Port Kembla, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Less advantaged than the national average
Port Kembla is more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 933, 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.
Port Kembla at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 5,088
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $1,308
- SEIFA score
- 933
- Coordinates
- -34.4823, 150.8977
Port Kembla demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Port Kembla 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 26%, 34% of homes are rented, and 25% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 873 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 544 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 1,289 | 25% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 1,336 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,051 | 21% |
Share of the 5,093 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 757 | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 519 | 26% |
| Rented | 675 | 34% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,540 | 77% |
| Townhouses & semis | 133 | 7% |
| Flats & apartments | 316 | 16% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 2,004 occupied private dwellings in Port Kembla.
- Median weekly rent
- $340
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,759
- Median weekly personal income
- $648
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 1,200 (25%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,207 (25%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 230 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,739 (43%)
- Labour-force participation
- 51.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.9%
- Employed full-time
- 1,096
- Employed part-time
- 678
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 Port Kembla
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Port Kembla is January (average daytime high around 25.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.7°C). The area receives roughly 1070 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.9°C | 18.8°C | 101 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 18.4°C | 117 mm |
| Mar | 24.1°C | 17.5°C | 169 mm |
| Apr | 21.9°C | 14.5°C | 94 mm |
| May | 19.3°C | 11.4°C | 57 mm |
| Jun | 16.8°C | 9.6°C | 76 mm |
| Jul | 16.7°C | 8.2°C | 83 mm |
| Aug | 17.4°C | 8.6°C | 66 mm |
| Sep | 19.7°C | 10.5°C | 53 mm |
| Oct | 21.7°C | 13°C | 92 mm |
| Nov | 22.8°C | 14.8°C | 79 mm |
| Dec | 24.7°C | 16.9°C | 83 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Port Kembla
Where is Port Kembla?
Port Kembla is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Port Kembla?
At the 2021 Census, Port Kembla had a population of about 5,088.
Is Port Kembla an advantaged area?
Port Kembla has an ABS SEIFA score of 933, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 22 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 22% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Port Kembla?
Port Kembla has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 13.5°C, with roughly 1,070 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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