New South Wales · Suburb Profile

Cessnock NSW — Suburb Profile

Population, median income, rent prices, housing costs and demographics for Cessnock, New South Wales. ABS Census 2021.

The population of Cessnock NSW is 16,300 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Cessnock is $588 per week ($30,576 per year). Median rent in Cessnock is $320 per week ($1,387 per month). Cessnock has a median age of 40 years, older than the national median of 38. Cessnock has a population density of 454.3 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Cessnock is England. The most common religion is No Religion (38% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Other. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Cessnock is $1,499.

There were 537 recorded offences in Cessnock in 2025-26, a rate of 33 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (161 offences).

Cessnock Map

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Cessnock Population

residents (Census 2021)

Cessnock Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$588/wk

$30,576 per year

#7257 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$320/wk

$1,387 per month

#4051 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

40years

2 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$1,499/mo

Avg household size: 2.4 · 0.8 per bedroom

Cessnock Demographics

Gender Split

Male 52.1% (8,483) Female 47.9% (7,812)

Population Density

454.3

people per km²

16,300 people · 35.9 km²

Households

2.4

Avg household size

0.8

Persons per bedroom

$1,471

Family income/wk

Cessnock Age Distribution

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80-84

85+

♂ Male ♀ Female

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Cessnock Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

52.7% 1,744 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

47.3% 1,567 dwellings

Source: ABS Census 2021 — Suburb & Locality (SAL)

Cessnock Country of Birth

Australia

96.4%

England

2.1%

India

0.3%

Germany

0.3%

China

0.2%

Fiji

0.1%

Hong Kong

0.1%

Egypt

0.1%

Canada

0.1%

Greece

0.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G09 — Country of Birth by SAL

Cessnock Religion

No Religion

38.5%

Anglican

19.7%

Not stated

16.9%

Catholic

15.8%

Uniting Church

4.0%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

2.8%

Christian (other)

1.5%

Baptist

1.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Cessnock Education Level

Year 10 or equivalent

41.3%

Year 12 or equivalent

35.8%

Year 9 or equivalent

13.5%

Year 11 or equivalent

9.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G16 — Highest Year of School by SAL

Cessnock Languages Spoken at Home

Other

29.0%

SAL Tot

14.5%

IAL Nepali

13.7%

Thai

11.5%

Mandarin

9.9%

Spanish

9.9%

SAL Filipin

6.1%

Cantonese

5.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G13 — Language Spoken at Home by SAL

Cessnock Employment

💼

Employed full-time

24.3% 2,943 people

⏰

Employed part-time

16.2% 1,960 people

🔍

Unemployed

3.3% 404 people

🏠

Not in labour force

56.2% 6,799 people

Source: ABS Census 2021 G46 — Labour Force Status by SAL

Cessnock Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

59.7%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

16.4%

Bachelor Degree

14.2%

Certificate I/II

4.7%

Postgraduate Degree

2.6%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

2.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G49 — Non-School Qualification by SAL

Cessnock Occupation

Technicians & Trade Workers

21.1%

Community & Personal Service

18.7%

Professionals

15.8%

Clerical & Administrative

10.2%

Managers

9.6%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

9.4%

Labourers

8.8%

Sales Workers

6.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Industry of Employment by Occupation

Cessnock Field of Study

Engineering

22.1%

Management & Commerce

20.2%

Society & Culture

13.8%

Health

12.5%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

11.3%

Education

7.5%

Architecture & Building

5.0%

Agriculture & Environment

2.7%

Creative Arts

2.1%

Information Technology

1.4%

Natural & Physical Sciences

1.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G51 — Field of Study by SAL

Cessnock Dwelling Types

Separate house

86.7%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

11.5%

Semi-detached (2+ storey)

1.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Cessnock Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

1.8%

$1-$149/wk

0.7%

$150-$299/wk

1.4%

$300-$399/wk

3.5%

$400-$499/wk

9.2%

$500-$649/wk

7.6%

$650-$799/wk

9.4%

$800-$999/wk

9.6%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

9.0%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

8.4%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

6.3%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

5.3%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

10.5%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

6.2%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

4.4%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

2.3%

$4,000+/wk

4.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Cessnock Marital Status

💍

Married

36.5% 4,935

↔️

Separated

4.7% 629

📋

Divorced

10.4% 1,409

🕊️

Widowed

7.5% 1,015

👤

Never married

40.9% 5,519

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Cessnock Ancestry

Australian

33.9%

English

32.5%

Scottish

9.6%

Aboriginal Australianralian

7.6%

Irish

6.8%

Other

3.1%

German

3.0%

Italian

1.2%

Dutch

0.7%

Filipino

0.7%

Chinese

0.5%

New Zealander

0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Cessnock School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

31.5%

Secondary — Government

23.4%

Vocational Education

13.8%

Pre-school

12.2%

Primary — Catholic

6.1%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

4.6%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

4.5%

Secondary — Catholic

3.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G15 — Type of Educational Institution by SAL

Cessnock Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

12.3% 3,402

✅

No need for assistance

87.7% 24,274

Source: ABS Census 2021 G18 — Core Activity Need for Assistance by SAL

Cessnock Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

9.2% 1,028

—

Not a volunteer

90.8% 10,165

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Cessnock Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

4.2%

$300-$449/mo

2.9%

$450-$599/mo

2.2%

$600-$799/mo

3.9%

$800-$999/mo

7.4%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

24.6%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

28.3%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

17.9%

$2,400-$2,999/mo

4.8%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

3.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Cessnock How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

69.4%

Did not go to work

20.9%

Car (passenger)

4.5%

Walked only

2.4%

Truck

1.2%

Other

0.4%

Bus

0.3%

Motorbike/Scooter

0.3%

Bicycle

0.2%

Ferry

0.1%

Taxi/Rideshare

0.1%

Train

0.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G62 — Method of Travel to Work by SAL

Cessnock Car Ownership

0 vehicles

7.8%

1 vehicle

40.6%

2 vehicles

33.7%

3 vehicles

11.9%

4+ vehicles

6.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G34 — Motor Vehicles per Dwelling by SAL

Cessnock Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

4.8%

2 bedrooms

20.7%

3 bedrooms

48.6%

4 bedrooms

23.3%

5 bedrooms

2.3%

6+ bedrooms

0.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G41 — Number of Bedrooms by SAL

Cessnock Population Mobility

15.3%

moved in the last year

43.8%

moved in the last 5 years

6.8%

unemployment rate (Census)

43.7%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Cessnock Indigenous Population

13.0%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

4,017

Indigenous residents

26,898

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Cessnock Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

2,356

Arthritis

820

Asthma

711

Diabetes

572

Lung condition

547

Heart disease

531

Kidney disease

276

Cancer

266

Stroke

266

Dementia

122

Source: ABS Census 2021 G19 — Long-term Health Conditions by SAL

Cessnock Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

10.1%

$1-$149/wk

3.9%

$150-$299/wk

7.3%

$300-$399/wk

7.7%

$400-$499/wk

7.0%

$500-$649/wk

4.8%

$650-$799/wk

11.4%

$800-$999/wk

11.4%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

12.0%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

7.2%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

5.3%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

3.7%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

6.4%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

0.8%

$3,500+/wk

1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Cessnock Family Structure

Couple — children under 15

32.1%

Couple — no children

26.9%

One parent — children under 15

18.3%

Couple — no children under 15

12.6%

One parent — no children under 15

10.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Cessnock Military Service

🎖️

Current ADF — Regular

0.1% 6

🛡️

Current ADF — Reserves

0.1% 9

🏅

Previously served

3.0% 340

👤

Never served

96.8% 10,847

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Cessnock Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

15.0% 1,677

—

Did not provide

85.0% 9,474

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Cessnock Children Ever Born

No children

28.1%

1 child

11.7%

2 children

29.6%

3 children

19.0%

4 children

8.8%

5+ children

2.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G28 — Children Ever Born by SAL

Cessnock When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951

1951–1960

106

1961–1970

154

1971–1980

101

1981–1990

131

1991–2000

2001–2010

156

2011–2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Source: ABS Census 2021 G10 — Year of Arrival by SAL

Cessnock Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

17.3%

5–14 hours

25.0%

15–29 hours

13.2%

30+ hours

10.6%

Did not do domestic work

34.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G24 — Unpaid Domestic Work by SAL

Cessnock Household Size

1 person

30.5%

2 persons

33.7%

3 persons

15.2%

4 persons

11.9%

5 persons

5.8%

6+ persons

2.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Cessnock Where Residents Moved From

Same address

11,537

Moved from NSW

1,096

Moved — same area (SA2)

829

Moved from overseas

Moved from QLD

Moved from VIC

Moved from WA

Moved from NT

Moved from SA

Source: ABS Census 2021 G44 — Address 1 Year Ago by SAL

Cessnock Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

75.9%

Step family — no other children

12.7%

Blended family — no other children

7.6%

Other couple — children only

1.9%

Intact family — other children present

1.6%

Blended family — other children present

0.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Cessnock Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 537 total

Theft

161

Other Against Property

140

Assault

Property Damage

Other Against Person

Sexual Offences

Drug Offences

Weapons

Robbery

Domestic Violence

Offence trend by year:

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

Source: NSW BOCSAR — bocsar.nsw.gov.au

Cessnock Schools

schools nearby

government

899

avg ICSEA score

2,356

total students

St Patrick's Primary School Catholic

Primary · K-6 · 347 students

975

ICSEA

Nulkaba Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 389 students

931

ICSEA

Kearsley Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 114 students

897

ICSEA

Cessnock High School Government

Secondary · 7-12 · 616 students

892

ICSEA

Cessnock West Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 399 students

884

ICSEA

Cessnock Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 276 students

876

ICSEA

Cessnock East Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 215 students

835

ICSEA

Source: ACARA — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2025. ICSEA = Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (national average 1000).

View all schools in Cessnock with map →

Cessnock Rent Prices & Affordability

27%

of income

Moderate

Household Income $1,192/wk

Median Rent $320/wk

Rent-to-Income 26.8%

Rent is between 25–35% of household income — moderate housing costs.

If you earn X in Cessnock

Your weekly income

≈ $5,165/month

Median rent $320/wk

Left after rent $872/wk

Rent share 26.8%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Lake Cargelligo

Income: $641/wk Rent: $170/wk Save: $150/wk

Lavington

Income: $647/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $70/wk

South Grafton

Income: $526/wk Rent: $280/wk Save: $40/wk

Berkeley

Income: $568/wk Rent: $290/wk Save: $30/wk

West Kempsey

Income: $493/wk Rent: $290/wk Save: $30/wk

Nowra

Income: $554/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $20/wk

Riverwood

Income: $564/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $20/wk

Carramar (NSW)

Income: $529/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $20/wk

Cessnock vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Forbes (NSW)

Pop: 8,157 Income: $706/wk Rent: $230/wk

Petersham

Pop: 8,200 Income: $1,223/wk Rent: $450/wk

Gymea

Pop: 8,219 Income: $1,020/wk Rent: $500/wk

Warners Bay

Pop: 8,237 Income: $766/wk Rent: $420/wk

Narrabeen

Pop: 8,255 Income: $1,025/wk Rent: $565/wk

Katoomba

Pop: 8,268 Income: $649/wk Rent: $350/wk

Compare Cessnock

Cessnock vs Forbes (NSW) →Cessnock vs Petersham →Cessnock vs Gymea →Cessnock vs Warners Bay →

Frequently Asked Questions About Cessnock

What is the population of Cessnock NSW?

The population of Cessnock NSW is 16,300 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 454.3 people per km².Cessnock is ranked #236 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Cessnock?

The median personal income in Cessnock NSW is $588 per week, or $30,576 per year.The median household income is $1,192 per week.Family income is $1,471 per week.Cessnock is ranked #7,257 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Cessnock?

Median rent in Cessnock NSW is $320 per week ($1,387 per month).Rent represents 26.8% of household income, which is considered moderate.Cessnock ranks #4,051 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Cessnock?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Cessnock NSW is $1,499. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Cessnock?

The median age in Cessnock NSW is 40 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Cessnock a good suburb to live in?

Cessnock is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 16,300.The median income is $588/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as moderate (26.8% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Looking for schools, childcare centres, and playgrounds in this area? See kid.com.au for family facilities data.

Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 10877. All dollar figures in AUD.