Forster NSW — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Forster NSW is 14,187 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Forster is $581 per week ($30,212 per year). Median rent in Forster is $340 per week ($1,473 per month). Forster has a median age of 57 years, older than the national median of 38. Forster has a population density of 436.0 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Forster is England. The most common religion is No Religion (37% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Other. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forster is $1,733.

There were 376 recorded offences in Forster in 2025-26, a rate of 27 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (127 offences).

Forster Map

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Forster Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Forster Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$581/wk
$30,212 per year
#7359 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$340/wk
$1,473 per month
#3592 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
57years
19 years older than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg household size: 2.1 · 0.7 per bedroom

Forster Demographics

Gender Split

Male 47.0% (6,670) Female 53.0% (7,520)

Population Density

436.0
people per km²
14,187 people · 32.5 km²

Households

2.1
Avg household size
0.7
Persons per bedroom
$1,353
Family income/wk

Forster 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)

Forster Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
71.4% 3,046 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
28.6% 1,219 dwellings

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

Forster Country of Birth

Australia
94.3%
England
3.8%
India
0.5%
Germany
0.4%
Egypt
0.2%
Croatia
0.2%
Indonesia
0.2%
China
0.1%
Canada
0.1%
Chile
0.1%

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

Forster Religion

No Religion
36.9%
Anglican
24.1%
Catholic
21.5%
Not stated
7.7%
Uniting Church
3.7%
Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd
3.0%
Christian (other)
1.9%
Baptist
1.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Forster Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
41.1%
Year 10 or equivalent
38.9%
Year 9 or equivalent
12.7%
Year 11 or equivalent
7.3%

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

Forster Languages Spoken at Home

Other
24.7%
IAL Nepali
16.2%
SAL Tot
14.3%
Spanish
9.7%
German
9.1%
Arabic
9.1%
Mandarin
8.4%
French
8.4%

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

Forster Employment

💼
Employed full-time
21.6% 2,394 people
Employed part-time
18.9% 2,092 people
🔍
Unemployed
2.2% 248 people
🏠
Not in labour force
57.3% 6,354 people

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

Forster Qualifications

Certificate III/IV
47.0%
Bachelor Degree
21.6%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
19.4%
Postgraduate Degree
4.8%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
3.6%
Certificate I/II
3.5%

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

Forster Occupation

Professionals
27.3%
Community & Personal Service
18.3%
Technicians & Trade Workers
15.9%
Managers
11.5%
Clerical & Administrative
11.0%
Sales Workers
6.8%
Labourers
6.8%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
2.4%

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

Forster Field of Study

Management & Commerce
19.5%
Health
17.2%
Society & Culture
15.1%
Engineering
11.2%
Education
11.2%
Architecture & Building
9.2%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
9.0%
Agriculture & Environment
2.7%
Creative Arts
2.1%
Information Technology
1.6%
Natural & Physical Sciences
1.2%

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

Forster Dwelling Types

Separate house
81.1%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
16.7%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
2.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Forster Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
2.0%
$1-$149/wk
1.1%
$150-$299/wk
1.9%
$300-$399/wk
3.7%
$400-$499/wk
11.3%
$500-$649/wk
7.5%
$650-$799/wk
11.8%
$800-$999/wk
10.3%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
9.7%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
8.3%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
5.3%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.2%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
8.1%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
4.4%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
3.4%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
1.7%
$4,000+/wk
4.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Forster Marital Status

💍
Married
46.9% 5,787
↔️
Separated
3.9% 478
📋
Divorced
12.9% 1,592
🕊️
Widowed
10.4% 1,278
👤
Never married
26.0% 3,208

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Forster Ancestry

English
35.4%
Australian
31.9%
Irish
9.3%
Scottish
8.4%
Aboriginal Australianralian
4.6%
Other
3.7%
German
2.8%
Italian
1.4%
Dutch
0.8%
Filipino
0.5%
Maltese
0.5%
French
0.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Forster School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
31.9%
Secondary — Government
28.3%
Vocational Education
13.9%
Pre-school
10.5%
Primary — Catholic
8.2%
Secondary — Catholic
3.5%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
2.3%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
1.3%

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

Forster Need for Assistance

Needs assistance
10.7% 2,855
No need for assistance
89.3% 23,804

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

Forster Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
16.8% 1,913
Not a volunteer
83.2% 9,456

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Forster Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
5.5%
$300-$449/mo
3.5%
$450-$599/mo
2.8%
$600-$799/mo
4.5%
$800-$999/mo
6.6%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
16.3%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
18.7%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
25.2%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
11.4%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
5.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Forster How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
73.7%
Did not go to work
12.5%
Car (passenger)
6.2%
Walked only
4.7%
Truck
0.8%
Bicycle
0.7%
Bus
0.5%
Other
0.5%
Motorbike/Scooter
0.3%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.1%

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

Forster Car Ownership

0 vehicles
6.9%
1 vehicle
47.3%
2 vehicles
33.3%
3 vehicles
9.0%
4+ vehicles
3.5%

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

Forster Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
4.6%
2 bedrooms
23.0%
3 bedrooms
45.1%
4 bedrooms
22.9%
5 bedrooms
3.8%
6+ bedrooms
0.6%

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

Forster Population Mobility

16.1%
moved in the last year
42.3%
moved in the last 5 years
4.9%
unemployment rate (Census)
41.2%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Forster Indigenous Population

6.7%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
1,795
Indigenous residents
25,050
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Forster Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
1,659
Arthritis
970
Heart disease
640
Diabetes
535
Lung condition
514
Asthma
494
Cancer
446
Kidney disease
300
Stroke
299
Dementia
131

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

Forster Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
7.8%
$1-$149/wk
5.1%
$150-$299/wk
7.4%
$300-$399/wk
8.2%
$400-$499/wk
7.5%
$500-$649/wk
6.6%
$650-$799/wk
11.9%
$800-$999/wk
12.1%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
10.6%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
6.9%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
5.2%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
3.3%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
4.5%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
0.9%
$3,500+/wk
2.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Forster Family Structure

Couple — no children
44.4%
Couple — children under 15
26.7%
Couple — no children under 15
10.8%
One parent — children under 15
10.7%
One parent — no children under 15
7.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Forster Military Service

🛡️
Current ADF — Reserves
0.0% 4
🏅
Previously served
4.5% 517
👤
Never served
95.4% 10,905

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Forster Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
14.7% 1,671
Did not provide
85.3% 9,677

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Forster Children Ever Born

No children
23.7%
1 child
11.1%
2 children
33.4%
3 children
22.1%
4 children
7.8%
5+ children
1.8%

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

Forster When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
97
1951–1960
222
1961–1970
328
1971–1980
189
1981–1990
180
1991–2000
112
2001–2010
157
2011–2015
89
2016
15
2017
45
2018
50
2019
48
2020
18
2021
7

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

Forster Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
17.2%
5–14 hours
28.0%
15–29 hours
15.6%
30+ hours
10.4%
Did not do domestic work
28.7%

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

Forster Household Size

1 person
35.1%
2 persons
41.5%
3 persons
10.0%
4 persons
8.7%
5 persons
3.3%
6+ persons
1.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Forster Where Residents Moved From

Same address
11,013
Moved from NSW
1,106
Moved — same area (SA2)
820
Moved from QLD
58
Moved from overseas
36
Moved from VIC
35
Moved from ACT
14
Moved from WA
7
Moved from NT
6
Moved from TAS
5
Moved from SA
3

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

Forster Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
81.3%
Step family — no other children
13.0%
Blended family — no other children
4.3%
Intact family — other children present
0.8%
Step family — other children present
0.3%
Other couple — children only
0.3%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Forster Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 376 total

Theft
127
Other Against Property
104
Other Against Person
38
Drug Offences
32
Assault
31
Property Damage
29
Sexual Offences
9
Weapons
6

Offence trend by year:

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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

Forster Schools

1
schools nearby
1
government
936
avg ICSEA score
478
total students
Great Lakes College Forster Campus Government
Secondary · 7-10 · 478 students
936
ICSEA

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

View all schools in Forster with map →

Forster Rent Prices & Affordability

34%
of income
Moderate
Household Income $1,009/wk
Median Rent $340/wk
Rent-to-Income 33.7%

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

If you earn X in Forster

≈ $4,372/month
Median rent $340/wk
Left after rent $669/wk
Rent share 33.7%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Forster vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Frequently Asked Questions About Forster

What is the population of Forster NSW?

The population of Forster NSW is 14,187 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 436.0 people per km².Forster is ranked #317 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Forster?

The median personal income in Forster NSW is $581 per week, or $30,212 per year.The median household income is $1,009 per week.Family income is $1,353 per week.Forster is ranked #7,359 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Forster?

Median rent in Forster NSW is $340 per week ($1,473 per month).Rent represents 33.7% of household income, which is considered moderate.Forster ranks #3,592 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Forster?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Forster NSW is $1,733. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Forster?

The median age in Forster NSW is 57 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Forster a good suburb to live in?

Forster is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 14,187.The median income is $581/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as moderate (33.7% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 11553. All dollar figures in AUD.