Suburbs Petersham

New South Wales · Suburb Profile

Petersham NSW — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Petersham NSW is 8,200 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Petersham is $1,223 per week ($63,596 per year). Median rent in Petersham is $450 per week ($1,950 per month). Petersham has a median age of 36 years, younger than the national median of 38. Petersham has a population density of 6370.4 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Petersham is England. The most common religion is No Religion (58% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is Portuguese. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Petersham is $2,900.

There were 110 recorded offences in Petersham in 2025-26, a rate of 13 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was theft (33 offences).

Petersham Map

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📍 Petersham, New South Wales — 33.8945°S, 151.1556°E

Crime: Low Med High 🏫 Schools (68)

Petersham Population

0
residents (Census 2021)

Petersham Median Income & Rent

💰
Median Income
$1,223/wk
$63,596 per year
#380 of 14,663
🏠
Median Rent
$450/wk
$1,950 per month
#1049 of 14,663
👤
Median Age
36years
2 years younger than national median
🏡
Mortgage
$2,900/mo
Avg household size: 2.2 · 1 per bedroom

Petersham Demographics

Gender Split

Male 49.2% (4,038) Female 50.8% (4,162)

Population Density

6370.4
people per km²
8,200 people · 1.3 km²

Households

2.2
Avg household size
1
Persons per bedroom
$3,202
Family income/wk

Petersham 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)

Petersham Housing Tenure

🏠
Owned outright
40.7% 664 dwellings
🏦
Owned with mortgage
59.3% 969 dwellings

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

Petersham Country of Birth

Australia
86.9%
England
6.5%
China
1.4%
India
1.4%
Greece
1.2%
Brazil
0.8%
Germany
0.6%
Indonesia
0.5%
Canada
0.4%
Chile
0.4%

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

Petersham Religion

No Religion
58.0%
Catholic
20.2%
Not stated
7.7%
Anglican
5.7%
Eastern Orthodox
3.8%
Buddhism
2.2%
Christian (other)
1.3%
SB OSB NRA SB
1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Petersham Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent
85.5%
Year 10 or equivalent
8.9%
Year 11 or equivalent
3.4%
Year 9 or equivalent
2.2%

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

Petersham Languages Spoken at Home

Portuguese
19.7%
Greek
15.0%
Other
14.2%
Italian
14.0%
Spanish
12.5%
Mandarin
10.6%
Arabic
7.2%
Vietnamese
6.8%

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

Petersham Employment

💼
Employed full-time
48.5% 3,043 people
⏰
Employed part-time
20.1% 1,259 people
🔍
Unemployed
3.4% 215 people
🏠
Not in labour force
28.0% 1,754 people

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

Petersham Qualifications

Bachelor Degree
46.7%
Postgraduate Degree
21.4%
Advanced Diploma/Diploma
13.0%
Certificate III/IV
12.0%
Graduate Diploma/Certificate
5.8%
Certificate I/II
1.1%

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

Petersham Occupation

Professionals
49.6%
Managers
18.3%
Clerical & Administrative
10.6%
Technicians & Trade Workers
7.2%
Community & Personal Service
6.4%
Sales Workers
4.1%
Labourers
2.6%
Machinery Operators & Drivers
1.2%

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

Petersham Field of Study

Management & Commerce
21.8%
Society & Culture
21.4%
Creative Arts
17.9%
Health
8.9%
Engineering
6.5%
Education
6.4%
Architecture & Building
4.7%
Natural & Physical Sciences
4.4%
Information Technology
4.2%
Food, Hospitality & Personal Services
2.5%
Agriculture & Environment
1.1%

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

Petersham Dwelling Types

Separate house
45.9%
Semi-detached (1 storey)
27.3%
Semi-detached (2+ storey)
26.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Petersham Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk
1.7%
$1-$149/wk
0.3%
$150-$299/wk
1.1%
$300-$399/wk
2.6%
$400-$499/wk
3.4%
$500-$649/wk
3.0%
$650-$799/wk
4.2%
$800-$999/wk
4.4%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
6.2%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
6.7%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
6.0%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
5.1%
$2,000-$2,499/wk
12.0%
$2,500-$2,999/wk
6.1%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
7.4%
$3,500-$3,999/wk
5.1%
$4,000+/wk
24.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Petersham Marital Status

💍
Married
29.8% 2,138
↔️
Separated
2.4% 170
📋
Divorced
8.2% 585
🕊️
Widowed
2.7% 196
👤
Never married
56.9% 4,076

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Petersham Ancestry

English
26.1%
Australian
21.0%
Other
13.4%
Irish
12.2%
Scottish
8.6%
Italian
4.7%
Chinese
4.2%
Greek
2.9%
German
2.7%
Aboriginal Australianralian
1.5%
Lebanese
1.4%
Vietnamese
1.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Petersham School & University Attendance

Primary — Government
30.3%
Vocational Education
18.2%
Secondary — Government
17.6%
Pre-school
11.1%
Secondary — Catholic
8.4%
Secondary — Other Non-Govt
7.9%
Primary — Catholic
3.3%
Primary — Other Non-Govt
3.1%

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

Petersham Need for Assistance

♿
Needs assistance
4.4% 679
✅
No need for assistance
95.6% 14,780

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

Petersham Volunteering

🤝
Volunteer
15.6% 1,046
—
Not a volunteer
84.4% 5,640

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Petersham Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo
8.2%
$300-$449/mo
1.9%
$450-$599/mo
0.9%
$600-$799/mo
1.7%
$800-$999/mo
2.0%
$1,000-$1,399/mo
9.1%
$1,400-$1,799/mo
9.6%
$1,800-$2,399/mo
21.5%
$2,400-$2,999/mo
17.9%
$3,000-$3,999/mo
27.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Petersham How People Get to Work

Car (driver)
43.7%
Did not go to work
25.4%
Train
9.8%
Walked only
7.0%
Bus
4.2%
Car (passenger)
3.5%
Bicycle
3.0%
Motorbike/Scooter
1.2%
Other
0.9%
Truck
0.6%
Taxi/Rideshare
0.5%
Tram/Light Rail
0.2%

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

Petersham Car Ownership

0 vehicles
21.5%
1 vehicle
51.9%
2 vehicles
21.5%
3 vehicles
3.8%
4+ vehicles
1.4%

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

Petersham Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom
22.5%
2 bedrooms
35.9%
3 bedrooms
26.2%
4 bedrooms
12.5%
5 bedrooms
2.4%
6+ bedrooms
0.4%

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

Petersham Population Mobility

22.8%
moved in the last year
49.9%
moved in the last 5 years
4.3%
unemployment rate (Census)
69.4%
labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Petersham Indigenous Population

2.0%
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
309
Indigenous residents
15,234
Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Petersham Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health
1,091
Asthma
357
Arthritis
171
Diabetes
158
Heart disease
136
Lung condition
95
Cancer
84
Kidney disease
55
Stroke
53
Dementia
13

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

Petersham Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk
8.0%
$1-$149/wk
2.4%
$150-$299/wk
3.5%
$300-$399/wk
3.5%
$400-$499/wk
2.0%
$500-$649/wk
2.7%
$650-$799/wk
6.6%
$800-$999/wk
7.4%
$1,000-$1,249/wk
9.4%
$1,250-$1,499/wk
9.4%
$1,500-$1,749/wk
8.9%
$1,750-$1,999/wk
7.2%
$2,000-$2,999/wk
15.5%
$3,000-$3,499/wk
4.2%
$3,500+/wk
9.2%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Petersham Family Structure

Couple — children under 15
40.5%
Couple — no children
33.8%
Couple — no children under 15
14.5%
One parent — no children under 15
6.6%
One parent — children under 15
4.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Petersham Military Service

🎖️
Current ADF — Regular
0.1% 4
🛡️
Current ADF — Reserves
0.1% 9
🏅
Previously served
1.1% 72
👤
Never served
98.7% 6,629

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Petersham Unpaid Carers

🤲
Provided unpaid assistance
10.5% 704
—
Did not provide
89.5% 5,982

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Petersham Children Ever Born

No children
59.0%
1 child
13.6%
2 children
19.4%
3 children
6.0%
4 children
1.6%
5+ children
0.3%

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

Petersham When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951
10
1951–1960
55
1961–1970
232
1971–1980
261
1981–1990
360
1991–2000
301
2001–2010
370
2011–2015
247
2016
71
2017
72
2018
87
2019
74
2020
31

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

Petersham Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours
25.5%
5–14 hours
36.9%
15–29 hours
12.7%
30+ hours
5.6%
Did not do domestic work
19.4%

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

Petersham Household Size

1 person
35.1%
2 persons
33.7%
3 persons
14.6%
4 persons
12.5%
5 persons
3.3%
6+ persons
0.7%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Petersham Where Residents Moved From

Same address
5,904
Moved from NSW
1,286
Moved — same area (SA2)
285
Moved from overseas
77
Moved from VIC
33
Moved from QLD
14
Moved from ACT
14
Moved from WA
8
Moved from TAS
6
Moved from SA
5

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

Petersham Family Blending

Intact family — no other children
91.9%
Step family — no other children
5.9%
Blended family — no other children
1.4%
Other couple — children only
0.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Petersham Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 110 total

Theft
33
Other Against Property
21
Assault
15
Property Damage
13
Drug Offences
12
Sexual Offences
8
Other Against Person
4
Traffic
4

Offence trend by year:

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

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

Petersham Schools

68
schools nearby
39
government
1107
avg ICSEA score
25,640
total students
Newington College Independent
Secondary · K-12 · 2,072 students
1182
ICSEA
Fort Street High School Government
Secondary · 7-12 · 917 students
1176
ICSEA
Trinity Grammar School Independent
Combined · K-12 · 2,296 students
1168
ICSEA
Summer Hill Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 662 students
1167
ICSEA
St Columba's Catholic Primary School Catholic
Primary · K-6 · 180 students
1167
ICSEA
St Brendan's Catholic Primary School Catholic
Primary · K-6 · 155 students
1166
ICSEA
Forest Lodge Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 307 students
1161
ICSEA
St Michael's Catholic Primary School Catholic
Primary · K-6 · 116 students
1160
ICSEA
St Fiacre's Catholic Primary School Catholic
Primary · K-6 · 91 students
1151
ICSEA
Dobroyd Point Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 116 students
1149
ICSEA
Annandale North Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 359 students
1148
ICSEA
Annandale Public School Government
Primary · P-6 · 363 students
1145
ICSEA
Yeo Park Infants School Government
Primary · K-2 · 48 students
1144
ICSEA
Australia Street Infants School Government
Primary · P-2 · 104 students
1143
ICSEA
Newtown Public School Government
Primary · K-6 · 272 students
1140
ICSEA

Showing 15 of 68 schools

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

View all schools in Petersham with map →

Petersham Rent Prices & Affordability

20%
of income
Affordable
Household Income $2,217/wk
Median Rent $450/wk
Rent-to-Income 20.3%

Rent is under 25% of household income — generally considered affordable.

If you earn X in Petersham

≈ $9,607/month
Median rent $450/wk
Left after rent $1,767/wk
Rent share 20.3%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Bolwarra Heights
Income: $979/wk Rent: $420/wk Save: $30/wk
Crestwood
Income: $982/wk Rent: $320/wk Save: $130/wk
Voyager Point
Income: $1,152/wk Rent: $325/wk Save: $125/wk
Queanbeyan West
Income: $1,100/wk Rent: $350/wk Save: $100/wk
Bourkelands
Income: $1,003/wk Rent: $360/wk Save: $90/wk
Cooks Hill
Income: $1,025/wk Rent: $430/wk Save: $20/wk
Islington
Income: $995/wk Rent: $430/wk Save: $20/wk
Queanbeyan East
Income: $1,079/wk Rent: $310/wk Save: $140/wk

Petersham vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Lake Heights
Pop: 4,105 Income: $623/wk Rent: $400/wk
North St Marys
Pop: 4,123 Income: $597/wk Rent: $340/wk
Barden Ridge
Pop: 4,129 Income: $1,033/wk Rent: $685/wk
Faulconbridge
Pop: 4,156 Income: $933/wk Rent: $420/wk
North Willoughby
Pop: 4,161 Income: $1,067/wk Rent: $590/wk
Gerringong
Pop: 4,165 Income: $802/wk Rent: $500/wk

Compare Petersham

Petersham vs Lake Heights →Petersham vs North St Marys →Petersham vs Barden Ridge →Petersham vs Faulconbridge →

Frequently Asked Questions About Petersham

What is the population of Petersham NSW?

The population of Petersham NSW is 8,200 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 6370.4 people per km².Petersham is ranked #859 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Petersham?

The median personal income in Petersham NSW is $1,223 per week, or $63,596 per year.The median household income is $2,217 per week.Family income is $3,202 per week.Petersham is ranked #380 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Petersham?

Median rent in Petersham NSW is $450 per week ($1,950 per month).Rent represents 20.3% of household income, which is considered affordable.Petersham ranks #1,049 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Petersham?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Petersham NSW is $2,900. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Petersham?

The median age in Petersham NSW is 36 years.This is younger than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Petersham a good suburb to live in?

Petersham is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 8,200.The median income is $1,223/wk, which is above the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as affordable (20.3% of household income). See the full suburb profile above for detailed statistics.

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Data: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2021. SA2 area: 13202. All dollar figures in AUD.