Telarah

Development Activity

Schools in Telarah iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

At a median age of 36, Telarah residents are four years younger than the national median of 40, consistent with a working-age and early-family cohort. Only 5.0% of residents were born overseas, which is 16.6 percentage points below the national figure, giving the suburb a strongly locally-born character dominated by English (1,005), Irish (301) and Scottish (245) ancestries. University qualifications reach just 14.6% of residents, 15.5 points below national, reflecting the working-class occupational profile where Community/Personal services, Labourers and Sales each account for significant shares. The average household size of 2.3 is marginally below national at 2.5. Couples with children make up the largest family type at 608, while couples without children total 479, suggesting a neighbourhood still in the family-raising phase.

Tenure splits into three clear bands: 28.7% own outright, 38.8% carry a mortgage and 32.5% rent. The higher mortgage share than outright ownership reflects recent buyer activity rather than long-held inherited stock, consistent with the younger median age of 36. Separate houses dominate at 89.4%, with semi-detached at 6.1% and apartments at only 4.5%, making Telarah one of the more detached-house-concentrated suburbs in the region. Three-bedroom homes are the clear majority at 59.9%. The median house price rose from $620,000 in 2024 to $658,000 in 2025, a 6.1% one-year gain. Rent-to-income at 22.9% sits below the 30% stress threshold, so tenants are not under pressure relative to their incomes. IRSAD decile 2 places the suburb in the lower advantage tier nationally.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the dominant employer at 19.6% of the workforce (127 workers), roughly double the share of the next largest sector, reflecting the suburb's role as a service catchment for the broader Maitland area. Education follows at 10.0%, Construction at 9.1% and Retail at 9.0%, with Public Admin at 6.5%. By occupation, Community/Personal services (154), Professionals (144) and Labourers (144) share the top positions, unusual in that trade and professional workers are roughly equal in size. The unemployment rate is 7.1%, above most NSW suburban benchmarks, and the participation rate of 55.2% is low, partly because 678 residents are not in the labour force. Personal weekly income averages $689, below the national median. SEIFA IEO decile 1 places the suburb at the lowest tier on education and occupation measures nationally.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is pronounced in Telarah: 88.2% of residents drive to work, well above the national average, while only 2.2% use public transport. Walking and cycling account for 3.3% of commutes. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary, so families draw on nearby Maitland schools. The IRSAD decile 2 score places Telarah in the lower 20% nationally for socio-economic advantage, which means services and infrastructure are more likely to reflect a disadvantaged catchment than a premium one. About 9.1% of residents (198 people) require daily assistance, modestly above typical rates. The volunteering rate at 9.8% is low compared to higher-advantage suburbs. Rent stress is absent at 22.9% rent-to-income and mortgage stress is absent at 26.4%, so cost of housing is manageable relative to local incomes despite the lower income base.

Population Forecast

Population has grown 34.1% over the past decade, a substantially faster pace than most established NSW suburbs. The broader SA2 that includes Telarah recorded 22,051 residents in 2023, rising to 23,952 by 2025, and medium forecasts project continued expansion to around 26,169 by 2031. Annual growth runs at approximately 2.05% driven almost entirely by net internal migration of 486 persons a year, with overseas migration adding a further 104. The gentrification score sits at 57 (Active stage), supported by signals including population growth of 51% since 2011 and an increase in the 17 to 29-year-old share from 17% to 29%. Rent grew 37.0% over the period, which is above the national average for established suburbs, and real income growth of 16.1% means affordability has held relatively stable despite price rises.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Telarah compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions