West Kempsey
A median house price of $450,000 sits alongside household income in the 9.5th percentile nationally, and the gap between the two defines West Kempsey. The suburb scores decile 1 on IRSAD, IRSD and IEO, the bottom advantage tier in the country, with IER only marginally higher at decile 2. Detached houses dominate the 9.42 km2 footprint at 88.4% of dwellings, yet 40.7% of residents rent rather than own. Unemployment runs at 12.3%, well above national levels, and Healthcare alone employs 35.6% of the local workforce, a single-sector concentration unusual for a town of 5,073 people.
Population
5,073
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$925/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
32
Median House
$450K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
At $450,000 the median house price is far below most NSW markets, and it rose a modest 2.7% from $438,000 in 2024. Affordability is the clear draw, with monthly mortgage repayments around $1,170 producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.2%, just under the 30% stress threshold despite incomes in the 9.5th percentile. The stock suits owner-occupiers: 88.4% are separate houses and only 9.0% apartments, with three-bedroom homes the most common at 51.8% and four-plus-bedroom dwellings a further 20.5%. Outright owners make up 34.0% of households against 25.3% carrying a mortgage, a sign that much of the housing is held debt-free by long-term residents rather than recent buyers competing on price.
For Buyers
At $450,000 the median house price is far below most NSW markets, and it rose a modest 2.7% from $438,000 in 2024. Affordability is the clear draw, with monthly mortgage repayments around $1,170 producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.2%, just under the 30% stress threshold despite incomes in the 9.5th percentile. The stock suits owner-occupiers: 88.4% are separate houses and only 9.0% apartments, with three-bedroom homes the most common at 51.8% and four-plus-bedroom dwellings a further 20.5%. Outright owners make up 34.0% of households against 25.3% carrying a mortgage, a sign that much of the housing is held debt-free by long-term residents rather than recent buyers competing on price.
For Investors
A 40.7% renter share gives landlords a deep tenant pool, and weekly rent of $290 against the $450,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.4%, higher than yields in premium Sydney markets. The 8.2% vacancy rate is elevated, though, which tempers the case and points to softer tenant demand than the renter share alone suggests. Rent has grown 58.3% over the period and rent-to-income now sits at 31.4%, flagged as rent stress, so further increases face an affordability ceiling. Demand support is balanced rather than strong: net internal migration adds 91 residents a year and overseas migration 53. Development activity is light at 29 applications in 12 months, mostly alterations and single dwellings, so new supply stays thin and existing rentals retain their value.
Development Activity
Total DAs
158
Last 12 Months
32
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+23.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in West Kempsey iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Paul's College
7-12 · 641 students
St Joseph's Primary School
K-6 · 332 students
Kempsey West Public School
K-6 · 422 students
Green Hill Public School
K-6 · 19 students
Demographics
The median age of 40 matches the national figure, but the trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 4.3 points and the young share down 3.5 points over the decade. Overseas-born residents are just 6.4%, which is 15.2 points below national, and ancestry leans heavily Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,961), Irish (497) and Scottish (375). University qualifications reach only 11.8%, 18.3 points below the national figure, consistent with a workforce weighted toward Community and Personal Services (313) and Labourers (219). Average household size is 2.3, marginally below national, and couples without children make up 23.7% of the 3,466 families. Christianity dominates religious affiliation at 2,552 residents, with no large minority faith presence.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
88.4%
Houses
2.4%
Townhouse
9.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts toward renting: 40.7% rent, 34.0% own outright and 25.3% carry a mortgage. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-held, low-debt ownership rather than a churn of new buyers. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 88.4% separate houses, with apartments at 9.0% and semi-detached at 2.4%, and three-bedroom homes lead at 51.8%. The median house price moved from $438,000 to $450,000 across 2024-2025, a 2.7% rise. Mortgage-to-income at 29.2% stays just below the stress line, but rent-to-income at 31.4% crosses it, a divergence that explains why renting, despite the larger pool, is the more financially strained tenure in a suburb where household income ranks in the 9.5th percentile.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,170
Rent / wk
$290
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$493
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.2%
Unoccupied
165
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
29.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.7%
Couples, no children
3,466
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local economy leans on a single pillar: Healthcare employs 35.6% of workers (294 people), far ahead of Retail at 10.3%, Education at 9.9% and Public Administration at 9.4%. That concentration reflects the regional hospital and aged-care role West Kempsey plays. By occupation, Community and Personal Service workers (313) and Labourers (219) outnumber Professionals (199). The labour market is strained: unemployment sits at 12.3%, well above national, the participation rate is only 36.6%, and 1,992 residents are not in the labour force, partly an effect of the aging profile. SEIFA confirms the pressure, with IEO and IRSAD both at decile 1 and IER at decile 2, the bottom of the national distribution, while real incomes still grew 14.2% over the decade.
Unemployment
7.6%
Labour Force
6,487
Unemployed
496
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.1%
Part-time
30.6%
Participation
36.6%
Employed
1,293
Occupations
Top Industries
University
11.8%
Postgraduate
1.6%
Born Overseas
6.4%
Dwellings
1,852
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near total, with 84.3% of residents driving to work and only 0.7% using public transport, well below national reliance on transit, a function of the regional setting. Active travel is similarly low at 4.6% walking or cycling. The suburb scores decile 1 on IRSAD, the bottom advantage tier nationally, and 15.6% of residents (709 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with an older, lower-income population. No schools are recorded inside the 9.42 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on facilities in central Kempsey nearby. Volunteering runs at 12.1%, and with rent-to-income at 31.4% above the stress line, housing affordability remains the sharpest day-to-day pressure for tenants here.
Drive
84.3%
Public Transport
0.7%
Walk / Cycle
4.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.69%/yr
(+113 people/yr)
EstablishedWest Kempsey is an established, slow-growth area: annual population growth runs at 0.69% and the 10-year change is 9.6%, modest by metropolitan standards. Growth is balanced across drivers, with net internal migration adding 91 residents a year and overseas migration 53, so neither outflow nor inflow dominates. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying, scoring 11, which fits a suburb sitting at decile 1 advantage with little upward pressure on prices. Affordability has worsened over time, moving from 46.6% in 2011 to 52.6% in 2021, driven more by stagnant incomes in the 9.5th percentile than by rapid price growth, since the median rose just 2.7% in the latest year.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+53
Net Internal / yr
+91
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal migration +91/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How West Kempsey compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is West Kempsey a good suburb to live in?
West Kempsey suits buyers prioritising affordability, with a median house price of $450,000 and 88.4% detached houses. The main trade-offs are a low socioeconomic ranking at decile 1 on IRSAD and IRSD, household income in the 9.5th percentile, and unemployment of 12.3%, above national levels.
What is the median house price in West Kempsey?
The median house price is $450,000, up 2.7% from $438,000 in 2024. Weekly rent averages $290 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,170, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.2%, just below the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in West Kempsey?
No schools are recorded inside the 9.42 km2 West Kempsey boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in central Kempsey nearby. Local university qualifications are low at 11.8%, which is 18.3 points below the national figure.
Is West Kempsey safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for West Kempsey in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 1 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the lowest tier nationally, and 15.6% of its 5,073 residents need daily assistance.
Is West Kempsey good for property investment?
Rent of $290 a week against a $450,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.4%, higher than premium Sydney markets, but the 8.2% vacancy rate is elevated. Rent has grown 58.3% and net internal migration adds 91 residents a year, so demand support is balanced rather than strong.
How is West Kempsey's population changing?
Population growth is 0.69% annually with a 9.6% rise over 10 years, slow by metropolitan standards. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 4.3 points and the young share down 3.5 points over the decade, while net internal migration adds 91 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.
Explore West Kempsey on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map