New South Wales · Postcode 2017

Waterloo postcode and suburb data

New South Wales · Phone area code 02 · 4 km from Sydney

CoastalMetro Top 10% SEIFA
16,379
Population (2021)
$2,028
Household income/wk
$530
Median rent/wk
33
Median age
10/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Waterloo 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

2017 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
16,379 People Resident population, Census 2021
Sydney Council area 39 suburbs, 18 postcodes
33 Median age Years, Census 2021
$2,028/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 10/10 SEIFA advantage Very high advantage
2 Schools ACARA 2025 profiles in this suburb

Benchmarks against NSW

Household income
$2,028/wk
5% above NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$530/wk
19% above NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
10/10
4.0 deciles above NSW average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
33 years
12.0 years younger than NSW average
Resident median age
Unemployment
6.2%
1.2 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 Waterloo ranks: rents are among the top 10% in NSW; SEIFA decile 10 puts it in the top 20% of Australia for socio-economic advantage.

ABS Census 2021 · SEIFA 2021

Detailed comparison table

Waterloo vs the NSW average and the national average, using population-weighted 2021 Census data.

MetricWaterlooNSW avgAU avgGreater Sydney
Household income/wk $2,028 ≈NSW $1,931 $1,836 $2,181
Rent/wk $530 +NSW $445 $390 $506
Mortgage/month $2,500 +NSW $2,247 $1,958 $2,587
Median age 33 45.0 45.0 39.0
SEIFA decile 10/10 +NSW 6.0/10 6.0/10 10.0/10
Unemployment 6.2% +NSW 5.0% 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.

Waterloo is a coastal suburb of Sydney in New South Wales, with postcode 2017. It sits about 4 km from the Sydney CBD, within the Sydney local government area. The suburb footprint covers roughly 1.1 square kilometres.

According to the 2021 Census, Waterloo has a population of 16,379 with a median age of 33. The median weekly household income is $2,028, close to the NSW average. The unemployment rate is 6.2%, higher than the NSW average. The Indigenous population is 453 (2.8% of residents).

Housing in Waterloo includes a median weekly rent of $530, median monthly mortgage repayment of $2,500, with 8,046 total dwellings. These housing costs sit above the NSW average. Rental properties account for 75.2% of dwellings.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Waterloo scores in decile 10 out of 10, which is well above the national average.

Schools in Waterloo include Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School and Yudi Gunyi School.

Waterloo is part of the Sydney Inner City statistical area in New South Wales.

Waterloo details

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

Postcode2017
StateNew South Wales (NSW)
Phone Area Code02
Population (2021)16,379
Median Age33 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$2,028/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$1,172/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$530
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$2,500
Average Household Size1.8 persons
Area1.1 km²
Population Density14445/km²
Total Dwellings8,046
Australian Citizens59.0%
Indigenous Population453 (2.8%)
Unemployment Rate6.2%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile10/10 (well above average)
Latitude-33.9002604
Longitude151.2061803
Distance from Sydney4 km
Region (SA4)Sydney - City and Inner South
Area (SA3)Sydney Inner City
Local GovernmentSydney
Federal ElectorateSydney
State ElectorateSydney
Time ZoneAEST (UTC+10), Australia/Sydney (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (7.8%) 15–24 (11.4%) 25–44 (54.1%) 45–64 (16.4%) 65+ (10.4%)
Show counts
0–14 years1,272 (7.8%)
15–24 years1,875 (11.4%)
25–44 years8,862 (54.1%)
45–64 years2,683 (16.4%)
65+ years1,700 (10.4%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (6.4%) Mortgaged (18.4%) Rented (75.2%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Waterloo is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 10 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)

Asthma1,118 (6.8%)
Arthritis795 (4.9%)
Diabetes536 (3.3%)
Heart Disease384 (2.3%)
Cancer295 (1.8%)
Lung Condition196 (1.2%)
Dementia62 (0.4%)

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

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle3,011 (38.2%)
1 vehicle3,911 (49.7%)
2 vehicles821 (10.4%)
3+ vehicles131 (1.7%)

Schools in Waterloo

ACARA 2025 school profiles for schools located in Waterloo. ICSEA is shown where ACARA publishes it.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School
Primary · Cat · ICSEA 938 · 76 students
Yudi Gunyi School
Special · Gov · ICSEA 890 · 29 students

Suburbs Near Waterloo

Same Postcode (2017)

More Waterloo 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.