Shoalhaven Heads, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Less advantaged than the national average
Shoalhaven Heads is more socio-economically advantaged than about 33% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 958, 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.
Shoalhaven Heads at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,248
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $1,066
- SEIFA score
- 958
- Coordinates
- -34.8493, 150.7411
Shoalhaven Heads demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Shoalhaven Heads 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 37%, 18% of homes are rented, and 14% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 471 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 206 | 6% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 571 | 18% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 808 | 25% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,190 | 37% |
Share of the 3,246 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 793 | 54% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 344 | 24% |
| Rented | 265 | 18% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 977 | 67% |
| Townhouses & semis | 205 | 14% |
| Flats & apartments | 16 | 1% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,456 occupied private dwellings in Shoalhaven Heads.
- Median weekly rent
- $365
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,950
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,524
- Median weekly personal income
- $612
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 431 (14%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 90 (3%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 118 (4%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 1,021 (38%)
- Labour-force participation
- 43.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.7%
- Employed full-time
- 621
- Employed part-time
- 457
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 Shoalhaven Heads
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Shoalhaven Heads is January (average daytime high around 25.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 15.5°C). The area receives roughly 1353 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.4°C | 17.6°C | 111 mm |
| Feb | 24.5°C | 17.1°C | 158 mm |
| Mar | 23.2°C | 16.3°C | 219 mm |
| Apr | 20.9°C | 13.5°C | 116 mm |
| May | 18.2°C | 10.7°C | 65 mm |
| Jun | 15.5°C | 8.8°C | 87 mm |
| Jul | 15.5°C | 7.8°C | 96 mm |
| Aug | 16.2°C | 8.1°C | 96 mm |
| Sep | 18.7°C | 9.7°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 20.9°C | 12°C | 112 mm |
| Nov | 22.2°C | 13.7°C | 106 mm |
| Dec | 24.1°C | 15.7°C | 122 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Shoalhaven Heads
Where is Shoalhaven Heads?
Shoalhaven Heads is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Shoalhaven Heads?
At the 2021 Census, Shoalhaven Heads had a population of about 3,248.
Is Shoalhaven Heads an advantaged area?
Shoalhaven Heads has an ABS SEIFA score of 958, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 33 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 33% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Shoalhaven Heads?
Shoalhaven Heads has average daytime highs of about 20.4°C and overnight lows of about 12.6°C, with roughly 1,353 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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