Berkeley NSW 2506
Located in New South Wales, Berkeley sits 92 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 25 minutes by car. The suburb has 7,798 residents, a median age of 40, and a median household income of $63,284 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population grew 2.5% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $290 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,733. The area shows high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. Of 3 schools within the suburb boundary, 1 ranks above the state average, and walkability is high.
Is Berkeley a good suburb?
Berkeley scores a B (49/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on safety and community.
Mixed results
3 schools · 1 above peer schools
Very walkable
Walkability 70/100 · 92.4 km · 85 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $858K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 78/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 1/10 · median age 40 · 7,798 residents
Liveability Rating
49 / 100 · Ranked #758 in NSWEach bar is Berkeley's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better).
No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.
How do you rate the liveability in Berkeley?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
49 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataBerkeley's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $858,000, about 9% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$857,500
10% below its 5 neighbours (median $950,000)
Based on 134 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 19 days — median across 45 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 2 bed 11 sales $750K
- 3 bed 78 sales $838K
- 4 bed 30 sales $950K
- 5 bed 9 sales $1.02M
Land
$256,800
Based on only 9 sales — small sample, take as indicative.
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Berkeley are currently listed at around $875,000 on average. Based on 23 houses listed in the past six months.
$875K
23 houses listed in the last 6 months.
23 of the suburb's 2,875 dwellings (0.8%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Berkeley rent for around $690 a week on average, based on 18 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$690/wk
18 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
19 rentals advertised against an estimated 1,127 rented homes (1.7%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $700/wk
- 15 bonds
- +39% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2506 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202584 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 36% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2506.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$690/week ($36,000 a year) on a $875,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Berkeley safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Berkeley sits in the high band, with 565 incidents recorded in 2025 — down about 9% on the prior year.
565 offences
8.7% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–202516 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Where they happened
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Wollongong City Council has published 22 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Hewitts Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan July 2026 2026
- Collins Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan 2025
- Fairy & Cabbage Tree Creeks FRMS&P 2024 2024
- Allans Creek Flood Study & Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2024 2024
- Towradgi Creek Flood Study, Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan 2023 2023
Schools
Three schools serve Berkeley, and results are mixed — some outperforming peer-suburb schools, some below. Berkeley West Public School leads the pack.
- • 1,342 students across 3 schools (avg 447)
- • ICSEA 868-937, median 926 (below the national baseline of 1000)
- • Largest: Illawarra Sports High School (926 students)
Primary
Secondary
Universities nearby
1.1% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Berkeley is very walkable on foot — at 70/100, most daily errands can be done on foot.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Berkeley.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 155.5 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 105.2 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 75.9 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 0 min
- Span of service
- 17.1 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Berkeley.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 53%
- Premises covered
- 3,328
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Wollongong: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 20 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 6 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Berkeley is home to about 7,800 residents, with a median age of 40, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $63,000 a year, with unemployment at 6.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
7,798
Median Age
40
Median Household Income
$63,284/yr
Census Median Rent
$290/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,733/mo
Avg Household Size
2.5
Median Personal Income
$29,536/yr
Unemployment Rate
6.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
4.3%
Total Dwellings
2,875
Owner-Occupier Rate
60.8%
Houses
88.8%
Rental Stress
23.8%
Mortgage Stress
32.9%
Work From Home
17.4%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
584 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 31 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 1,085 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 72.5%
- English Spoken at Home
- 74.0%
- Employment Rate
- 45.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 29.9%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
80 residents (1.0%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
3.3% of residents (242) lived in a capital city five years earlier, most of them in Sydney (203).
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 7,361 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
3% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (89 of 2,888).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 947 people work here; 2,888 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.3 jobs per working resident. At least 67% of employed residents must work outside the suburb.
Counts are by place of work and place of usual residence. The ABS counts jobs in zones; where a zone spans several places, its jobs are shared out by land use. The ABS also adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,751 a year through Wollongong based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 38%
- Environmental 33%
- Parks and recreation 18%
- Infrastructure and transport 8%
- Industrial 2%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Wollongong
In the year to August 2026, 1,476 new dwellings were approved across Wollongong. That mix is 422 houses and 1,054 units. Approvals are down 31.3% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 5.9 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 1 day exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.
PM10 averaged 19.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.45 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 7 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Kembla Grange monitoring station, 2.3 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Mittagong (Alfred Street), 35.6 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 31 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 4.7 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 1.8% of addresses
- 70 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 974 mm
- 97 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
14 facilities within 5 km- 2.4 kmOther Ceramic Product ManufacturingTop reported: Chromium (III) compounds · Boron & compounds · Phosphoric acid
- 2.8 kmIron Smelting and Steel ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
- 2.9 kmIndustrial Gas ManufacturingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide
- 3.0 kmBasic Inorganic Chemical ManufacturingTop reported: Lead & compounds
- 3.0 km
EV adoption
In postcode 2506, 17 of 5,366 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.2% (116 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.5%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2506, 931 rooftop-solar systems totalling 6.1 MW have been installed since 2001, against 2,993 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 54 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Mortgage repayments
Transfer duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with Revenue NSW
The First Home Owner Grant applies to newly built homes only, so it isn't available on an established purchase. A first home buyer building or buying new under $600,000 may qualify for $10,000 — see what qualifies with Revenue NSW.
At $857,500 this is $257,500 above the $600,000 First Home Owner Grant cap. A first home buyer may qualify for $10,000 on a newly built home — check eligibility with Revenue NSW.
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-27 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Alison Byrnes Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alison Byrnes | 67.5% | 32.5% | +2.5 |
| 2022 | Alison Byrnes | 64.7% | 35.3% | -1.3 |
| 2019 | Sharon Bird | 63.4% | 36.6% | -0.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Paul Scully Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Paul Scully ALP | 74.3% |
| 2019 | Paul Scully ALP | 71.4% |
| 2015 | Noreen Hay ALP | 58.9% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Berkeley?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 7,798 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #2 in Best Wollongong suburbs for first-home buyers (houses)
- #3 in Wollongong suburbs where the most Arabic is spoken at home
- #3 in Where the Lebanese community lives in Wollongong
- #4 in Wollongong suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #4 in Where the Vietnamese community lives in Wollongong
- #4 in Wollongong suburbs where the most Vietnamese is spoken at home
- #5 in Wollongong suburbs with the most parkland nearby
- #6 in Wollongong suburbs where 3-bedroom house rents rose most
- #7 in Where the Turkish community lives in Wollongong
- #9 in Where the Macedonian community lives in Wollongong
- #10 in Highest-yielding Wollongong suburbs (houses)
- #10 in Sportiest Wollongong suburbs
- #11 in Wollongong suburbs with the deepest rental markets
- #12 in Best Wollongong suburbs for good public primary schools
- #14 in Wollongong suburbs with the most rooftop solar
- #15 in Wollongong suburbs with the fastest EV adoption growth
Nearby suburbs
Kanahooka NSW 2530
Unanderra NSW 2526
Lake Heights NSW 2502
Cringila NSW 2502
Kembla Grange NSW 2526
Brownsville NSW 2530
Compare Berkeley to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Berkeley
Is Berkeley a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Berkeley is high (78/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Berkeley?
Berkeley has no recorded bushfire history. These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Berkeley a good place to live?
Berkeley has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of B (49/100), ranked against other NSW suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Berkeley?
Berkeley, NSW had a population of 7,798 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Berkeley, NSW?
The postcode for Berkeley, NSW is 2506.
How far is Berkeley from Sydney?
Berkeley is 92 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 85 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Berkeley?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Berkeley was $63,284 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Berkeley?
The median advertised rent in Berkeley is $690 a week for houses (18 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Berkeley?
The median age of residents in Berkeley was 40 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Berkeley?
There are 3 schools inside the Berkeley boundary: 1 above and 2 below similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Berkeley walkable?
Berkeley scores 70/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Berkeley?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Berkeley (Kembla Grange) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.9 µg/m³ and PM10 of 19.8 µg/m³. That puts Berkeley below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Berkeley?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Berkeley, Mittagong (Alfred Street) (35.6 km away), 974 mm of rain a year over 97 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Berkeley?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Berkeley belong to?
Berkeley sits within the Wollongong local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Berkeley?
The average residential rates bill through Wollongong is $1,751 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Berkeley?
Across Wollongong, 1,476 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 31.3% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Berkeley in?
Berkeley sits within the federal Division of Cunningham, currently held by Alison Byrnes (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.