New South Wales · Postcode 2259

Chain Valley Bay postcode and suburb data

New South Wales · Phone area code 02 · 85 km from Sydney

Inner Regional Bottom 20% SEIFA
2,773
Population (2021)
$866
Household income/wk
$370
Median rent/wk
63
Median age
1/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Chain Valley Bay at a glance vs NSW

Fast facts and benchmark bars show the suburb's key postcode, Census, SEIFA, school and LGA signals in context.

Quick facts

2259 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
2,773 People Resident population, Census 2021
Central Coast (NSW) Council area 158 suburbs, 16 postcodes
63 Median age Years, Census 2021
$866/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 1/10 SEIFA advantage Very low SEIFA advantage

Benchmarks against NSW

Household income
$866/wk
55% below NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$370/wk
17% below NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
1/10
5.0 deciles below NSW average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
63 years
18.0 years older than NSW average
Resident median age
Unemployment
5.9%
0.9 pts above NSW average
Census labour-force rate

Income, rent and SEIFA figures are from the ABS 2021 Census and are reported in 2021 dollars, not adjusted for subsequent inflation.

Where Chain Valley Bay ranks: household income sits in the bottom 25% of NSW suburbs; SEIFA decile 1 places it in the bottom 20% of Australia for socio-economic advantage.

ABS Census 2021 · SEIFA 2021

Detailed comparison table

Chain Valley Bay vs the NSW average and the national average, using population-weighted 2021 Census data.

MetricChain Valley BayNSW avgAU avg
Household income/wk $866 -NSW $1,931 $1,836
Rent/wk $370 -NSW $445 $390
Mortgage/month $1,647 -NSW $2,247 $1,958
Median age 63 45.0 45.0
SEIFA decile 1/10 -NSW 6.0/10 6.0/10
Unemployment 5.9% +NSW 5.0% 5.0%

Green pill = at least 10% above the NSW average; red = at least 10% below; grey = within 10%. For unemployment, colour polarity is inverted: lower is better.

Chain Valley Bay is a locality 85 km from Sydney in New South Wales, classified as inner regional by the ABS. The postcode is 2259. It falls within the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region. The local government area is Central Coast (NSW).

According to the 2021 Census, Chain Valley Bay has a population of 2,773 with a median age of 63. The median weekly household income is $866, below the NSW average. The unemployment rate is 5.9%, higher than the NSW average. The Indigenous population is 151 (5.4% of residents).

Housing in Chain Valley Bay includes a median weekly rent of $370, median monthly mortgage repayment of $1,647, with 1,239 total dwellings. Housing costs in the area sit below the NSW average. Owner-occupied dwellings (owned or mortgaged) make up 90.2% of housing.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Chain Valley Bay scores in decile 1 out of 10, which is well below the national average.

Chain Valley Bay is part of the Lake Macquarie - West statistical area in New South Wales.

Chain Valley Bay details

Location, Census, housing, SEIFA and geography fields used across this profile.

Postcode2259
StateNew South Wales (NSW)
Phone Area Code02
Population (2021)2,773
Median Age63 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$866/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$530/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$370
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$1,647
Average Household Size2.1 persons
Area5.6 km²
Population Density495/km²
Total Dwellings1,239
Australian Citizens88.5%
Indigenous Population151 (5.4%)
Unemployment Rate5.9%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile1/10 (well below average)
Latitude-33.169
Longitude151.575
Distance from Sydney85 km
Region (SA4)Newcastle and Lake Macquarie
Area (SA3)Lake Macquarie - West
Local GovernmentCentral Coast (NSW)
Federal ElectorateDobell
State ElectorateWyong
Time ZoneAEST (UTC+10), Australia/Sydney (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (10.7%) 15–24 (7.2%) 25–44 (13.7%) 45–64 (21.0%) 65+ (47.0%)
Show counts
0–14 years297 (10.7%)
15–24 years200 (7.2%)
25–44 years381 (13.7%)
45–64 years583 (21.0%)
65+ years1,303 (47.0%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (66.7%) Mortgaged (23.6%) Rented (9.8%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Chain Valley Bay is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 1 of 10. Higher deciles indicate more relative socio-economic advantage. This is an area-level index, not a score for individual households.
More disadvantagedMiddle rangeMore advantaged

Health Conditions (2021 Census)

Arthritis615 (22.2%)
Diabetes292 (10.5%)
Asthma281 (10.1%)
Heart Disease263 (9.5%)
Cancer172 (6.2%)
Lung Condition149 (5.4%)
Dementia27 (1.0%)

Long-term health conditions self-reported in the 2021 Census. Persons may report more than one condition.

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle49 (4.0%)
1 vehicle682 (55.8%)
2 vehicles335 (27.4%)
3+ vehicles157 (12.8%)

Suburbs Near Chain Valley Bay

Same Postcode (2259)

More Chain Valley Bay Data

Page last reviewed . Data sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0), SEIFA 2021 IRSAD, ACARA school profiles 2025. How this data is sourced.