Kearsley NSW 2325
Kearsley is a suburb in New South Wales, 149 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 55 minutes by car. Population is 838; the median age is 38 and the median household income is $76,284 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the bottom 20% nationally. Population fell 2.7% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $315 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,614. The area shows high bushfire risk and high crime risk. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is low.
Is Kearsley a good suburb?
Kearsley scores a D (17/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit, safety, and community.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Car-dependent
Walkability 17/100 · 148.7 km · 114 min drive to Sydney
Around the state median
Median $770K
High bushfire risk
Fire 74/100 · Crime 72/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 38 · 838 residents
Liveability Rating
17 / 100 · Ranked #1506 in NSWEach bar is Kearsley's rank among NSW suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
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 Kearsley?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
17 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataThe median house sale price in Kearsley sits at $770,000, broadly flat year-on-year.
$770,000
10% above its 4 neighbours (median $700,000)
Based on 25 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 43 days — median across 9 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 11 sales $750K
- 4 bed 8 sales $930K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Kearsley are currently listed at around $785,000 on average. Based on 3 houses listed in the past six months.
$785K
3 houses listed in the last 6 months.
3 of the suburb's 287 dwellings (1.0%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- 3-bed houses
- $580/wk
- 93 bonds
- +43% since 2021
- 2-bed units
- $485/wk
- 36 bonds
- +48% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2325 (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 2025105 Moderately unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 29% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2325.
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.
Is Kearsley safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Kearsley sits in the high band, with 49 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 29% on the prior year.
49 offences
29.0% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20253 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
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
Cessnock City Council has published 8 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Black Creek Nulkaba to Branxton (Stage 2) Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2026
- Greta Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2025
- Greta Flood Study 2019
- Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan Report Cessnock City (Black Creek Stage 1) 2016
- Black Creek Flood Study: Nulkaba to Branxton (Stage 2) 2015
Schools
One school serve Kearsley, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Kearsley Public School leads the pack.
- • 114 students in one school (avg 114)
Primary
Walkability
Kearsley is very car-dependent on foot — at 17/100, nearly all errands require a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Kearsley.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 11.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 7.1 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 2.2 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 9.3 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 Kearsley.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 31%
- Premises covered
- 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
Cessnock: 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 4 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 4 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Kearsley is home to 838 residents, with a median age of 38, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $76,000 a year, with unemployment at 5.7%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
838
Median Age
38
Median Household Income
$76,284/yr
Census Median Rent
$315/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,614/mo
Avg Household Size
2.8
Median Personal Income
$34,736/yr
Unemployment Rate
5.7%
Unoccupied Dwellings
7.3%
Total Dwellings
287
Owner-Occupier Rate
85.7%
Houses
98.6%
Rental Stress
21.5%
Mortgage Stress
25.4%
Work From Home
13.6%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 91.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 94.6%
- Employment Rate
- 56.6%
- Completed Year 12
- 25.5%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 794 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Local Jobs
People who work in this suburb against employed people who live here, 2021 Census.
About 165 people work here; 383 employed residents live here.
Mostly a place people commute from: 0.4 jobs per working resident. At least 52% 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 $1,405 a year through Cessnock based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Rural and farming 66%
- Residential 17%
- Environmental 9%
- Infrastructure and transport 7%
- 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: Cessnock
In the year to August 2026, 719 new dwellings were approved across Cessnock. That mix is 560 houses and 159 units. Approvals are down 31.1% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Mindaribba 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 6.3 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 17.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.72 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 1 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Beresfield monitoring station, 25.0 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Cessnock Airport AWS, 8.7 kmModerate rainfall — hot summers, cold winters with occasional frost.
- Elevation
- 60 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 33.7 km
- Annual rainfall
- 804 mm
- 80 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.0°C
- 20 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 5.1°C
- 11 frost days ≤ 0°C
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
2 facilities within 5 km- 3.4 kmWaste Remediation and Materials Recovery ServicesTop reported: Carbon monoxide · Oxides of Nitrogen · Sulfur dioxide
- 4.9 kmFossil Fuel Electricity GenerationTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10)
EV adoption
In postcode 2325, 86 of 24,360 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 2.0% (480 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 2.3%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2325, 6,158 rooftop-solar systems totalling 44.0 MW have been installed since 2001, against 12,075 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 521 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
4 mortgage brokers are registered in postcode 2325.
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 $770,000 this is $170,000 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 Dan Repacholi Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dan Repacholi | 59.5% | 40.5% | +4.7 |
| 2022 | Dan Repacholi | 54.0% | 46.0% | -1.1 |
| 2019 | Joel Fitzgibbon | 53.0% | 47.0% | +9.5 |
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 Clayton Barr Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Clayton Barr ALP | 73.4% |
| 2019 | Clayton Barr ALP | 69.3% |
| 2015 | Clayton Barr ALP | 72.0% |
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 Kearsley?
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 838 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.
Nearby suburbs
Cessnock NSW 2325
Aberdare NSW 2325
Kitchener NSW 2325
Neath NSW 2326
Abernethy NSW 2325
Elrington NSW 2325
Compare Kearsley to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Kearsley
Is Kearsley a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Kearsley is high (72/100, 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 Kearsley?
Kearsley has a high recorded bushfire history (74/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Kearsley a good place to live?
Kearsley has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (17/100), 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 Kearsley?
Kearsley, NSW had a population of 838 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Kearsley, NSW?
The postcode for Kearsley, NSW is 2325.
How far is Kearsley from Sydney?
Kearsley is 149 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 114 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Kearsley?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Kearsley was $76,284 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 Kearsley?
There are too few current rental listings in Kearsley for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $315, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Kearsley?
The median age of residents in Kearsley was 38 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Kearsley at risk of bushfire?
Kearsley has a high recorded bushfire history (74/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
How are the schools in Kearsley?
There is 1 school inside the Kearsley boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Kearsley walkable?
Kearsley scores 17/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. 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 Kearsley?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Kearsley (Beresfield) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.3 µg/m³ and PM10 of 17.5 µg/m³. That puts Kearsley 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 Kearsley?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Kearsley, Cessnock Airport AWS (8.7 km away), summer days average 30°C, winter nights 5.1°C, 804 mm of rain a year over 80 rainy days, and 20 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Kearsley?
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 Kearsley belong to?
Kearsley sits within the Cessnock local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Kearsley?
The average residential rates bill through Cessnock is $1,405 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Kearsley?
Across Cessnock, 719 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 31.1% 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 Kearsley in?
Kearsley sits within the federal Division of Hunter, currently held by Dan Repacholi (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.