Port Kembla
An established coastal and industrial suburb, Port Kembla has 5,088 residents and a median age of 42, which is 2 years above the national median. Housing is detached-dominant, with 77.0% separate houses, while household income sits at the 31.2nd percentile nationally. The local profile is older and less university-qualified than Australia overall, but overseas-born residents are 3.4 percentage points above the national share. That settled character is reinforced by 82.2% of residents staying at the same address. For buyers comparing Port Kembla with nearby Warrawong or Cringila, its 67.8% car-driver share and 77.0% separate-house share point to a settled, car-oriented market with slow growth.
Population
5,088
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,308/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
74
For buyers, Port Kembla's main appeal is a broad detached-house base: 77.0% of dwellings are separate houses and 44.0% have 3 bedrooms, with another 25.0% offering 4 or more. The trade-off is borrowing pressure. Monthly mortgage repayments are $1,950 and mortgage costs absorb 34.4% of income, higher than the 26.0% rent-to-income share. With 38.3% owning outright and 26.3% paying a mortgage, the suburb suits buyers who value established homes but need to test serviceability carefully. Compared with apartment stock, the 15.8% apartment share provides a smaller entry segment, while house prices can vary substantially by dwelling type and condition.
For Buyers
For buyers, Port Kembla's main appeal is a broad detached-house base: 77.0% of dwellings are separate houses and 44.0% have 3 bedrooms, with another 25.0% offering 4 or more. The trade-off is borrowing pressure. Monthly mortgage repayments are $1,950 and mortgage costs absorb 34.4% of income, higher than the 26.0% rent-to-income share. With 38.3% owning outright and 26.3% paying a mortgage, the suburb suits buyers who value established homes but need to test serviceability carefully. Compared with apartment stock, the 15.8% apartment share provides a smaller entry segment, while house prices can vary substantially by dwelling type and condition.
For Investors
Investor conditions are mixed. Renting accounts for 34.2% of households, below outright ownership at 38.3%, while vacancy is 7.9%. That level can give tenants more choice, but it also warrants conservative assumptions about downtime and rent growth. Development activity is material at 74 applications over 12 months, including dual occupancies and secondary dwellings, which may gradually add competing stock. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver, yet the annual trend is -0.23%, so Port Kembla looks more like a yield-and-renewal market than a high-growth bet. Compared with a lower-vacancy market, cash-flow resilience matters more than headline demand.
Development Activity
Total DAs
403
Last 12 Months
74
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+37.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Port Kembla
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Demographics
Port Kembla's demographic profile is older than Australia overall: the median age is 42, or 2 years above the national median, while university attainment at 25.8% is 4.3 percentage points below the national figure. Overseas-born residents make up 25.0%, 3.4 points above the national share. English ancestry leads at 1,487 people, followed by Macedonian at 793 and Italian at 435; Macedonian, Italian and Greek are also prominent non-English languages. Household size is 2.4, 0.1 below national, helping explain demand for 3-bedroom homes alongside a sizeable couples-without-children group at 35.4%.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
77.0%
Houses
6.7%
Townhouse
15.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Port Kembla's tenure mix is split between long-term owners and renters: 38.3% own outright, 26.3% have a mortgage and 34.2% rent. Separate houses dominate at 77.0%, compared with 15.8% apartments and 6.7% semi-detached dwellings. The most common format is 3 bedrooms at 44.0%, followed by 4 or more at 25.0% and 2 bedrooms at 24.3%. Mortgage-to-income pressure is 34.4%, higher than rent-to-income at 26.0%, which matters because affordability is worsening even as the suburb remains below the national household-income midpoint at the 31.2nd percentile. A 7.9% vacancy rate may give renters more choice than tighter markets, but it can also soften landlord negotiating power.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (April to June 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $340.
$650
Bond data Jun 2026 · houses $700 · units $488
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$648
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.9%
Unoccupied
171
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
34.4% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
37.9%
Couples with children
35.4%
Couples, no children
24.7%
Single parent
1,356
Total families
Economy & Employment
Employment is anchored by healthcare, which accounts for 23.4% of jobs, followed by education at 12.0%, public administration at 9.4%, construction at 8.6% and manufacturing at 7.2%. That mix links local work to essential services, government and trade activity rather than one single employer. Professionals number 407, trades 297 and labourers 290, showing a wider occupational spread. The unemployment rate is 5.8%, participation is 51.1% and full-time employment is 54.0%. Compared with national income levels, household income sits at the 31.2nd percentile, while all four SEIFA deciles are 1, signalling substantially lower socioeconomic outcomes than higher-decile areas. The gap helps explain why mortgage stress reaches 34.4%.
Unemployment
5.8%
Labour Force
2,156
Unemployed
126
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.0%
Part-time
33.4%
Participation
51.1%
Employed
2,030
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
25.8%
Postgraduate
6.6%
Born Overseas
25.0%
Dwellings
1,999
Transport to Work
Port Kembla is practical for drivers, with 67.8% travelling as car drivers, compared with only 1.5% using public transport and 1.9% walking or cycling. That pattern matters because daily errands and work are likely to be easier with private-vehicle access, while 25.0% working from home may reduce commuting for some households. Three local government schools provide 2 primary and 1 secondary option, but families should check enrolment zones against the exact address. The suburb covers 13.83 square kilometres at a density of 368.0 people per square kilometre, giving it a more spread-out feel than compact apartment districts. Safety should be checked using current NSW Police crime information because street-level conditions can differ.
Drive
67.8%
Public Transport
1.5%
Walk / Cycle
1.9%
Work from Home
25.0%
Population Forecast
-0.23%/yr
(-22 people/yr)
EstablishedPort Kembla is a slow-growth market. The annual trend is -0.23%, while population change across the wider area is 1.0% over 10 years and the shift trajectory is Stable. Overseas migration is the primary driver, but that inflow has not translated into a faster local trend. Rental growth is 71.4% and the affordability trend is Worsening, pointing to rising pressure for tenants and buyers. Gentrification signals are mixed: the shift assessment is Active with a score of 53, while the gentrification stage is Not gentrifying with a score of 0. Compared with faster-expanding coastal corridors, the practical story is established housing, limited population momentum and affordability risk rather than rapid uplift.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+50
Net Internal / yr
-76
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Port Kembla compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Kembla a good suburb to live in?
Port Kembla may suit households wanting established detached housing and local schools. It has 5,088 residents, a median age of 42 and 77.0% separate houses. Car use is high at 67.8%, while public transport is 1.5%, so check commuting needs and the exact street location before choosing a home.
What is the median house price in Port Kembla?
Port Kembla's median house price should be checked against recent comparable sales because the housing mix can shift the headline result. Separate houses account for 77.0% of dwellings, apartments 15.8%, and 3-bedroom homes 44.0%, so compare like-for-like properties rather than mixing houses and units.
What schools are in Port Kembla?
Port Kembla has 3 nearby government schools: 2 primary schools, Port Kembla Public School and Kemblawarra Public School, plus 1 secondary school, Five Islands Secondary College. Check the enrolment zone for the exact address, as school access can change across boundary streets.
Is Port Kembla safe?
Safety should be assessed with current NSW Police information and an address-level check, because conditions can vary across 13.83 square kilometres and among 5,088 residents. No suburb-wide conclusion should be made without a current crime-rate check, especially when comparing individual streets or housing pockets.
Is Port Kembla good for property investment?
Port Kembla has some investment support, with 34.2% of households renting and 74 development applications over 12 months. However, the 7.9% vacancy rate and -0.23% annual growth trend call for conservative assumptions. Renting is below outright ownership at 38.3%, so returns depend on property selection, maintenance and tenant demand rather than growth alone.
How is Port Kembla's population changing?
Population change is slow. The annual trend is -0.23%, while change across the wider area is 1.0% over 10 years; the shift trajectory is Stable and overseas migration is the primary driver. Rent growth reached 71.4% and affordability is labelled Worsening, so housing pressure is rising faster than population momentum.
What development is occurring in Port Kembla?
Development activity is noticeable, with 74 applications in the past 12 months. Recent examples include a 2-dwelling attached dual occupancy and a secondary dwelling, alongside alterations to residential buildings. This can improve housing choice, but it may also add competing rental stock, so investors should check approvals, construction timing and local street impacts.
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 education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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