Rockdale, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
More advantaged than the national average
Rockdale is more socio-economically advantaged than about 64% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1012, 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.
Rockdale at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 15,475
- Median age
- 34
- Median weekly household income
- $1,906
- SEIFA score
- 1012
- Coordinates
- -33.9543, 151.1423
Rockdale demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Rockdale 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%, 47% of homes are rented, and 65% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 2,119 | 14% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,049 | 13% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 6,425 | 42% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 2,976 | 19% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,905 | 12% |
Share of the 15,474 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,248 | 22% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,533 | 27% |
| Rented | 2,627 | 47% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 1,360 | 24% |
| Townhouses & semis | 224 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 3,888 | 70% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 5,589 occupied private dwellings in Rockdale.
- Median weekly rent
- $460
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,167
- Average household size
- 2.6 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,024
- Median weekly personal income
- $801
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 9,480 (65%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 10,102 (70%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 69 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 9,523 (73%)
- Labour-force participation
- 62.5%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.8%
- Employed full-time
- 4,070
- Employed part-time
- 2,829
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 Rockdale
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Rockdale is January (average daytime high around 26.6°C) and the coolest is July (around 17.2°C). The area receives roughly 902 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26.6°C | 19.6°C | 80 mm |
| Feb | 25.9°C | 19.2°C | 103 mm |
| Mar | 24.8°C | 18.2°C | 149 mm |
| Apr | 22.6°C | 14.8°C | 82 mm |
| May | 19.9°C | 11.4°C | 46 mm |
| Jun | 17.1°C | 9.5°C | 69 mm |
| Jul | 17.2°C | 8.1°C | 59 mm |
| Aug | 18°C | 8.6°C | 54 mm |
| Sep | 20.4°C | 10.7°C | 44 mm |
| Oct | 22.6°C | 13.6°C | 78 mm |
| Nov | 23.7°C | 15.5°C | 70 mm |
| Dec | 25.6°C | 17.7°C | 68 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Rockdale
Where is Rockdale?
Rockdale is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Rockdale?
At the 2021 Census, Rockdale had a population of about 15,475.
Is Rockdale an advantaged area?
Rockdale has an ABS SEIFA score of 1012, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 64 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 64% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Rockdale?
Rockdale has average daytime highs of about 22°C and overnight lows of about 13.9°C, with roughly 902 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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