ABS Data · NSW Economy

New South Wales
Economy

Wages, jobs, earnings, and cost of living in New South Wales. Real ABS data — no spin.

3,345,541
Population (Census)
$845
Median Weekly Income
4.1%
Unemployment Rate
$455
Median Weekly Rent
Source: ABS Census 2021, WPI (6345.0), Labour Force (6202.0), AWE (6302.0)
Overview

New South Wales economy at a glance

The average full-time worker in NSW earns $2,148/week (above the national average of $2,129/week). The unemployment rate sits at 4.1% (below the national 4.3%). Wages grew +3.7% over the past year (nationally +3.4%).

The median weekly rent across NSW suburbs is $455, which is 53.9% of median weekly income — above the 30% affordability benchmark.

Wage Price Index

Wage growth in NSW

WPI tracks how fast wages are growing. NSW vs national. Hover for detail.

158.7
Latest WPI Index
+3.7%
NSW WPI YoY
+3.4%
National WPI YoY
NSW WPI
National (dashed)
Job Market

Employment in NSW

Unemployment rate and labour force participation for New South Wales.

4.1%
Unemployment Rate
4.3%
National Unemployment
66.1%
Participation Rate
NSW Unemployment
National (dashed)
Average Weekly Earnings

What NSW earns

Full-time adult average weekly earnings by industry. ABS Cat. 6302.0.

$2,148
Weekly (NSW)
$111,717
Annual (NSW)
$2,129
National Weekly
Cost of Living

Rent & income in NSW

Median rent and income from ABS Census 2021 suburb data across New South Wales.

$455
Median Weekly Rent
$845
Median Weekly Income
$43,914
Median Annual Income
53.9%
Rent as % of Income
Above 30% benchmark
Top Suburbs

Largest suburbs in NSW

Highest-population SA2 areas in New South Wales from ABS Census 2021.

Explore

Other state economies

Compare economic data across Australia's states and territories.

Data Sources
ABS Wage Price Index (6345.0)
Quarterly WPI by state. Total hourly rates of pay excluding bonuses.
ABS WPI →
ABS Labour Force (6202.0)
Monthly unemployment rate and participation by state.
ABS Labour →
ABS Average Weekly Earnings (6302.0)
Half-yearly earnings by state, industry, and sex.
ABS AWE →
ABS Census of Population and Housing (2021)
Suburb-level population, income, and rent data from Census 2021.
ABS Census →