7,507
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,661
Median net rent
$856
Taxpayers reporting business income
943
Taxable income vs state median
+16%
Salary / wages vs state median
+15%
Rental investment vs state median
+57%
Super vs state median
+108%
Business income vs state median
+30%

Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in NSW, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.

Data sources & freshness

  • Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary

Community & culture

3.8% speak a language other than English at home; 15.1% born overseas

Language at home
304 English only · 12 other
Non-English at home
3.8%
Born overseas
47 (15.1%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
12 (3.7%)
Australian citizens
297
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
1

Top languages other than English

Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).

  • Urdu5 · 100%

Religion

57.2%No religion

No religion is the most common response at 57.2%, while Christianity accounts for 33.2%.

MeasureSuburbState
No religion57.2%32.8%
Christianity33.2%47.6%
Other / not stated9.5%19.6%
Christian denominations
DenominationSuburbState
Catholic17.2%22.4%
Anglican9.8%11.9%
Uniting Church3.1%2.1%

2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.

Data sources & freshness

  • 2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated

    The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.

Crime & safety

Offence counts are estimated for this suburb from postcode 2515, which is shared with other suburbs.

Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.

Offence counts & rates
Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
16
Against the person
3
Against property
6
Rate per 1,000 residents
48.6
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 108 residents
State crime-rate percentile
29.1th (higher = more crime)
Increase (daily rate)
+33.7%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
5
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
15.2

Most common offence types

  • Break And Enter Dwelling1
  • Domestic Violence Related Assault1
  • Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment1
  • Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault1
  • Transport Regulatory Offences4

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates

Data sources & freshness

Family & Lifestyle

Schools & preschools

Schools within 2 km
1
Median school ICSEA
1,080
Median ICSEA percentile
78th
Primary catchments overlapping suburb
2
Secondary catchments overlapping suburb
2
School list
  • Scarborough Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1080 · 78th percentile · LBOTE 11% · 54 students · Top SEA quarter 36% · 0.5 km awayView on My School →
School catchments
  • Bulli HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Heathcote HSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundarysecondary_catchment
  • Helensburgh PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment
  • Scarborough PSGovernment school catchment overlapping this suburb boundaryprimary_catchment

Government school intake zones that overlap this suburb boundary. Living in a catchment does not guarantee enrolment; check the education authority.

Contributes to desirability score · Education (14%)

Median school ICSEA first, then school and catchment counts

Data sources & freshness

Public transport

18 public transport stops in this suburb

  • Lawrence Hargrave Dr Opp Scarborough Public School
  • Railway Av Bridge
  • STR Railway Av E
  • STR Railway Av W
  • Scarborough Station

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Public transport stops per 1,000 residents and walkability

Data sources & freshness

  • Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed

Amenities

27 mapped amenities

1 pubs · 3 beaches · 1 campgrounds

Local character & venue list

Local character

  • Limited walkable amenities nearby
  • Well connected by public transport — 18 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
29/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
3.08
Parks per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink(1)
  • Scarborough HotelPub
Community(1)
  • Scarborough Public SchoolSchool

    Scarborough

Sport & outdoors(5)
  • Beach (2)
  • Scarborough BeachBeach
  • Grand Pacific WalkCycling route
  • Princes HighwayCycling route
Camping & holiday parks(1)
  • Campground
Entertainment(2)
  • Viewpoint (2)
Transport(10)

7 bus stops · 3 train stations

Other(3)
  • Parking (3)
  • AusPostPost Box
  • Ticket Validator (3)

Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)

Data sources & freshness

  • Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
  • OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated

Green cover

Green cover of suburb area
3.1%
Woodland / forest cover
3.1%
Parks & woodland features (OSM)
1
Parks (OSM)
0
Typical summer maximum
25°C

Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000

Data sources & freshness

  • OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries

Health access

Nearest hospital
Coledale Hospital (2.4 km)
Nearest hospital type
Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
Emergency department
GP clinics in suburb
0

GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).

Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)

Hospitals, GPs and aged care

Data sources & freshness

NDIS participation

NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
6
Participants per 1,000 residents
18.2

Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.

For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.

Data sources & freshness

Weather

Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.

Summer (Dec–Feb)

Usual max / min
25° / 17°
Rainfall
321 mm · ~40 rainy days

Autumn (Mar–May)

Usual max / min
22° / 14°
Rainfall
359 mm · ~45 rainy days

Winter (Jun–Aug)

Usual max / min
17° / 8°
Rainfall
263 mm · ~33 rainy days

Spring (Sep–Nov)

Usual max / min
21° / 12°
Rainfall
242 mm · ~30 rainy days

Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)

Temperature and humidity comfort

Data sources & freshness

  • Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated

Future & Planning

Planning & development

Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.

2026· 3 proposals

  • September 2026

  • Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    409 LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE SCARBOROUGH 2515Under Assessment

  • July 2026

  • Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation
    382-384 LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE SCARBOROUGH 2515Determined

  • February 2026

  • Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure
    423 LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE SCARBOROUGH 2515Determined
2023· 1 proposal

  • November 2023

  • Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure
    28 Goodrich Street ScarboroughDetermined

Data sources & freshness

Roadworks & transport

1 active roadworks / incidents

  • RoadworksLawrence Hargrave Drive14 Sep 2026 – 01 Oct 2026

Data sources & freshness

  • Road incidents & closures — State road authority open-data feeds · current · Updated

Heritage

1 heritage place

  • Scarborough Railway Station groupFirst Street, ScarboroughSHR

Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)

Heritage listings as established streetscape

Data sources & freshness

  • State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated

Hazards

Bushfire planning zone
Overlay applies
Flood / inundation overlay
No mapped inundation on suburb boundary

Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping. Flood cover uses NSW flood planning polygons against the suburb boundary.

Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)

Bushfire and flood hazard overlays

Data sources & freshness

  • Bushfire and flood planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated

Politics & representation

Federal electorate
Cunningham
Member of Parliament
Alison BYRNES (Australian Labor Party)
Results from
2025 federal election
Electorate enrolment (2025)
132,139
Turnout (2025)
92.4%
Swing since 2022 (2025)
+2.5 pp toward Labor

Two-party preferred (2025)

Coalition 32.5%Labor 67.5%

Estimated suburb voting profile

Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 8.5 km away).

Coalition 27.9%Labor 72.2%

4.6 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate

Estimated swing since 2022: +4.4 pp toward Labor

Nearest polling places

  • WombarraLabor 73.0% · Coalition 27.0% TPP (2025)1.4 km away
  • ColedaleLabor 69.9% · Coalition 30.1% TPP (2025)3.3 km away
  • Stanwell ParkLabor 67.9% · Coalition 32.1% TPP (2025)4.2 km away
  • AustinmerLabor 76.5% · Coalition 23.5% TPP (2025)5.7 km away
  • Thirroul EastLabor 74.2% · Coalition 25.8% TPP (2025)6.8 km away

Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.

Data sources & freshness

Socio-economic

IRSAD decile (2021)
10/10
IRSD decile (2021)
10/10

ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).

What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?

IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.

IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.

A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.

Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)

Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD and IRSD deciles)

Data sources & freshness

More in Wollongong Council

Other suburbs in the same local government area.

Comparable suburbs

Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.