Fern Bay, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Around the national middle
Fern Bay is more socio-economically advantaged than about 58% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1001, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Fern Bay at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,046
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,435
- SEIFA score
- 1001
- Coordinates
- -32.8635, 151.8126
Fern Bay demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Fern Bay using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 30%, 24% of homes are rented, and 12% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 805 | 20% |
| Youth (15–24) | 314 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 981 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 733 | 18% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,215 | 30% |
Share of the 4,048 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 761 | 47% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 426 | 26% |
| Rented | 390 | 24% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,607 | 98% |
| Townhouses & semis | 26 | 2% |
| Flats & apartments | 4 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,642 occupied private dwellings in Fern Bay.
- Median weekly rent
- $510
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,299
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,104
- Median weekly personal income
- $735
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 480 (12%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 186 (5%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 213 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,383 (44%)
- Labour-force participation
- 50.4%
- Unemployment rate
- 4%
- Employed full-time
- 954
- Employed part-time
- 499
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Fern Bay
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Fern Bay is January (average daytime high around 29.2°C) and the coolest is July (around 17.3°C). The area receives roughly 860 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29.2°C | 19.6°C | 75 mm |
| Feb | 27.9°C | 19.2°C | 90 mm |
| Mar | 26.2°C | 18.1°C | 145 mm |
| Apr | 23.4°C | 14.6°C | 70 mm |
| May | 20.2°C | 11.3°C | 37 mm |
| Jun | 17.3°C | 9.2°C | 59 mm |
| Jul | 17.3°C | 8.1°C | 52 mm |
| Aug | 18.6°C | 8.5°C | 44 mm |
| Sep | 21.6°C | 10.9°C | 52 mm |
| Oct | 24.5°C | 13.7°C | 86 mm |
| Nov | 26.1°C | 15.7°C | 72 mm |
| Dec | 28.2°C | 18°C | 78 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Fern Bay
Where is Fern Bay?
Fern Bay is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Fern Bay?
At the 2021 Census, Fern Bay had a population of about 4,046.
Is Fern Bay an advantaged area?
Fern Bay has an ABS SEIFA score of 1001, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 58 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 58% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Fern Bay?
Fern Bay has average daytime highs of about 23.4°C and overnight lows of about 13.9°C, with roughly 860 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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