Ocean Shores, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Around the national middle
Ocean Shores is more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 998, 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.
Ocean Shores at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,777
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,471
- SEIFA score
- 998
- Coordinates
- -28.4953, 153.5312
Ocean Shores demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Ocean Shores 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 mid-life (45–64) at 30%, 26% of homes are rented, and 21% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 979 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 536 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,469 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,707 | 30% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,086 | 19% |
Share of the 5,777 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 812 | 37% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 740 | 34% |
| Rented | 577 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,842 | 84% |
| Townhouses & semis | 208 | 9% |
| Flats & apartments | 149 | 7% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,202 occupied private dwellings in Ocean Shores.
- Median weekly rent
- $508
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,893
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,743
- Median weekly personal income
- $711
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,123 (21%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 531 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 162 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 2,699 (58%)
- Labour-force participation
- 57.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,094
- Employed part-time
- 1,319
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 Ocean Shores
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Ocean Shores is January (average daytime high around 28.1°C) and the coolest is July (around 19.7°C). The area receives roughly 1329 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28.1°C | 20.9°C | 124 mm |
| Feb | 27.4°C | 20.7°C | 227 mm |
| Mar | 26.8°C | 20.1°C | 206 mm |
| Apr | 24.3°C | 17.3°C | 86 mm |
| May | 21.9°C | 14.7°C | 94 mm |
| Jun | 19.8°C | 12.6°C | 79 mm |
| Jul | 19.7°C | 11.6°C | 57 mm |
| Aug | 21°C | 12.1°C | 55 mm |
| Sep | 22.9°C | 13.9°C | 53 mm |
| Oct | 24.7°C | 16.2°C | 107 mm |
| Nov | 26.4°C | 18.1°C | 95 mm |
| Dec | 27.7°C | 19.9°C | 146 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Ocean Shores
Where is Ocean Shores?
Ocean Shores is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Ocean Shores?
At the 2021 Census, Ocean Shores had a population of about 5,777.
Is Ocean Shores an advantaged area?
Ocean Shores has an ABS SEIFA score of 998, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 56 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 56% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Ocean Shores?
Ocean Shores has average daytime highs of about 24.2°C and overnight lows of about 16.5°C, with roughly 1,329 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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