Kiama

New South Wales · Illawarra · 23,019 people · 24 suburbs · 7 postcodes

Kiama at a glance

23,019
Population
#66 of 130 in NSW
279
km² area
83/km² density
48.4
Median age
+8.7 vs NSW
$1,853
Median HH income/wk
#31 of 130 in NSW
1061
SEIFA IRSAD
#22 of 130 in NSW
6
Schools
5 gov, 1 Cath, 0 indep
14.6%
Born overseas
18.5%
Renting

Map shows the Kiama 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.

Kiama is a Local Government Area in New South Wales, in the Sydney region. It covers 24 suburbs across 7 postcodes and an area of 279 km². Kiama has a population of 23,019 , ranking #66 most populous in NSW. The most populous suburb is Kiama (7,904 residents), and the highest median household income is in Jerrara at $2,899/week. The LGA-wide median household income is $1,853/week and median age is 48.4. About 14.6% of residents were born overseas and 4.5% speak a language other than English at home.

Who lives here

Age structure

0–14 (16.4%) 15–24 (9.6%) 25–44 (19.5%) 45–64 (26.9%) 65+ (27.6%)
Show counts
0–14 years3,769 (16.4%)
15–24 years2,216 (9.6%)
25–44 years4,475 (19.5%)
45–64 years6,179 (26.9%)
65+ years6,332 (27.6%)
14.6%
Born overseas
4.5%
Speak a language other than English at home
2.3%
First Nations
2.5
Avg household size

How they live

Housing tenure

Owned outright (49.5%) Mortgaged (32.0%) Renting (18.5%)

Dwelling type mix

Separate house (82.8%) Semi/townhouse (11.4%) Flat/apartment (5.8%)
$488
Median weekly rent
$2,247
Median monthly mortgage
35.2%
Households with 0-1 cars
64.8%
Households with 2+ cars

Work and learning

3.3%
Unemployment rate
5,452
In full-time work
3,800
In part-time work

Schools in Kiama

6 schools across Kiama: 83.3% Government, 16.7% Catholic, 0% Independent. The NSW average is 69.6% / 16.9% / 13.5%. Schools here have a median ICSEA of 1066 (range 1036 to 1104). NSW median is 1005; national mean is 1000.

Sector mix

NSW average for comparison
Government Catholic Independent

Type breakdown

Primary (83.3%) Secondary (16.7%) Combined (0%) Special (0%)

ICSEA range

700 National mean 1000 1300
LGA median 1066 NSW median 1005LGA range 1036 to 1104

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 6 schools in Kiama, sorted by enrolment:

School Sector Type Suburb Students ICSEA
Kiama High School Government Secondary Kiama 761 1036
Minnamurra Public School Government Primary Minnamurra 464 1068
Gerringong Public School Government Primary Gerringong 378 1091
Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School Catholic Primary Kiama 363 1104
Kiama Public School Government Primary Kiama 347 1064
Jamberoo Public School Government Primary Jamberoo 131 1045

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 Kiama. Higher scores indicate more advantage; the national mean is 1000.

IRSAD

Relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage

1061
Ranked #22 of 130 NSW LGAs

IRSD

Relative disadvantage only (lower = more disadvantaged)

1070

IER

Economic resources: income, wealth, housing

1062

IEO

Education and occupation: qualifications, skill levels

1058

Suburbs in Kiama

Kiama contains 24 suburbs and 7 postcodes. Sorted by population.

SuburbPostcodePopulationMedian incomeMedian age
Kiama 2533 7,904 $1,572/wk 52
Kiama Downs 2533 5,087 $2,103/wk 43
Gerringong 2534 4,165 $1,899/wk 46
Jamberoo 2533 1,910 $2,131/wk 50
Kiama Heights 2533 878 $1,758/wk 47
Minnamurra 2533 804 $1,577/wk 50
Gerroa 2534 571 $1,919/wk 56
Werri Beach 2534 510 $1,941/wk 47
Curramore 2533 220 $2,178/wk 52
Bombo 2533 175 $2,594/wk 40
Foxground 2534 164 $2,166/wk 60
Jerrara 2533 132 $2,899/wk 41
Toolijooa 2534 103 $2,250/wk 47
Broughton Village 2534 95 $1,937/wk 56
Rose Valley 2534 87 $2,150/wk 43
Willow Vale 2534 73 $1,833/wk 50
Saddleback Mountain 2533 67 $1,916/wk 59
Knights Hill 2577 39 $1,749/wk 59
Carrington Falls 2577 32 $1,875/wk 56
Upper Kangaroo Valley 2577 3 $450/wk 31
Barren Grounds 2577
Budderoo 2535 $2,250/wk 69
North Macquarie 2527
Yellow Rock Ridge 2527

Postcodes covered

2527, 2533, 2534, 2535, 2575, 2577, 2630

Compare Kiama with neighbouring LGAs

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

LGA Population Median age Median HH income SEIFA IRSAD % renting % overseas-born
Kiama (NSW) 23,019 48.4 $1,853/wk 1061 18.5% 14.6%
Shellharbour 76,109 40.0 $1,709/wk 962 27.5% 16.1%
Shoalhaven 108,180 48.1 $1,304/wk 949 25.3% 13.5%
Blue Mountains 78,162 45.3 $1,832/wk 1042 18.2% 17.4%
Wollongong 214,498 39.3 $1,759/wk 1000 31.9% 21.0%

Services and amenities

Frequently asked questions about Kiama

What is the population of Kiama?

The 2021 Census recorded 23,019 people living in Kiama, across 24 suburbs.

What suburbs are in Kiama?

Kiama contains 24 suburbs. The most populous are Kiama, Kiama Downs, Gerringong, Jamberoo, Kiama Heights.See the full list in the Suburbs section above.

What postcodes are in Kiama?

Kiama covers 7 postcodes: 2527, 2533, 2534, 2535, 2575, 2577, 2630.

What is the median household income in Kiama?

The population-weighted median household income across Kiama is $1,853 per week (2021 Census), ranking #31 of 130 NSW LGAs.

How many schools are in Kiama?

Kiama has 6 schools, including 5 government, 1 Catholic, and 0 independent schools (ACARA 2025).

What is the SEIFA score for Kiama?

Kiama has a population-weighted SEIFA IRSAD score of 1061, where the national average is 1000. Higher scores indicate more relative advantage.

Page last reviewed . 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.