Wyong

Development Activity

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

Demographics

The median age of 45 is 5 years above the national figure, and the trend is aging: the senior share rose 3.1 points over the decade while the young-adult share fell 2.0 points. Overseas-born residents make up 19.7% of the population, which is 1.9 points below the national rate, reflecting that Wyong draws more domestic internal migrants than international arrivals. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,768 residents), Irish (472) and Scottish (390). Non-English languages are limited: Cantonese is spoken by 29 residents, Mandarin by 22 and Nepali by 14, indicating a predominantly English-speaking suburb. Average household size of 2.2 is 0.3 below national, consistent with the older demographic profile. Couples without children represent 30.3% of families, above typical suburban norms, while couples with children total 898 families.

Tenure skews toward renting: 41.4% of households rent, compared to 35.7% who own outright and 22.9% who carry a mortgage. The high renter share against the low mortgage share points to a two-speed market where older established residents own debt-free while newer arrivals face rising entry costs. Separate houses dominate at 72.4%, with semi-detached homes at 16.1% and apartments at 11.0%. The median house price rose from $720,000 in 2024 to $830,000 in 2025, a 15.3% one-year gain. Rent-to-income at 31.9% and mortgage-to-income at 34.4% both flag housing stress in a suburb where household incomes rank at the 17.4th percentile nationally. Three-bedroom homes account for 41.0% of stock and 4-plus bedrooms for 25.3%, confirming the family-home orientation of the detached housing base.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the dominant industry at 24.9% of employed residents, a share considerably higher than average. Construction follows at 10.2%, then Retail at 8.2% and Public Administration at 7.6%. By occupation, Professionals (249 workers) lead narrowly over Community/Personal (240) and Labourers (228), a distribution that reflects both healthcare employment and the blue-collar workforce. Unemployment stands at 9.2%, well above typical metro rates, while the participation rate of 41.2% is low because 1,722 residents are outside the labour force. Full-time employment among those who work runs at 62.4%. The SEIFA scores rank the suburb in decile 1 for education and occupational advantage (IEO) and decile 2 for economic resources (IER), placing it in the bottom 10-20% nationally on both dimensions. Real income growth of 17.7% over the decade is positive, but from a low base.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is extreme at 84.1% of residents driving to work, while only 5.6% use public transport and 3.8% walk or cycle. This is substantially higher car reliance than the national average, reflecting the suburban layout and limited rail connectivity. The suburb ranks in decile 1 on IRSAD nationally, indicating concentrated relative disadvantage. Housing stress affects both renters at 31.9% rent-to-income and mortgagors at 34.4%, both above standard stress thresholds. On the social side, 10.4% of residents (433 people) need assistance with daily activities, above typical rates, which is consistent with the older median age of 45. No schools are recorded within the Wyong boundary in this dataset, so families depend on institutions in neighbouring suburbs. Volunteering participation sits at 11.1%, and 73.1% of residents stayed put between census periods, indicating a stable if constrained community.

Population Forecast

Wyong grew 11.9% over the decade, adding roughly 71 people a year at a 0.76% annual rate. Medium forecasts project the broader SA2 population rising from 9,341 in 2025 to approximately 9,903 by 2031, a steady if unspectacular trajectory. The primary migration driver is overseas arrivals averaging 59 net per year, while net internal migration runs at negative 74, meaning Wyong loses more domestic residents than it gains. This negative internal flow is common for lower-SEIFA coastal suburbs where price-driven displacement pushes some residents out while overseas arrivals take their place. The gentrification score of 56 classifies the suburb as Active on the shift index, driven by rent growth of 56.5% and affordability worsening from 53.4% in 2011 to 57.7% in 2021. The trajectory signal is aging, with the senior share rising 3.1 points over the decade.

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

How Wyong compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions