Killingworth NSW 2278

Killingworth is a suburb in New South Wales, 143 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 55 minutes by car. Population is 690; the median age is 39 and the median household income is $108,732 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the middle range nationally. The suburb grew 1.6% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $340 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,950. Killingworth is characterised by high bushfire risk and high crime risk. Walkability is low.

Is Killingworth a good suburb?

Killingworth scores a D (26/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — weaker on transit.

Transit

Car-dependent

Walkability 0/100 · 142.9 km · 115 min drive to Sydney

Prices

Around the state median

Median $525K

Safety

Moderate bushfire risk

Fire 69/100 · Crime 60/100

Community

Mid-range socio-economic

SEIFA decile 5/10 · median age 39 · 690 residents

D

Liveability Rating

26 / 100 · Ranked #1345 in NSW

Each bar is Killingworth'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.

Schools quality no data
no schools mapped
Safety
16
Bushfire Moderate · Crime Moderate

No flood data is published for New South Wales — a blank here means we hold no data, not that there is no risk.

Socio-economic
42
Mid-range
Walkability
5
Very car-dependent
CBD access
43
142.9 km · 115 min drive to Sydney
How it's calculated: Safety rank 16 × 25% + Socio-economic rank 42 × 25% + Walkability rank 5 × 15% + CBD access rank 43 × 10% = 26 / 100. Missing components rebalance the remaining weights.

How do you rate the liveability in Killingworth?

Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.

Our score

26 / 100

From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.

Residents say

…

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What applies here? (optional)

One rating per person. You can change yours at any time.

Median House Price

Public listings data

The median house sale price in Killingworth sits at $525,000, broadly flat year-on-year. That said, only five sales settled in the quarter, so the median is a noisy signal — treat it as a direction rather than a level.

$525,000

Based on only 5 sales — small sample, take as indicative.

Typically sold in 36 days — median across 4 sales that recorded a listing period

Is Killingworth safe? Crime statistics

2025

Crime in Killingworth sits in the moderate band, with 31 incidents recorded in 2025 — down about 3% on the prior year.

31 offences

3.1% since 2024
Theft 11 (35.5%)
Property Damage 5 (16.1%)
Arson 4 (12.9%)
Assault 3 (9.7%)
Harassment & Stalking 3 (9.7%)
Drug Offences 3 (9.7%)
Disorderly Conduct 1 (3.2%)
Sexual Offences 1 (3.2%)

Crime Trend

Serious Road Crashes

2021–2025

7 crashes

where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal

Where they happened

Newcastle Motorway 5 (71.4%)

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

Lake Macquarie City Council has published 14 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.

All 14 on the portal

Schools

No schools in this suburb boundary.

Walkability

Killingworth is very car-dependent on foot — at 0/100, nearly all errands require a car.

0
out of 100
Very Car-Dependent
Bottom 5% in NSW
Public Transport within 1 km not measured
Schools within 1.5 km 0
Parks within 800 m 0
Supermarkets within 1 km 0
GPs within 1 km 0
Pharmacies within 1 km 0
Childcare within 1 km 0
Hospitals within 5 km 0

We hold no public transport timetable data for this area, so public transport is not rated here and the score is spread across the remaining components. It is not counted as zero.

Public transport

Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Killingworth.

44
out of 100
Bus
Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
17.2 arrivals/hr
Off-peak weekday
7.1 arrivals/hr
Saturday
1.1 arrivals/hr
Median peak wait
0.5 min
Span of service
11.8 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 Killingworth.

75
connectivity score / 100
Top 18% in NSW
Most common
Fibre to the premises
Full-fibre (FTTP) share
55%
Premises covered
230
Technology mix
Fibre to the premises (FTTP) 55%
Fibre to the node (FTTN) 45%

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

Supermarkets
None
Shopping Centres
None
Cafes & Restaurants
None
Parks & Reserves
1 in suburb
Sport & Recreation
None
Beaches
None
Waterways
3 in suburb
Childcare
None
GPs
None
Pharmacies
None
Hospitals
None
Police Stations
None
Banks & Bank@Post
None
Fuel Stations
None
EV Chargers
None
Pubs & Bars
None
Arts & Culture
None
Places of Worship
None

Lake Macquarie: council population

The whole council area, not just Killingworth · estimated residents
at 30 June 2025
Residents
224,540
+1.1% in a year
Change
+2,396
people since 2024
Density
346
people per km² across the council area
What drove the change
Natural increase
+246
births minus deaths
Net internal migration
+1,535
moves within Australia
Net overseas migration
+615
arrivals minus departures

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

ABS SEIFA · ranked against every suburb in Australia, and within the state
2021 census
Advantage and disadvantage
5/10
5/10 within NSW
income, education, jobs and housing together
Economic resources
9/10
8/10 within NSW
income against housing cost and household size
Education and occupation
3/10
2/10 within NSW
qualifications and job type, income excluded

Killingworth is home to 690 residents, with a median age of 39, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $109,000 a year, with unemployment at 4.3%.

2021 Census · change since 2016

Population

690

1.6% since 2016

Median Age

39

5.4% since 2016

Median Household Income

$108,732/yr

19.0% since 2016

Census Median Rent

$340/wk

11.7% since 2016

Census Median Mortgage

$1,950/mo

12.5% since 2016

Avg Household Size

3.1

no change since 2016

Median Personal Income

$40,508/yr

14.6% since 2016

Unemployment Rate

4.3%

33.8% since 2016

Unoccupied Dwellings

0.0%

Total Dwellings

219

1.4% since 2016

Owner-Occupier Rate

94.8%

2.9% since 2016

Houses

100.9%

1.8% since 2016

Rental Stress

16.3%

25.6% since 2016

Mortgage Stress

21.5%

5.7% since 2016

Work From Home

12.7%

693.7% since 2016

Dwelling Types

Houses 221 (100.9%)
Townhouses 4 (1.8%)

Property Ownership

Mortgage 125 (58.7%)
Owned Outright 77 (36.2%)
Renting 11 (5.2%)

Demographics

Born in Australia
94.8%
English Spoken at Home
96.2%
Employment Rate
67%
0.4% since 2016
Completed Year 12
27.7%

Occupations

Technicians & Trades 102 (27.0%)
Clerical & Administrative 49 (13.0%)
Community & Personal Service 43 (11.4%)
Machinery Operators & Drivers 43 (11.4%)
Professionals 42 (11.1%)
Labourers 36 (9.5%)
Managers 31 (8.2%)
Sales 30 (7.9%)

Religion

No Religion 349 (50.6%)
Christianity 298 (43.2%)

Country of Birth (overseas)

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.

England 9 (1.3%)
New Zealand 3 (0.4%)

Where New Residents Came From

Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.

Hunter Valley exc Newcastle 27 (4.1%)

Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 659 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

0-4 31 (4.5%)
5-14 90 (13.0%)
15-19 44 (6.4%)
20-24 59 (8.6%)
25-34 82 (11.9%)
35-44 90 (13.0%)
45-54 86 (12.5%)
55-64 112 (16.2%)
65-74 82 (11.9%)
75-84 5 (0.7%)
85+ 3 (0.4%)

Family & Household Composition

Couple Families 106 (65.4%)
One Parent Families 30 (18.5%)
Lone Person 15 (9.3%)
Group Household 6 (3.7%)
Other Families 5 (3.1%)

Commute to Work

Car (driver) 260 (82.8%)
Worked from Home 40 (12.7%)
Car (passenger) 14 (4.5%)

Education

Certificate III & IV 182 (26.4%)
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 54 (7.8%)
Bachelor Degree 52 (7.5%)
Postgraduate Degree 7 (1.0%)

Cars per Dwelling

1 car 25 (11.5%)
2 cars 86 (39.4%)
3 cars 53 (24.3%)
4+ cars 58 (26.6%)

Council Rates

Lake Macquarie
FY 2024-25

Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,708 a year through Lake Macquarie based on 2024 figures.

Avg residential rate
$1,708/yr
39% above the NSW average of $1,230 · median of 128 councils
Valuation basis
Unimproved Value
land only

How this land is zoned

Share of Killingworth's area by planning zone
2026-09
  • Environmental 89%
  • Infrastructure and transport 7%
  • Rural and farming 2%
  • Residential 2%

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: Lake Macquarie

The whole council area, not just Killingworth · new residential dwellings
to 2026-08

In the year to August 2026, 1,212 new dwellings were approved across Lake Macquarie. That mix is 846 houses and 366 units. Approvals are up 1.6% on the same period a year earlier.

Trailing 12 months
1,212dwellings
+1.6% YoY
Houses
846
detached dwellings
Units
366
townhouses + apartments

Aboriginal Land Council

Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Awabakal 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

MODERATE

PM2.5 averaged 6.1 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³). 4 days exceeded the daily threshold of 25 µg/m³.

PM10 averaged 16.5 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.53 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 2 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 1.

From the Wallsend monitoring station, 12.7 km away.

Climate & Setting

from Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS, 24.0 km

High rainfall — warm summers, mild winters.

Elevation
47 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
Distance to the ocean
17.8 km
Near high-voltage lines
9.7% of addresses
35 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
Annual rainfall
1,025 mm
91 rainy days
Summer max (Jan)
25.4°C
4 days ≥ 35°C
Winter min (Jul)
10.2°C
0 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.

EV adoption

0.2%
of light vehicles are electric
Up from 0.00% in 2021
Bottom 13% in NSW

In postcode 2278, 4 of 2,228 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 1.3% (30 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 1.5%.

Electric share, year by year
2021
0.00%
2022
0.00%
2023
0.00%
2024
0.18%
2025
0.18%

Rooftop solar

62
systems per 100 dwellings
Averaging 6.3 kW each

In postcode 2278, 561 rooftop-solar systems totalling 3.5 MW have been installed since 2001, against 912 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 25 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.

Systems installed, year by year
2019
42
2020
56
2021
46
2022
41
2023
45
2024
41
2025
21
2026
14

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).

Verify eligibility with Revenue NSW

Mortgage repayments

I'm looking for
Deposit
$
%
Monthly repayment
$2,738
Loan amount
$420,000
Total interest over 30 years
$565,711
Deposit
$105,000
Stamp duty
$17,812
Cash needed at settlement
$122,812

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.

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

Division of Hunter

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

Lake Macquarie District

Currently held by Greg Piper Independent

Next state election: 13 March 2027.

Year Winner Won with
2023 Greg Piper IND 74.1%
2019 Greg Piper IND 72.1%
2015 Greg Piper IND 60.7%

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 Killingworth?

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.

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Nearby suburbs

Compare Killingworth 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 Killingworth

Is Killingworth a safe place to live?

Recorded crime in Killingworth is moderate (60/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).

What natural hazards affect Killingworth?

Killingworth has a moderate recorded bushfire history (69/100, 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 Killingworth a good place to live?

Killingworth has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of D (26/100), 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 Killingworth?

Killingworth, NSW had a population of 690 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.

What is the postcode for Killingworth, NSW?

The postcode for Killingworth, NSW is 2278.

How far is Killingworth from Sydney?

Killingworth is 143 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 115 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.

What is the median household income in Killingworth?

At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Killingworth was $108,732 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 Killingworth?

There are too few current rental listings in Killingworth for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $340, across all dwelling types.

What is the median age in Killingworth?

The median age of residents in Killingworth was 39 at the 2021 ABS Census.

Is Killingworth at risk of bushfire?

Killingworth has a moderate recorded bushfire history (69/100). 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.

What is the air quality in Killingworth?

The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Killingworth (Wallsend) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 6.1 µg/m³ and PM10 of 16.5 µg/m³. That puts Killingworth 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 Killingworth?

At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Killingworth, Newcastle Nobbys Signal Station AWS (24 km away), summer days average 25.4°C, winter nights 10.2°C, 1,025 mm of rain a year over 91 rainy days, and 4 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.

Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Killingworth?

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 Killingworth belong to?

Killingworth sits within the Lake Macquarie local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.

How much are council rates in Killingworth?

The average residential rates bill through Lake Macquarie is $1,708 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.

How much is being built near Killingworth?

Across Lake Macquarie, 1,212 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 1.6% 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 Killingworth in?

Killingworth sits within the federal Division of Hunter, currently held by Dan Repacholi (Australian Labor Party).

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Data freshness

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.

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