Nowra NSW — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Nowra NSW is 9,956 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Nowra is $554 per week ($28,808 per year). Median rent in Nowra is $300 per week ($1,300 per month). Nowra has a median age of 40 years, older than the national median of 38. Nowra has a population density of 1107.1 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Nowra 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 Nowra is $1,500.

There were 764 recorded offences in Nowra in 2025-26, a rate of 77 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was other against property (264 offences).

Nowra Map

📍
Loading map…

Nowra Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Nowra Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$554/wk
$28,808 per year
#7677 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$300/wk
$1,300 per month
#4529 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
40years
2 years older than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$1,500/mo
Avg household size: 2.2 · 0.8 per bedroom

Nowra Demographics

Gender Split

Male 48.1% (4,787) Female 51.9% (5,167)

Population Density

1107.1
people per km²
9,956 people · 9.0 km²

Households

2.2
Avg household size
0.8
Persons per bedroom
$1,327
Family income/wk

Nowra 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)

Nowra Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
56.4% 1,086 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
43.6% 839 dwellings

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

Nowra Country of Birth

Australia
92.0%
England
4.1%
India
1.8%
China
0.8%
Chile
0.3%
Greece
0.3%
Croatia
0.2%
Germany
0.2%
Canada
0.2%
Egypt
0.1%

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

Nowra Religion

No Religion
42.1%
Catholic
18.6%
Anglican
17.1%
Not stated
12.7%
Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd
3.1%
Uniting Church
2.3%
Christian (other)
2.2%
Buddhism
1.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Nowra Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
42.5%
Year 10 or equivalent
37.1%
Year 9 or equivalent
12.5%
Year 11 or equivalent
7.9%

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

Nowra Languages Spoken at Home

Other
33.6%
IAL Nepali
11.5%
SAL Tot
10.2%
Italian
9.3%
Arabic
9.3%
IAL Punjabi
9.3%
Hindi
8.4%
Spanish
8.4%

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

Nowra Employment

💼
Employed full-time
24.3% 1,711 people
Employed part-time
17.5% 1,235 people
🔍
Unemployed
4.6% 321 people
🏠
Not in labour force
53.6% 3,780 people

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

Nowra Qualifications

Certificate III/IV
49.5%
Bachelor Degree
19.1%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
16.7%
Postgraduate Degree
6.0%
Certificate I/II
5.0%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
3.7%

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

Nowra Occupation

Community & Personal Service
21.3%
Professionals
20.2%
Technicians & Trade Workers
17.4%
Clerical & Administrative
9.7%
Labourers
9.7%
Managers
9.5%
Sales Workers
8.2%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
3.9%

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

Nowra Field of Study

Management & Commerce
20.2%
Engineering
16.8%
Society & Culture
16.0%
Health
14.5%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
9.5%
Education
6.9%
Architecture & Building
6.4%
Creative Arts
3.2%
Agriculture & Environment
2.8%
Information Technology
1.9%
Natural & Physical Sciences
1.9%

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

Nowra Dwelling Types

Separate house
85.7%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
10.3%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
4.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Nowra Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
1.4%
$1-$149/wk
0.6%
$150-$299/wk
2.7%
$300-$399/wk
4.4%
$400-$499/wk
11.5%
$500-$649/wk
8.0%
$650-$799/wk
10.1%
$800-$999/wk
9.7%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
10.7%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
10.0%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
4.9%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.4%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
8.2%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
4.3%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
3.3%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
1.4%
$4,000+/wk
3.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Nowra Marital Status

💍
Married
33.9% 2,754
↔️
Separated
4.8% 393
📋
Divorced
12.2% 989
🕊️
Widowed
8.1% 655
👤
Never married
41.0% 3,331

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Nowra Ancestry

Australian
31.5%
English
30.5%
Aboriginal Australianralian
9.1%
Irish
8.5%
Scottish
6.8%
Other
5.8%
German
2.7%
Italian
1.4%
Filipino
1.1%
Chinese
1.0%
Dutch
0.9%
Indian
0.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Nowra School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
32.4%
Secondary — Government
22.7%
Vocational Education
15.4%
Pre-school
12.2%
Primary — Catholic
6.4%
Secondary — Catholic
4.6%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
3.5%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
2.8%

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

Nowra Need for Assistance

Needs assistance
13.6% 2,419
No need for assistance
86.4% 15,356

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

Nowra Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
13.0% 940
Not a volunteer
87.0% 6,317

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Nowra Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
6.6%
$300-$449/mo
3.6%
$450-$599/mo
2.5%
$600-$799/mo
6.9%
$800-$999/mo
8.2%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
20.4%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
20.7%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
20.7%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
6.4%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
3.9%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Nowra How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
69.9%
Did not go to work
13.0%
Car (passenger)
7.8%
Walked only
5.2%
Bicycle
1.0%
Motorbike/Scooter
0.9%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.7%
Truck
0.7%
Other
0.5%
Bus
0.3%

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

Nowra Car Ownership

0 vehicles
12.2%
1 vehicle
45.0%
2 vehicles
30.3%
3 vehicles
8.5%
4+ vehicles
4.0%

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

Nowra Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
7.4%
2 bedrooms
18.9%
3 bedrooms
47.6%
4 bedrooms
22.0%
5 bedrooms
3.6%
6+ bedrooms
0.5%

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

Nowra Population Mobility

17.9%
moved in the last year
43.3%
moved in the last 5 years
9.2%
unemployment rate (Census)
43.5%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Nowra Indigenous Population

13.7%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
2,457
Indigenous residents
15,467
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Nowra Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
1,596
Arthritis
528
Lung condition
424
Asthma
423
Diabetes
382
Heart disease
367
Kidney disease
247
Cancer
192
Stroke
173
Dementia
89

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

Nowra Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
9.1%
$1-$149/wk
4.1%
$150-$299/wk
9.1%
$300-$399/wk
8.5%
$400-$499/wk
8.0%
$500-$649/wk
5.9%
$650-$799/wk
12.4%
$800-$999/wk
11.8%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
10.8%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
6.8%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
4.7%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
3.2%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
4.1%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
0.6%
$3,500+/wk
1.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Nowra Family Structure

Couple — children under 15
33.6%
Couple — no children
29.2%
One parent — children under 15
17.3%
Couple — no children under 15
10.3%
One parent — no children under 15
9.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Nowra Military Service

🎖️
Current ADF — Regular
1.3% 93
🛡️
Current ADF — Reserves
0.2% 16
🏅
Previously served
5.3% 387
👤
Never served
93.2% 6,799

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Nowra Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
15.0% 1,083
Did not provide
85.0% 6,140

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Nowra Children Ever Born

No children
29.4%
1 child
13.8%
2 children
25.4%
3 children
18.5%
4 children
9.6%
5+ children
3.4%

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

Nowra When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
29
1951–1960
147
1961–1970
205
1971–1980
135
1981–1990
133
1991–2000
88
2001–2010
122
2011–2015
161
2016
62
2017
38
2018
54
2019
94
2020
17
2021
11

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

Nowra Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
17.8%
5–14 hours
25.2%
15–29 hours
11.6%
30+ hours
10.4%
Did not do domestic work
34.9%

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

Nowra Household Size

1 person
35.5%
2 persons
33.9%
3 persons
13.5%
4 persons
9.6%
5 persons
4.9%
6+ persons
2.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Nowra Where Residents Moved From

Same address
7,155
Moved from NSW
857
Moved — same area (SA2)
512
Moved from QLD
47
Moved from VIC
36
Moved from overseas
30
Moved from ACT
20
Moved from WA
14
Moved from SA
10

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

Nowra Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
79.1%
Step family — no other children
11.3%
Blended family — no other children
5.7%
Intact family — other children present
1.8%
Other couple — children only
1.4%
Step family — other children present
0.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Nowra Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 764 total

Other Against Property
264
Theft
173
Assault
93
Property Damage
71
Other Against Person
70
Drug Offences
47
Weapons
25
Sexual Offences
20
Robbery
1

Offence trend by year:

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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

Nowra Schools

14
schools nearby
8
government
949
avg ICSEA score
6,405
total students
Nowra Anglican College Independent
Combined · K-12 · 1,152 students
1094
ICSEA
Nowra Christian School Independent
Combined · K-12 · 572 students
1033
ICSEA
St John the Evangelist Catholic High School Catholic
Secondary · 7-12 · 935 students
1028
ICSEA
Terara Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 96 students
1009
ICSEA
St Michael's Catholic Primary School Catholic
Primary · K-6 · 537 students
994
ICSEA
Illaroo Road Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 451 students
992
ICSEA
Nowra High School Government
Secondary · 7-12 · 777 students
944
ICSEA
Shoalhaven River College Independent
Secondary · 9-12 · 48 students
931
ICSEA
North Nowra Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 223 students
908
ICSEA
Nowra Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 517 students
904
ICSEA
Shoalhaven High School Government
Secondary · 7-12 · 610 students
862
ICSEA
Havenlee School Government
Combined · U · 67 students
849
ICSEA
Nowra East Public School Government
Primary · P-6 · 420 students
784
ICSEA
Novo Education Space Shoalhaven Independent
Secondary

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

View all schools in Nowra with map →

Nowra Rent Prices & Affordability

29%
of income
Moderate
Household Income $1,037/wk
Median Rent $300/wk
Rent-to-Income 28.9%

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

If you earn X in Nowra

≈ $4,494/month
Median rent $300/wk
Left after rent $737/wk
Rent share 28.9%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Nowra vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Frequently Asked Questions About Nowra

What is the population of Nowra NSW?

The population of Nowra NSW is 9,956 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 1107.1 people per km².Nowra is ranked #649 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Nowra?

The median personal income in Nowra NSW is $554 per week, or $28,808 per year.The median household income is $1,037 per week.Family income is $1,327 per week.Nowra is ranked #7,677 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Nowra?

Median rent in Nowra NSW is $300 per week ($1,300 per month).Rent represents 28.9% of household income, which is considered moderate.Nowra ranks #4,529 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Nowra?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Nowra NSW is $1,500. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Nowra?

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

Is Nowra a good suburb to live in?

Nowra is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 9,956.The median income is $554/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as moderate (28.9% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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: 13039. All dollar figures in AUD.