Wauchope
Property prices here jumped 17.2% in a single year, from a $575,000 median in 2024 to $674,149 in 2025, an unusual move for a market where household income sits in the 18.1st percentile nationally. The town spreads across 17.8 km2 at just 370 residents per km2, and 85.3% of dwellings are separate houses, far above the apartment-heavy profile of coastal NSW. The median age of 43 runs 3.0 years above national, the population is aging, and the gentrification stage reads Active, driven by net internal migration of 172 people a year as buyers priced out of the Port Macquarie coast move inland.
Population
6,589
Median Age
43.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,114/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
62
Median House
$624K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $624,479 median house price stays well below Sydney and even regional coastal NSW, which is the main draw, but affordability is tightening fast after a 17.2% one-year jump from $575,000 to $674,149. The stock suits families: 85.3% are separate houses, 53.7% have three bedrooms and 23.6% have four or more, with apartments at just 1.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,517, low in dollar terms, yet the mortgage-to-income ratio reaches 31.4%, above the 30% stress threshold, because local household income sits in only the 18.1st percentile. Outright owners (37.4%) outnumber mortgage holders (29.2%), a sign of established residents who bought before the recent price run rather than recent entrants.
For Buyers
The $624,479 median house price stays well below Sydney and even regional coastal NSW, which is the main draw, but affordability is tightening fast after a 17.2% one-year jump from $575,000 to $674,149. The stock suits families: 85.3% are separate houses, 53.7% have three bedrooms and 23.6% have four or more, with apartments at just 1.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,517, low in dollar terms, yet the mortgage-to-income ratio reaches 31.4%, above the 30% stress threshold, because local household income sits in only the 18.1st percentile. Outright owners (37.4%) outnumber mortgage holders (29.2%), a sign of established residents who bought before the recent price run rather than recent entrants.
For Investors
A 33.4% renter share and weekly rent of $350 give landlords a steady tenant base, and against the $624,479 median that implies a gross yield near 2.9%, higher than premium metro markets. Rent has climbed 50.0% over the period, and the 6.1% vacancy rate is moderate rather than tight, so escalation is the stronger lever than scarcity. Demand is underwritten by net internal migration of 172 residents a year, the primary growth driver, against just 28 from overseas. Development activity is healthy at 59 applications in 12 months, including new dwelling houses and pools, which signals owner-occupier confidence more than rental oversupply. With annual population growth of 1.66%, the case rests on inland affordability pulling priced-out coastal buyers.
Development Activity
Total DAs
408
Last 12 Months
62
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-19.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Wauchope iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Joseph's Primary School
K-6 · 277 students
Beechwood Public School
K-6 · 184 students
Wauchope Public School
K-6 · 624 students
Wauchope High School
7-12 · 458 students
Huntingdon Public School
K-6 · 22 students
Demographics
The median age of 43 is 3.0 years above the national figure, and the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 3.1 points while the working-age share fell 1.8 points. The area is strongly Anglo: only 7.6% of residents were born overseas, 14.0 points below national, and ancestry is led by English (2,847), Irish (708) and Scottish (603). University qualifications reach just 12.6%, which is 17.5 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward community, labouring and clerical roles. Average household size is 2.4, 0.1 below national. Couples without children (30.0%, 1,483 families) roughly match couples with children (1,579), reflecting both the older profile and families in the family-formation years.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
85.3%
Houses
12.4%
Townhouse
1.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits across three groups: 37.4% own outright, 29.2% carry a mortgage and 33.4% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-settled residents rather than a churn of recent buyers. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 85.3% separate houses, with semi-detached at 12.4% and apartments only 1.5%, so density stays low at 370 residents per km2. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 53.7% and four-plus at 23.6%, a family-house profile. The median house price rose from $575,000 to $674,149 across 2024 to 2025, a 17.2% move. Mortgage-to-income and rent-to-income both read 31.4%, above the 30% stress threshold, because incomes sit in the 18.1st percentile while prices have risen faster than local pay.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,517
Rent / wk
$350
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$585
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.1%
Unoccupied
167
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.4% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
31.4% stressed
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
30.0%
Couples, no children
4,950
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce leans heavily on Healthcare, which leads at 26.3% (412 workers), well above its national share and consistent with the town serving as a service hub for an aging inland population. Construction follows at 11.1% (174), then Education at 9.6% (151) and Retail at 9.3% (146). By occupation, Community and Personal services (435) and Labourers (310) outnumber Professionals (265), which aligns with the IEO score in decile 2, near the bottom for education and occupation. Unemployment is 6.6%, above national, and participation reads only 46.6% because 2,387 residents are not in the labour force, a direct effect of the older age profile. Real incomes still grew 20.9% over the decade.
Unemployment
3.4%
Labour Force
6,596
Unemployed
227
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.0%
Part-time
34.4%
Participation
46.6%
Employed
2,322
Occupations
Top Industries
University
12.6%
Postgraduate
1.8%
Born Overseas
7.6%
Dwellings
2,546
Transport to Work
Wauchope is car-dependent: 89.8% drive to work, only 3.7% walk or cycle and just 0.5% use public transport, well below metro rates and reflecting the low 370 residents per km2 spread over 17.8 km2. The area scores decile 3 on IRSAD and decile 3 on IRSD, below the national midpoint, so relative disadvantage is higher than average, and 10.7% of residents (664 people) need daily assistance, above national and tied to the older median age of 43. Volunteering runs at 15.5%, a sign of community engagement that often accompanies smaller inland towns. No schools are recorded inside the 17.8 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in the surrounding district.
Drive
89.8%
Public Transport
0.5%
Walk / Cycle
3.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.66%/yr
(+229 people/yr)
EstablishedWauchope is expanding steadily, with annual population growth of 1.66% adding about 229 people a year and a 25.3% rise since 2011, classifying it as a growing established town rather than a static one. The primary driver is net internal migration of 172 residents a year, far above the 28 from overseas, as buyers priced out of the Port Macquarie coast move inland for cheaper housing. The gentrification stage reads Active with a score of 56, and signals include growth accelerating from 8% to 21%. Affordability has held roughly stable, easing from 54.7% in 2011 to 55.1% in 2021, while rents rose 50.0%, so the pressure is shifting onto tenants more than buyers.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+28
Net Internal / yr
+172
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +31% since 2011, Net internal migration +172/yr, Accelerating: 8% → 21%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Wauchope compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wauchope a good suburb to live in?
Wauchope suits buyers seeking inland affordability, with a $624,479 median house price below coastal NSW, and 85.3% of homes are detached houses. Trade-offs include a decile 3 IRSAD score, below the national midpoint, and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 31.4%, above the 30% stress threshold for local incomes in the 18.1st percentile.
What is the median house price in Wauchope?
The median house price is $624,479. Prices rose 17.2% in a year, from $575,000 in 2024 to $674,149 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $350 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,517, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 31.4%, above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Wauchope?
No schools are recorded inside the 17.8 km2 Wauchope boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools across the surrounding district. Education employs 9.6% of the local workforce (151 workers), and university qualifications sit at 12.6%, which is 17.5 points below the national figure.
Is Wauchope safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Wauchope in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 3 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, below the national midpoint, and 10.7% of its 6,589 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with an older, lower-income inland town.
Is Wauchope good for property investment?
Rent of $350 a week against a $624,479 median gives a gross yield near 2.9%, higher than premium metro markets, and the 6.1% vacancy rate is moderate. Net internal migration of 172 residents a year supports demand, and rents rose 50.0% over the period, so returns lean on rent growth more than yield.
How is Wauchope's population changing?
Population is growing 1.66% annually, adding about 229 people a year, a 25.3% rise since 2011. The primary driver is net internal migration of 172 residents a year, far above the 28 from overseas. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 3.1 points and the working-age share down 1.8 points.
How much development is happening in Wauchope?
There were 59 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, healthy for a town of 6,589 residents. These include new dwelling houses, pools and alterations, signalling owner-occupier confidence consistent with the 1.66% annual population growth driven by net internal migration of 172 residents a year.
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.
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