New South Wales · Suburb Profile

Lake Illawarra NSW — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Lake Illawarra NSW is 3,288 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Lake Illawarra is $608 per week ($31,616 per year). Median rent in Lake Illawarra is $328 per week ($1,421 per month). Lake Illawarra has a median age of 43 years, older than the national median of 38. Lake Illawarra has a population density of 1964.5 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Lake Illawarra is England. The most common religion is No Religion (42% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Other. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Lake Illawarra is $1,733.

There were 72 recorded offences in Lake Illawarra in 2025-26, a rate of 22 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (22 offences).

Lake Illawarra Map

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Lake Illawarra Population

residents (Census 2021)

Lake Illawarra Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$608/wk

$31,616 per year

#6961 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$328/wk

$1,421 per month

#3933 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

43years

5 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$1,733/mo

Avg household size: 2.1 · 0.8 per bedroom

Lake Illawarra Demographics

Gender Split

Male 47.7% (1,567) Female 52.3% (1,717)

Population Density

1964.5

people per km²

3,288 people · 1.7 km²

Households

2.1

Avg household size

0.8

Persons per bedroom

$1,451

Family income/wk

Lake Illawarra 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)

Lake Illawarra Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

55.9% 380 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

44.1% 300 dwellings

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

Lake Illawarra Country of Birth

Australia

90.6%

England

5.8%

Bosnia & Herzegovina

0.8%

Germany

0.7%

Chile

0.6%

India

0.5%

Greece

0.4%

Egypt

0.3%

Croatia

0.2%

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

Lake Illawarra Religion

No Religion

41.6%

Catholic

24.2%

Anglican

14.4%

Not stated

10.2%

Christian (other)

4.1%

Eastern Orthodox

2.3%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

1.7%

Islam

1.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Lake Illawarra Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent

41.3%

Year 10 or equivalent

39.8%

Year 9 or equivalent

10.2%

Year 11 or equivalent

8.6%

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

Lake Illawarra Languages Spoken at Home

Other

25.3%

Arabic

20.2%

Spanish

12.1%

Italian

8.1%

Portuguese

7.1%

Greek

7.1%

Macedon

7.1%

Malayalam

7.1%

Thai

6.1%

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

Lake Illawarra Employment

💼

Employed full-time

28.2% 679 people

⏰

Employed part-time

17.3% 417 people

🔍

Unemployed

3.4% 82 people

🏠

Not in labour force

51.0% 1,228 people

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

Lake Illawarra Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

54.3%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

18.8%

Bachelor Degree

15.8%

Postgraduate Degree

4.2%

Certificate I/II

3.7%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

3.2%

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

Lake Illawarra Occupation

Professionals

22.3%

Technicians & Trade Workers

18.9%

Community & Personal Service

18.1%

Clerical & Administrative

11.6%

Managers

10.3%

Labourers

8.0%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

5.7%

Sales Workers

5.1%

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

Lake Illawarra Field of Study

Management & Commerce

19.7%

Society & Culture

18.3%

Engineering

14.7%

Health

13.1%

Education

10.4%

Architecture & Building

9.2%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

7.3%

Creative Arts

2.5%

Information Technology

2.1%

Agriculture & Environment

1.7%

Natural & Physical Sciences

1.2%

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

Lake Illawarra Dwelling Types

Separate house

65.3%

Semi-detached (2+ storey)

24.7%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

10.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Lake Illawarra Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

2.3%

$1-$149/wk

0.4%

$150-$299/wk

3.0%

$300-$399/wk

5.9%

$400-$499/wk

12.0%

$500-$649/wk

5.8%

$650-$799/wk

8.4%

$800-$999/wk

10.1%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

8.2%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

9.1%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

5.0%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

6.2%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

9.0%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

4.8%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

3.5%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

1.9%

$4,000+/wk

4.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Lake Illawarra Marital Status

💍

Married

34.5% 955

↔️

Separated

4.6% 127

📋

Divorced

14.4% 398

🕊️

Widowed

7.0% 193

👤

Never married

39.6% 1,096

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Lake Illawarra Ancestry

English

32.0%

Australian

30.0%

Scottish

7.8%

Other

7.6%

Irish

7.0%

Aboriginal Australianralian

4.2%

German

3.0%

Italian

2.9%

Spanish

1.8%

Filipino

1.3%

Maltese

1.2%

Macedonian

1.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Lake Illawarra School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

34.0%

Secondary — Government

23.5%

Vocational Education

18.1%

Pre-school

10.5%

Primary — Catholic

4.0%

Secondary — Catholic

3.6%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

3.2%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

3.1%

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

Lake Illawarra Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

9.2% 560

✅

No need for assistance

90.8% 5,526

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

Lake Illawarra Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

8.2% 208

—

Not a volunteer

91.8% 2,341

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Lake Illawarra Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

4.2%

$300-$449/mo

1.1%

$450-$599/mo

1.9%

$600-$799/mo

2.3%

$800-$999/mo

6.1%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

19.3%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

18.6%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

27.3%

$2,400-$2,999/mo

11.4%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

8.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Lake Illawarra How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

73.7%

Did not go to work

16.4%

Car (passenger)

5.0%

Walked only

1.5%

Bus

1.4%

Truck

0.7%

Other

0.5%

Motorbike/Scooter

0.4%

Train

0.3%

Taxi/Rideshare

0.3%

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

Lake Illawarra Car Ownership

0 vehicles

10.8%

1 vehicle

45.8%

2 vehicles

28.9%

3 vehicles

8.6%

4+ vehicles

6.0%

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

Lake Illawarra Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

8.1%

2 bedrooms

36.0%

3 bedrooms

40.8%

4 bedrooms

12.7%

5 bedrooms

2.2%

6+ bedrooms

0.3%

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

Lake Illawarra Population Mobility

14.3%

moved in the last year

39.4%

moved in the last 5 years

6.3%

unemployment rate (Census)

48.2%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Lake Illawarra Indigenous Population

5.6%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

345

Indigenous residents

5,774

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Lake Illawarra Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

438

Arthritis

160

Lung condition

117

Diabetes

116

Asthma

115

Heart disease

Cancer

Stroke

Kidney disease

Dementia

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

Lake Illawarra Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

11.3%

$1-$149/wk

2.5%

$150-$299/wk

7.7%

$300-$399/wk

7.6%

$400-$499/wk

6.3%

$500-$649/wk

4.8%

$650-$799/wk

10.9%

$800-$999/wk

12.0%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

11.5%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

8.1%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

6.0%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

4.5%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

5.0%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

0.6%

$3,500+/wk

1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Lake Illawarra Family Structure

Couple — no children

31.2%

Couple — children under 15

29.1%

Couple — no children under 15

15.7%

One parent — children under 15

12.9%

One parent — no children under 15

11.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Lake Illawarra Military Service

🏅

Previously served

3.0% 76

👤

Never served

97.0% 2,488

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Lake Illawarra Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

14.5% 367

—

Did not provide

85.5% 2,166

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Lake Illawarra Children Ever Born

No children

31.5%

1 child

12.4%

2 children

29.0%

3 children

18.8%

4 children

6.6%

5+ children

1.7%

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

Lake Illawarra When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951

1951–1960

1961–1970

169

1971–1980

1981–1990

1991–2000

2001–2010

2011–2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

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

Lake Illawarra Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

17.9%

5–14 hours

26.1%

15–29 hours

12.3%

30+ hours

9.8%

Did not do domestic work

34.1%

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

Lake Illawarra Household Size

1 person

38.2%

2 persons

34.6%

3 persons

12.1%

4 persons

9.3%

5 persons

3.3%

6+ persons

2.4%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Lake Illawarra Where Residents Moved From

Same address

2,542

Moved from NSW

253

Moved — same area (SA2)

133

Moved from QLD

Moved from overseas

Moved from SA

Moved from NT

Moved from VIC

Moved from ACT

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

Lake Illawarra Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

81.2%

Step family — no other children

11.1%

Blended family — no other children

7.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Lake Illawarra Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 72 total

Theft

Other Against Property

Drug Offences

Property Damage

Assault

Sexual Offences

Other Against Person

Weapons

Offence trend by year:

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

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

Lake Illawarra Schools

schools nearby

government

936

avg ICSEA score

3,293

total students

Nazareth Catholic Primary School Catholic

Primary · K-6 · 413 students

1052

ICSEA

Windang Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 203 students

988

ICSEA

Warilla High School Government

Secondary · 7-12 · 1,020 students

968

ICSEA

Lake Illawarra South Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 177 students

954

ICSEA

Peterborough School Government

Combined · U · 115 students

938

ICSEA

Warilla Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 279 students

937

ICSEA

Lake Illawarra High School Government

Secondary · 7-12 · 542 students

894

ICSEA

Mount Warrigal Public School Government

Primary · P-6 · 185 students

885

ICSEA

Barrack Heights Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 192 students

873

ICSEA

Warilla North Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 167 students

872

ICSEA

Amity College Illawarra Campus Independent

Combined

Aspect South Coast School, Barrack Heights Independent

Primary

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

View all schools in Lake Illawarra with map →

Lake Illawarra Rent Prices & Affordability

31%

of income

Moderate

Household Income $1,069/wk

Median Rent $328/wk

Rent-to-Income 30.7%

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

If you earn X in Lake Illawarra

Your weekly income

≈ $4,632/month

Median rent $328/wk

Left after rent $741/wk

Rent share 30.7%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Bolton Point

Income: $623/wk Rent: $267/wk Save: $61/wk

Molong

Income: $727/wk Rent: $270/wk Save: $58/wk

Denman

Income: $721/wk Rent: $280/wk Save: $48/wk

Boggabri

Income: $695/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $28/wk

Bega

Income: $660/wk Rent: $320/wk Save: $8/wk

Maitland (NSW)

Income: $635/wk Rent: $320/wk Save: $8/wk

Narrandera

Income: $626/wk Rent: $210/wk Save: $118/wk

Culcairn

Income: $623/wk Rent: $220/wk Save: $108/wk

Lake Illawarra vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Holbrook

Pop: 1,650 Income: $628/wk Rent: $185/wk

Palm Beach (NSW)

Pop: 1,652 Income: $1,295/wk Rent: $895/wk

Maryville

Pop: 1,671 Income: $1,021/wk Rent: $505/wk

Tascott

Pop: 1,675 Income: $819/wk Rent: $450/wk

Yennora

Pop: 1,675 Income: $448/wk Rent: $226/wk

Clemton Park

Pop: 1,676 Income: $634/wk Rent: $264/wk

Compare Lake Illawarra

Lake Illawarra vs Holbrook →Lake Illawarra vs Palm Beach (NSW) →Lake Illawarra vs Maryville →Lake Illawarra vs Tascott →

Frequently Asked Questions About Lake Illawarra

What is the population of Lake Illawarra NSW?

The population of Lake Illawarra NSW is 3,288 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 1964.5 people per km².Lake Illawarra is ranked #2,235 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Lake Illawarra?

The median personal income in Lake Illawarra NSW is $608 per week, or $31,616 per year.The median household income is $1,069 per week.Family income is $1,451 per week.Lake Illawarra is ranked #6,961 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Lake Illawarra?

Median rent in Lake Illawarra NSW is $328 per week ($1,421 per month).Rent represents 30.7% of household income, which is considered moderate.Lake Illawarra ranks #3,933 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Lake Illawarra?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Lake Illawarra 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 Lake Illawarra?

The median age in Lake Illawarra NSW is 43 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Lake Illawarra a good suburb to live in?

Lake Illawarra is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 3,288.The median income is $608/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as moderate (30.7% 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: 12259. All dollar figures in AUD.