Median house price
$2M
+11% change
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%
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
- Coastal
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
- Heritage area
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Scarborough wears its coastal identity openly, a smaller community built around sand, sea and an easy outdoor rhythm. Working households and growing families are the backbone of local life, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Local eateries and coffee spots give the area a friendly, everyday social rhythm.
Open space is thinner than in many coastal suburbs, so residents often travel a little further for a longer park day. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses and trains still link the suburb further afield. Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers.
Local crime has been trending higher of late. An emerging neighbourhood feel is building here, with new households gradually reshaping local life.
Desirability lands below average here: softer local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus growth momentum weighing on the result versus similar coastal suburbs, even with community and employment, plus schools and education holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Scarborough snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
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
#34
among Coastal & beach · Emerging
Safety
29th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
44th
percentile in NSW
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
- 26.4/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6099th in Australia
- State rank
- 1970th in NSW
- Peer rank
- #34 among Coastal & beach · Emerging suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #194 among Coastal & beach suburbs
- Data confidence
- 89%
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 (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · January to March 2026; October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
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
- Employment rate
- 60.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 96 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs 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
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
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 safety percentile
- 29.1th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +33.7%
Most common offence types
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment36
- Malicious Damage To Property48
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault28
- Steal From Motor Vehicle36
- Transport Regulatory Offences137
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,080
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 78th
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 →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
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 (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
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
22 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
1 pubs
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
Entertainment(2)
- Viewpoint (2)
Transport(10)
7 bus stops · 3 train stations
Other(4)
- Camp Site
- 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.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 1
- Parks (OSM)
- 0
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Coledale Hospital (2.4 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
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
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
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 (15%)
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· 2 proposals
July 2026
- Erection of a new structure; Residential Accommodation382-384 LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE SCARBOROUGH 2515Under Assessment
February 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure423 LAWRENCE HARGRAVE DRIVE SCARBOROUGH 2515Determined
2023· 1 proposal
November 2023
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure28 Goodrich Street ScarboroughDetermined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Heritage
1 heritage place
- Scarborough Railway Station groupFirst Street, ScarboroughSHR
Data sources & freshness
- State heritage register — State heritage authority · current · Updated
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard 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
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
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 (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
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.