Lisarow
Roughly six in ten Lisarow dwellings carry four or more bedrooms (59.9%), a share that explains almost everything else about this Central Coast pocket. Detached houses make up 82.7% of stock and apartments just 0.2%, so the suburb reads as a low-density family belt at 487.9 residents per km2 across 10.86 km2. The median house price sits at $1,115,000, and household income lands in the 79th percentile nationally. The median age of 41 runs 1.0 year above national, with the senior share up 6.4 points over the decade, signalling an aging trajectory rather than fresh inflow. More than half of owners (51.4%) still carry a mortgage, marking a classic mortgage-belt profile.
Population
5,299
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,087/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
36
Median House
$1.1M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
Buyers face a $1,115,000 median house price that rose 6.5% from $1,070,000 in 2024 to $1,140,000 in 2025, a steady single-year move. The stock heavily favours larger families: 59.9% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 30.9% have three, while two-bedroom homes are only 8.2%, so downsizers find little to buy here. Separate houses dominate at 82.7% with semi-detached at 17.1% and apartments at just 0.2%. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $2,139 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.7%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, which is why the mortgage-belt majority of 51.4% can carry their loans despite a seven-figure entry price. Outright owners account for 34.3%, leaving renters a small 14.4% minority and confirming an owner-occupier family market.
For Buyers
Buyers face a $1,115,000 median house price that rose 6.5% from $1,070,000 in 2024 to $1,140,000 in 2025, a steady single-year move. The stock heavily favours larger families: 59.9% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 30.9% have three, while two-bedroom homes are only 8.2%, so downsizers find little to buy here. Separate houses dominate at 82.7% with semi-detached at 17.1% and apartments at just 0.2%. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $2,139 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.7%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, which is why the mortgage-belt majority of 51.4% can carry their loans despite a seven-figure entry price. Outright owners account for 34.3%, leaving renters a small 14.4% minority and confirming an owner-occupier family market.
For Investors
Renters make up only 14.4% of households, the thinnest segment in Lisarow, so the tenant pool is shallow by design. Weekly rent of $435 against the $1,115,000 median implies a gross yield near 2.0%, modest, though rent has grown 44.1% over the period, which supports income escalation more than entry yield. The 3.5% vacancy rate sits at a balanced level, neither tight nor oversupplied. Development is light at 33 applications in 12 months, mostly new dwellings, pools and garages rather than multi-unit supply, so investors should not expect rental stock to expand quickly. Demand drivers are weak: net overseas migration adds 35 residents a year while internal migration removes 42, leaving annual population growth at just 0.23%. The case here rests on long-hold capital growth and rent rises rather than volume or high yield.
Development Activity
Total DAs
204
Last 12 Months
36
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+56.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Lisarow iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Lisarow Public School
K-6 · 192 students
Lisarow High School
7-12 · 728 students
Narara Public School
K-6 · 377 students
Demographics
The median age of 41 is 1.0 year above the national figure, and the direction is clearly aging: the senior share climbed 6.4 points while the young share fell 3.0 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents reach 17.7%, which is 3.9 points below national, making this a more Australian-born area than most. University qualifications sit at 31.4%, 1.3 points above national, a modest education edge. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,357), Irish (620) and Scottish (610), and non-English languages are negligible, with Mandarin and Korean tied at just 12 speakers each. Average household size is 2.9, which is 0.4 above national and consistent with the family-heavy housing: couples with children number 2,065 against 984 couple-only households among 4,624 families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
82.7%
Houses
17.1%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts toward debt-funded ownership: 51.4% carry a mortgage, 34.3% own outright and only 14.4% rent. The mortgage majority outnumbering outright owners marks a younger ownership base than a fully paid-down suburb. Stock is overwhelmingly detached at 82.7%, with semi-detached at 17.1% and apartments a trivial 0.2%, so dwelling diversity is low. Bedroom counts skew large: 59.9% have four or more and 30.9% have three, leaving two-bedroom homes at 8.2%. The median house price rose from $1,070,000 to $1,140,000 across 2024 to 2025, a 6.5% one-year gain. Mortgage-to-income at 23.7% and rent-to-income at 20.8% both sit below the 30% stress threshold, which keeps housing affordable relative to local incomes even as prices push past $1 million.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,139
Rent / wk
$435
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$808
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.5%
Unoccupied
63
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.3%
Couples, no children
4,624
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in service sectors: Healthcare leads at 21.4% (387 workers), Education follows at 12.7% (229) and Construction at 9.3% (168), with Professional/Tech at 8.4% and Public Admin at 8.2%. By occupation, Professionals (596) and Managers (363) form the largest groups, ahead of Clerical/Admin (358). Unemployment is low at 4.2% and the full-time employment rate is 60.5%. Participation reads 58.5%, held down by 1,414 residents not in the labour force, which fits the aging profile. The SEIFA spread is telling: IER sits at decile 9 for economic resources while IEO reads decile 6 for education and occupation, with IRSAD and IRSD both at decile 7. The high IER against a middling IEO reflects asset-rich, home-owning households rather than a high-skill knowledge economy.
Unemployment
1.8%
Labour Force
4,560
Unemployed
81
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.5%
Part-time
35.3%
Participation
58.5%
Employed
2,361
Occupations
Top Industries
University
31.4%
Postgraduate
7.6%
Born Overseas
17.7%
Dwellings
1,765
Transport to Work
Lisarow is heavily car-dependent: 89.6% drive to work while only 1.5% use public transport and 2.4% walk or cycle, well below the national reliance on active or public modes. That pattern fits the low density of 487.9 residents per km2 and the detached, four-bedroom housing stock. No schools are recorded inside the 10.86 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a trade-off for the spacious, semi-rural setting. On disadvantage measures the suburb scores decile 7 on IRSAD and decile 7 on IRSD, comfortably above the midpoint, meaning relatively few residents face deprivation. Volunteering runs at 15.7% and 6.9% of residents (356 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the older median age of 41.
Drive
89.6%
Public Transport
1.5%
Walk / Cycle
2.4%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.23%/yr
(+19 people/yr)
EstablishedLisarow is a slow-growth, established area: annual population growth registers just 0.23%, about 19 people a year, with a 1.9% rise over the past decade. Migration drivers are split, with net overseas migration adding 35 residents annually while internal migration removes 42, leaving overseas arrivals as the only positive force. The trajectory is aging, the senior share up 6.4 points and the young share down 3.0 points, so natural expansion is limited. Gentrification scores 0 and reads as not gentrifying, despite affordability worsening from 50.9% in 2011 to 53.3% in 2021 and rent climbing 44.1%. Real incomes grew 11.9% over the decade, modest growth that lags the rent increase, which is why affordability slipped rather than improved.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+35
Net Internal / yr
-42
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Lisarow compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lisarow a good suburb to live in?
Lisarow scores decile 7 on both IRSAD and IRSD, above the midpoint nationally, with household income in the 79th percentile. It suits families, since 59.9% of homes have four or more bedrooms and 82.7% are detached houses. The main trade-offs are heavy car dependence at 89.6% and a $1,115,000 median house price.
What is the median house price in Lisarow?
The median house price is $1,115,000. Prices rose 6.5% from $1,070,000 in 2024 to $1,140,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $435 and average monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,139, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.7%, below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Lisarow?
No schools are recorded inside the 10.86 km2 Lisarow boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The local population is moderately educated, with university qualifications at 31.4%, which is 1.3 points above the national figure.
Is Lisarow safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Lisarow in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 7 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, above the midpoint, and 6.9% of its residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage residential area.
Is Lisarow good for property investment?
Rent of $435 a week against a $1,115,000 median gives a gross yield near 2.0%, modest, and only 14.4% of households rent, so the tenant pool is small. The 3.5% vacancy rate is balanced and rent grew 44.1%, but 0.23% annual population growth means returns depend on capital growth more than yield.
How is Lisarow's population changing?
Population growth is just 0.23% annually, about 19 people a year, with a 1.9% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 6.4 points and the young share down 3.0 points over the decade. Net overseas migration adds 35 residents a year while internal migration removes 42.
How much development is happening in Lisarow?
There were 33 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, modest for a 10.86 km2 suburb. Most are new dwellings, swimming pools, garages and structure works on existing lots rather than multi-unit supply, consistent with a detached, slow-growth area at 0.23% annual population growth.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
Explore Lisarow on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map