New South Wales · Suburb Profile

Shoal Bay NSW — Suburb Profile

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

The population of Shoal Bay NSW is 1,815 according to the 2021 Census. The median personal income in Shoal Bay is $623 per week ($32,396 per year). Median rent in Shoal Bay is $338 per week ($1,465 per month). Shoal Bay has a median age of 59 years, older than the national median of 38. Shoal Bay has a population density of 451.6 people per km².

The most common overseas birthplace in Shoal Bay is England. The most common religion is No Religion (36% of residents). After English, the most spoken language is IAL Nepali. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Shoal Bay is $1,700.

There were 54 recorded offences in Shoal Bay in 2025-26, a rate of 30 offences per 1,000 people. The most common offence category was other against property (18 offences).

Shoal Bay Map

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Shoal Bay Population

residents (Census 2021)

Shoal Bay Median Income & Rent

💰

Median Income

$623/wk

$32,396 per year

#6733 of 14,663

🏠

Median Rent

$338/wk

$1,465 per month

#3727 of 14,663

👤

Median Age

59years

21 years older than national median

🏡

Mortgage

$1,700/mo

Avg household size: 2 · 0.7 per bedroom

Shoal Bay Demographics

Gender Split

Male 48.1% (873) Female 51.9% (941)

Population Density

451.6

people per km²

1,815 people · 4.0 km²

Households

Avg household size

0.7

Persons per bedroom

$1,441

Family income/wk

Shoal Bay 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)

Shoal Bay Housing Tenure

🏠

Owned outright

70.2% 318 dwellings

🏦

Owned with mortgage

29.8% 135 dwellings

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

Shoal Bay Country of Birth

Australia

92.1%

England

5.4%

Germany

1.0%

Greece

0.5%

India

0.5%

Canada

0.4%

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

Shoal Bay Religion

No Religion

36.0%

Catholic

22.1%

Anglican

22.1%

Not stated

9.5%

Uniting Church

3.6%

Christinty Prsbytrin Refrmd

3.1%

Baptist

1.8%

Christian (other)

1.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G14 — Religion by SAL

Shoal Bay Education Level

Year 12 or equivalent

46.7%

Year 10 or equivalent

36.5%

Year 9 or equivalent

10.1%

Year 11 or equivalent

6.7%

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

Shoal Bay Languages Spoken at Home

IAL Nepali

37.8%

German

15.6%

Other

11.1%

Malayalam

11.1%

French

8.9%

Italian

8.9%

Thai

6.7%

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

Shoal Bay Employment

💼

Employed full-time

19.3% 259 people

⏰

Employed part-time

20.4% 274 people

🔍

Unemployed

2.6% 35 people

🏠

Not in labour force

57.7% 774 people

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

Shoal Bay Qualifications

Certificate III/IV

43.3%

Bachelor Degree

24.4%

Advanced Diploma/Diploma

21.0%

Postgraduate Degree

7.1%

Certificate I/II

2.5%

Graduate Diploma/Certificate

1.7%

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

Shoal Bay Occupation

Professionals

23.8%

Technicians & Trade Workers

22.3%

Community & Personal Service

17.5%

Managers

12.0%

Clerical & Administrative

9.3%

Labourers

8.8%

Sales Workers

3.8%

Machinery Operators & Drivers

2.5%

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

Shoal Bay Field of Study

Management & Commerce

18.7%

Engineering

14.8%

Society & Culture

13.7%

Health

10.8%

Education

10.3%

Food, Hospitality & Personal Services

9.8%

Architecture & Building

8.4%

Agriculture & Environment

4.5%

Natural & Physical Sciences

4.0%

Creative Arts

3.2%

Information Technology

1.8%

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

Shoal Bay Dwelling Types

Separate house

61.7%

Semi-detached (1 storey)

27.8%

Semi-detached (2+ storey)

10.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G36 — Dwelling Structure by SAL

Shoal Bay Weekly Household Income

Nil/Negative/wk

3.2%

$1-$149/wk

1.1%

$150-$299/wk

1.6%

$300-$399/wk

2.7%

$400-$499/wk

9.2%

$500-$649/wk

10.7%

$650-$799/wk

12.2%

$800-$999/wk

8.8%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

9.9%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

9.0%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

4.6%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

4.6%

$2,000-$2,499/wk

9.0%

$2,500-$2,999/wk

4.7%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

1.6%

$3,500-$3,999/wk

2.3%

$4,000+/wk

5.0%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G33 — Household Income by SAL

Shoal Bay Marital Status

💍

Married

42.6% 684

↔️

Separated

5.0% 80

📋

Divorced

13.8% 221

🕊️

Widowed

14.6% 234

👤

Never married

24.1% 388

Source: ABS Census 2021 G05 — Marital Status by SAL

Shoal Bay Ancestry

English

33.7%

Australian

28.3%

Irish

11.0%

Scottish

8.8%

Other

5.5%

German

3.9%

Aboriginal Australianralian

2.7%

Italian

2.6%

Greek

1.1%

Polish

0.9%

Filipino

0.7%

Chinese

0.6%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G08 — Ancestry by SAL

Shoal Bay School & University Attendance

Primary — Government

33.5%

Secondary — Government

23.1%

Vocational Education

15.1%

Pre-school

10.8%

Primary — Other Non-Govt

5.6%

Secondary — Other Non-Govt

4.8%

Primary — Catholic

4.4%

Secondary — Catholic

2.8%

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

Shoal Bay Need for Assistance

♿

Needs assistance

8.9% 287

✅

No need for assistance

91.1% 2,942

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

Shoal Bay Volunteering

🤝

Volunteer

16.9% 235

—

Not a volunteer

83.1% 1,157

Source: ABS Census 2021 G23 — Voluntary Work by SAL

Shoal Bay Monthly Mortgage Repayments

$0-$299/mo

10.9%

$450-$599/mo

5.5%

$600-$799/mo

7.0%

$800-$999/mo

4.7%

$1,000-$1,399/mo

13.3%

$1,400-$1,799/mo

18.0%

$1,800-$2,399/mo

20.3%

$2,400-$2,999/mo

14.8%

$3,000-$3,999/mo

5.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G38 — Mortgage Repayment by SAL

Shoal Bay How People Get to Work

Car (driver)

61.4%

Did not go to work

25.2%

Walked only

6.8%

Car (passenger)

2.9%

Bus

1.9%

Truck

1.2%

Other

0.6%

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

Shoal Bay Car Ownership

0 vehicles

8.3%

1 vehicle

51.7%

2 vehicles

29.7%

3 vehicles

7.1%

4+ vehicles

3.2%

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

Shoal Bay Number of Bedrooms

1 bedroom

6.6%

2 bedrooms

35.9%

3 bedrooms

34.7%

4 bedrooms

17.4%

5 bedrooms

5.1%

6+ bedrooms

0.4%

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

Shoal Bay Population Mobility

17.4%

moved in the last year

45.0%

moved in the last 5 years

5.4%

unemployment rate (Census)

39.3%

labour force participation

Source: ABS Census 2021 G43 — Summary by SAL

Shoal Bay Indigenous Population

4.3%

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

150

Indigenous residents

3,362

Non-Indigenous residents

Source: ABS Census 2021 G07 — Indigenous Status by SAL

Shoal Bay Long-term Health Conditions

Mental health

195

Arthritis

110

Heart disease

Lung condition

Diabetes

Asthma

Cancer

Stroke

Kidney disease

Dementia

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

Shoal Bay Personal Weekly Income Distribution

$0 or less/wk

8.9%

$1-$149/wk

3.9%

$150-$299/wk

7.4%

$300-$399/wk

6.9%

$400-$499/wk

5.3%

$500-$649/wk

6.4%

$650-$799/wk

12.7%

$800-$999/wk

11.3%

$1,000-$1,249/wk

12.5%

$1,250-$1,499/wk

5.7%

$1,500-$1,749/wk

4.4%

$1,750-$1,999/wk

3.8%

$2,000-$2,999/wk

6.1%

$3,000-$3,499/wk

1.6%

$3,500+/wk

3.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G17 — Personal Income by SAL

Shoal Bay Family Structure

Couple — no children

44.5%

Couple — children under 15

26.9%

One parent — children under 15

10.3%

Couple — no children under 15

9.5%

One parent — no children under 15

8.8%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G29 — Family Composition by SAL

Shoal Bay Military Service

🎖️

Current ADF — Regular

0.2% 3

🏅

Previously served

3.8% 53

👤

Never served

96.0% 1,338

Source: ABS Census 2021 G22 — ADF Service by SAL

Shoal Bay Unpaid Carers

🤲

Provided unpaid assistance

12.5% 172

—

Did not provide

87.5% 1,200

Source: ABS Census 2021 G25 — Unpaid Assistance by SAL

Shoal Bay Children Ever Born

No children

23.1%

1 child

10.8%

2 children

37.7%

3 children

20.2%

4 children

7.1%

5+ children

1.2%

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

Shoal Bay When Migrants Arrived

Before 1951

1951–1960

1961–1970

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

Shoal Bay Unpaid Domestic Work

Less than 5 hours

16.6%

5–14 hours

29.1%

15–29 hours

13.2%

30+ hours

9.6%

Did not do domestic work

31.5%

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

Shoal Bay Household Size

1 person

42.3%

2 persons

38.0%

3 persons

8.9%

4 persons

7.1%

5 persons

2.6%

6+ persons

1.1%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G35 — Household Size by SAL

Shoal Bay Where Residents Moved From

Same address

1,307

Moved from NSW

129

Moved — same area (SA2)

115

Moved from overseas

Moved from VIC

Moved from QLD

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

Shoal Bay Family Blending

Intact family — no other children

78.8%

Step family — no other children

14.2%

Blended family — no other children

3.5%

Other couple — children only

3.5%

Source: ABS Census 2021 G31 — Family Blending by SAL

Shoal Bay Crime Statistics

Reported offences in 2025-26 — 54 total

Other Against Property

Assault

Sexual Offences

Theft

Other Against Person

Property Damage

Drug Offences

Offence trend by year:

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

2025

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

Shoal Bay Schools

schools nearby

government

962

avg ICSEA score

237

total students

Shoal Bay Public School Government

Primary · K-6 · 237 students

962

ICSEA

Alesco Secondary College - Tomaree Campus 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 Shoal Bay with map →

Shoal Bay Rent Prices & Affordability

34%

of income

Moderate

Household Income $1,007/wk

Median Rent $338/wk

Rent-to-Income 33.6%

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

If you earn X in Shoal Bay

Your weekly income

≈ $4,364/month

Median rent $338/wk

Left after rent $669/wk

Rent share 33.6%

Cheaper alternatives with similar incomes

Grasmere

Income: $543/wk Rent: $116/wk Save: $222/wk

Tocumwal

Income: $562/wk Rent: $250/wk Save: $88/wk

Dalmeny

Income: $564/wk Rent: $330/wk Save: $8/wk

Barham

Income: $571/wk Rent: $185/wk Save: $153/wk

Narooma

Income: $551/wk Rent: $260/wk Save: $78/wk

Greenwell Point

Income: $600/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $38/wk

Bermagui

Income: $602/wk Rent: $310/wk Save: $28/wk

Canton Beach

Income: $526/wk Rent: $300/wk Save: $38/wk

Shoal Bay vs State & National Average

Nearby Suburbs in NSW

Uranquinty

Pop: 910 Income: $796/wk Rent: $300/wk

Beechwood

Pop: 914 Income: $715/wk Rent: $368/wk

Tallong

Pop: 914 Income: $689/wk Rent: $385/wk

Northwood (NSW)

Pop: 916 Income: $1,526/wk Rent: $1,200/wk

Koolewong

Pop: 920 Income: $710/wk Rent: $450/wk

Jerilderie

Pop: 922 Income: $694/wk Rent: $175/wk

Compare Shoal Bay (NSW)

Shoal Bay (NSW) vs Uranquinty →Shoal Bay (NSW) vs Beechwood →Shoal Bay (NSW) vs Tallong →Shoal Bay (NSW) vs Northwood (NSW) →

Frequently Asked Questions About Shoal Bay

What is the population of Shoal Bay NSW?

The population of Shoal Bay NSW is 1,815 according to the ABS Census 2021.The suburb has a population density of 451.6 people per km².Shoal Bay is ranked #3,163 out of 14,663 suburbs by population.

What is the median income in Shoal Bay?

The median personal income in Shoal Bay NSW is $623 per week, or $32,396 per year.The median household income is $1,007 per week.Family income is $1,441 per week.Shoal Bay is ranked #6,733 by income out of 14,663 Australian suburbs.

How much is rent in Shoal Bay?

Median rent in Shoal Bay NSW is $338 per week ($1,465 per month).Rent represents 33.6% of household income, which is considered moderate.Shoal Bay ranks #3,727 out of 14,663 suburbs by rent.

What are mortgage repayments in Shoal Bay?

The median monthly mortgage repayment in Shoal Bay NSW is $1,700. This data comes from the ABS Census 2021 and reflects mortgage repayments for owner-occupied dwellings.

What is the median age in Shoal Bay?

The median age in Shoal Bay NSW is 59 years.This is older than the national median age of 38 years.

Is Shoal Bay a good suburb to live in?

Shoal Bay is a suburb in New South Wales with a population of 1,815.The median income is $623/wk, which is below the NSW average of $781/wk.Rent affordability is rated as moderate (33.6% 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: 13554. All dollar figures in AUD.