Gosford, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Gosford is a waterfront city on the Central Coast of New South Wales, set at the northern end of Brisbane Water roughly halfway between Sydney and Newcastle. It is the commercial heart of the region and one of the larger urban centres in the state, governed today by the Central Coast Council. This is Darkinjung country, with the coast-dwelling Guringai people nearby; locals still affectionately call the city 'Gossie'. European settlement began around 1823, and in 1839 the town was named after Archibald Acheson, the second Earl of Gosford and a friend of Governor George Gipps, whose own title traces back to a small place in County Armagh in the north of Ireland. The Main Northern railway reached the town in 1887, and Gosford was proclaimed a city in 1980.
Around the national middle
Gosford is more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 988, 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.
Gosford at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 4,873
- Median age
- 35
- Median weekly household income
- $1,421
- SEIFA score
- 988
- Coordinates
- -33.4209, 151.3406
Gosford demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Gosford 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 young adults (25–44) at 42%, 65% of homes are rented, and 37% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 552 | 11% |
| Youth (15–24) | 590 | 12% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 2,046 | 42% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,056 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 637 | 13% |
Share of the 4,881 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 327 | 14% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 454 | 19% |
| Rented | 1,566 | 65% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 97 | 4% |
| Townhouses & semis | 161 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 2,111 | 88% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,402 occupied private dwellings in Gosford.
- Median weekly rent
- $390
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,665
- Average household size
- 1.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,849
- Median weekly personal income
- $885
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,698 (37%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,386 (31%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 132 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,676 (63%)
- Labour-force participation
- 64.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.3%
- Employed full-time
- 1,503
- Employed part-time
- 827
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 Gosford
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Gosford is January (average daytime high around 26.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.9°C). The area receives roughly 942 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.9°C | 19.5°C | 93 mm |
| Feb | 26°C | 19.3°C | 100 mm |
| Mar | 24.7°C | 18.3°C | 159 mm |
| Apr | 22.4°C | 15.3°C | 84 mm |
| May | 19.6°C | 12°C | 40 mm |
| Jun | 16.8°C | 9.9°C | 56 mm |
| Jul | 16.9°C | 8.9°C | 58 mm |
| Aug | 17.9°C | 9.3°C | 59 mm |
| Sep | 20.5°C | 11.4°C | 54 mm |
| Oct | 22.8°C | 14°C | 86 mm |
| Nov | 23.8°C | 15.7°C | 69 mm |
| Dec | 26°C | 17.8°C | 84 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Gosford
Where is Gosford?
Gosford is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Gosford?
At the 2021 Census, Gosford had a population of about 4,873.
Is Gosford an advantaged area?
Gosford has an ABS SEIFA score of 988, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 51 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 51% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Gosford?
Gosford has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 14.3°C, with roughly 942 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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