Cessnock

New South Wales · Hunter Valley exc Newcastle · 64,819 people · 56 suburbs · 12 postcodes

Cessnock at a glance

64,819

Population

#39 of 130 in NSW

1,905

km² area

34/km² density

38.0

Median age

-1.7 vs NSW

$1,581

Median HH income/wk

#60 of 130 in NSW

910

SEIFA IRSAD

#111 of 130 in NSW

Schools

22 gov, 4 Cath, 1 indep

7.2%

Born overseas

27.7%

Renting

Map shows the Cessnock LGA boundary in blue with a marker per suburb. Hover for suburb name, click for details.

Marker colour reflects SEIFA IRSAD decile: ● 1-2 (most disadvantaged), ● 3-4, ● 5-6, ● 7-8, ● 9-10 (most advantaged).

Boundary source: ABS ASGS 2021. Map tiles: OpenStreetMap contributors.

Cessnock is a metropolitan Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 56 suburbs across 12 postcodes and an area of 1,905 km². Cessnock has a population of 64,819 , ranking #39 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Cessnock (16,300 residents), and the highest median household income is in Buttai at $3,750/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,581/week and median age is 38.0. About 7.2% of residents were born overseas and 2.7% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

20.2%

12.0%

26.6%

24.3%

16.9%

0–14 (20.2%) 15–24 (12.0%) 25–44 (26.6%) 45–64 (24.3%) 65+ (16.9%)

Show counts

0–14 years	13,103 (20.2%)
15–24 years	7,753 (12.0%)
25–44 years	17,246 (26.6%)
45–64 years	15,778 (24.3%)
65+ years	10,977 (16.9%)

7.2%

Born overseas

2.7%

Speak a language other than English at home

10.1%

First Nations

2.6

Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

32.4%

39.9%

27.7%

Owned outright (32.4%) Mortgaged (39.9%) Renting (27.7%)

Dwelling type mix

94.2%

Separate house (94.2%) Semi/townhouse (5.0%) Flat/apartment (0.8%)

$348

Median weekly rent

$1,676

Median monthly mortgage

36.1%

Households with 0-1 cars

63.9%

Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

5.7%

Unemployment rate

15,833

In full-time work

9,328

In part-time work

Schools in Cessnock

27 schools across Cessnock: 81.5% Government, 14.8% Catholic, 3.7% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 926 (range 835 to 1032). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

81.5%

14.8%

NSW average for comparison

69.6%

16.9%

13.5%

Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

88.9%

Primary (88.9%) Secondary (7.4%) Combined (3.7%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300

LGA median 926 NSW median 1005LGA range 835 to 1032

ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) summarises the socio-economic background of each school's families. Higher values indicate more advantage. Source: ACARA 2025.

All 27 schools in Cessnock, sorted by enrolment:

School	Sector	Type	Suburb	Students	ICSEA
St Philip's Christian College - Cessnock	Independent	Combined	Nulkaba	1,276	1032
Kurri Kurri High School	Government	Secondary	Kurri Kurri	917	894
Cessnock High School	Government	Secondary	Cessnock	616	892
Kurri Kurri Public School	Government	Primary	Kurri Kurri	574	891
Branxton Public School	Government	Primary	Branxton	540	949
Cessnock West Public School	Government	Primary	Cessnock	399	884
Nulkaba Public School	Government	Primary	Nulkaba	389	931
Rosary Park Catholic School	Catholic	Primary	Branxton	375	1002
Bellbird Public School	Government	Primary	Bellbird	355	907
St Patrick's Primary School	Catholic	Primary	Cessnock	347	975
Cessnock Public School	Government	Primary	Cessnock	276	876
Weston Public School	Government	Primary	Weston	270	882
Abermain Public School	Government	Primary	Abermain	257	917
Cessnock East Public School	Government	Primary	Cessnock	215	835
Greta Public School	Government	Primary	Greta	186	935
Holy Spirit Primary School	Catholic	Primary	Kurri Kurri	186	994
Holy Spirit Infants School	Catholic	Primary	Abermain	122	991
Pelaw Main Public School	Government	Primary	Pelaw Main	115	901
Ellalong Public School	Government	Primary	Ellalong	114	903
Kearsley Public School	Government	Primary	Kearsley	114	897
Kitchener Public School	Government	Primary	Kitchener	113	930
Millfield Public School	Government	Primary	Millfield	101	932
Paxton Public School	Government	Primary	Paxton	80	926
Mulbring Public School	Government	Primary	Mulbring	56	954
Stanford Merthyr Infants School	Government	Primary	Stanford Merthyr	54	950
Laguna Public School	Government	Primary	Laguna	52	969
Congewai Public School	Government	Primary	Congewai	11	888

Source: ACARA School Profiles 2025. ICSEA shown where reported; some schools (notably small primaries) do not publish ICSEA.

SEIFA socio-economic indexes

SEIFA 2021 ranks Australian areas across four dimensions. Scores are population-weighted averages of suburb-level SEIFA scores within Cessnock. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

910

Ranked #111 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

941

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

986

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

877

Suburbs in Cessnock

Cessnock contains 56 suburbs and 12 postcodes. Sorted by population.

Suburb	Postcode	Population	Median income	Median age
Cessnock	2325	16,300	$1,192/wk	40
Kurri Kurri	2327	6,174	$1,254/wk	38
Weston	2326	4,088	$1,343/wk	37
Greta	2334	3,349	$1,929/wk	33
Heddon Greta	2321	2,838	$2,130/wk	33
Abermain	2326	2,544	$1,449/wk	37
Aberdare	2325	2,542	$1,251/wk	36
North Rothbury	2335	2,502	$2,206/wk	30
Bellbird	2325	2,338	$1,427/wk	34
Cliftleigh	2321	2,309	$2,018/wk	27
Branxton	2335	2,255	$2,266/wk	38
East Branxton	2335	1,881	$2,024/wk	33
Ellalong	2325	1,351	$1,697/wk	35
Millfield	2325	1,282	$1,668/wk	38
Paxton	2325	1,215	$1,692/wk	33
Pelaw Main	2327	1,080	$1,174/wk	39
Pokolbin	2320	1,049	$2,395/wk	57
Kearsley	2325	838	$1,467/wk	38
Bellbird Heights	2325	805	$1,487/wk	40
Nulkaba	2325	715	$2,217/wk	42
Mulbring	2323	682	$2,067/wk	46
Kitchener	2325	679	$1,962/wk	37
Stanford Merthyr	2327	575	$1,337/wk	41
Quorrobolong	2325	573	$2,392/wk	48
Sawyers Gully	2326	542	$1,847/wk	42
Lovedale	2325	502	$2,162/wk	50
Neath	2326	430	$792/wk	55
Mount Vincent	2323	380	$2,294/wk	46
Abernethy	2325	317	$2,069/wk	37
Laguna	2325	310	$1,348/wk	57
Wollombi	2325	301	$1,674/wk	55
Brunkerville	2323	216	$2,250/wk	48
Buchanan	2323	212	$2,028/wk	38
Congewai	2325	206	$1,687/wk	56
Bucketty	2250	165	$1,375/wk	50
Elrington	2325	155	$1,843/wk	51
Murrays Run	2325	140	$1,541/wk	59
Mount View	2325	114	$2,187/wk	49
Keinbah	2320	109	$2,042/wk	44
Richmond Vale	2323	95	$3,124/wk	43
Stockrington	2322	92	$1,958/wk	37
Pelton	2325	82	$1,562/wk	34
Greta Main	2325	73	$1,812/wk	45
Allandale	2320	68	$2,124/wk	49
Rothbury	2320	55	$2,250/wk	55
Buttai	2323	52	$3,750/wk	42
Sweetmans Creek	2325	44	$1,125/wk	58
Dairy Arm	2325	43	$1,166/wk	49
Loxford	2326	42	$1,375/wk	32
Watagan	2325	37	$675/wk	57
Fernances Crossing	2325	36	$1,625/wk	48
Cedar Creek	2325	32	$1,625/wk	48
Yengo National Park	2325	5	$2,250/wk	44
Corrabare	2325
Olney	2325
South Tacoma	2259

Postcodes covered

2250, 2259, 2320, 2321, 2322, 2323, 2325, 2326, 2327, 2334, 2335, 2484

Compare Cessnock with neighbouring LGAs

Side-by-side demographic and socio-economic snapshot of Cessnock and its closest neighbouring LGAs.

LGA	Population	Median age	Median HH income	SEIFA IRSAD	% renting	% overseas-born
Cessnock (NSW)	64,819	38.0	$1,581/wk	910	27.7%	7.2%
Central Coast (NSW)	346,577	43.1	$1,610/wk	978	28.6%	16.1%
Maitland	89,968	36.5	$1,830/wk	963	30.8%	9.2%
Lake Macquarie	212,380	42.7	$1,690/wk	981	24.1%	10.8%
Singleton	22,857	37.6	$1,996/wk	961	26.5%	8.6%
Hawkesbury	68,064	39.1	$2,043/wk	1009	24.6%	13.2%

Services and amenities

NDIS Providers NDIS provider directory for Cessnock Climate & weather Climate data for Cessnock

Frequently asked questions about Cessnock

What is the population of Cessnock?

The 2021 Census recorded 64,819 people living in Cessnock, across 56 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Cessnock?

Cessnock contains 56 suburbs. The most populous are Cessnock, Kurri Kurri, Weston, Greta, Heddon Greta.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Cessnock?

Cessnock covers 12 postcodes: 2250, 2259, 2320, 2321, 2322, 2323, 2325, 2326, 2327, 2334, 2335, 2484.

What is the median household income in Cessnock?

The population-weighted median household income across Cessnock is $1,581 per week (2021 Census), ranking #60 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Cessnock?

Cessnock has 27 schools, including 22 government, 4 Catholic, and 1 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Cessnock?

Cessnock has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 910, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed June 2026. Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 (IRSD, IRSAD, IER, IEO), ACARA School Profiles 2025, ABS ASGS 2021 LGA boundaries. How this data is sourced.