New South Wales · Postcode 2517

Woonona postcode and suburb data

New South Wales · Phone area code 02 · 60 km from Sydney

Inner Regional
12,374
Population (2021)
$1,816
Household income/wk
$395
Median rent/wk
43
Median age
8/10
SEIFA advantage

Suburb snapshot

Woonona 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

2517 Postcode See every suburb sharing this postcode
12,374 People Resident population, Census 2021
Wollongong Council area 76 suburbs, 16 postcodes
43 Median age Years, Census 2021
$1,816/wk Household income Suburb median, Census 2021 dollars
Decile 8/10 SEIFA advantage Above average advantage
3 Schools ACARA 2025 profiles in this suburb

Benchmarks against NSW

Household income
$1,816/wk
6% below NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
Weekly rent
$395/wk
11% below NSW average
Suburb median, Census 2021
SEIFA advantage
8/10
2.0 deciles above NSW average
IRSAD decile, higher means more advantage
Median age
43 years
2.0 years younger than NSW average
Resident median age
Unemployment
3.7%
1.3 pts below 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.

Detailed comparison table

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

MetricWoononaNSW avgAU avg
Household income/wk $1,816 ≈NSW $1,931 $1,836
Rent/wk $395 -NSW $445 $390
Mortgage/month $2,200 ≈NSW $2,247 $1,958
Median age 43 45.0 45.0
SEIFA decile 8/10 +NSW 6.0/10 6.0/10
Unemployment 3.7% -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.

Woonona is a locality 60 km from Sydney in New South Wales, classified as inner regional by the ABS. The postcode is 2517. It falls within the Illawarra region. The local government area is Wollongong.

According to the 2021 Census, Woonona has a population of 12,374 with a median age of 43. The median weekly household income is $1,816, close to the NSW average. The unemployment rate is 3.7%, lower than the NSW average. The Indigenous population is 319 (2.6% of residents).

Housing in Woonona includes a median weekly rent of $395, median monthly mortgage repayment of $2,200, with 4,636 total dwellings. Housing costs in the area sit below the NSW average. Owner-occupied dwellings (owned or mortgaged) make up 74.7% of housing.

On the SEIFA Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage, Woonona scores in decile 8 out of 10, which is above the national average.

Schools in Woonona include Woonona High School, Woonona Public School and Woonona East Public School.

Woonona is part of the Wollongong statistical area in New South Wales.

Woonona details

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

Postcode2517
StateNew South Wales (NSW)
Phone Area Code02
Population (2021)12,374
Median Age43 years
Median Household Income (Census 2021)$1,816/week
Median Personal Income (Census 2021)$788/week
Median Weekly Rent (Census 2021)$395
Median Monthly Mortgage (Census 2021)$2,200
Average Household Size2.5 persons
Area6.8 km²
Population Density1820/km²
Total Dwellings4,636
Australian Citizens92.6%
Indigenous Population319 (2.6%)
Unemployment Rate3.7%
SEIFA IRSAD Decile8/10 (above average)
Latitude-34.341667
Longitude150.906111
Distance from Sydney60 km
Region (SA4)Illawarra
Area (SA3)Wollongong
Local GovernmentWollongong
Federal ElectorateCunningham
State ElectorateKeira
Time ZoneAEST (UTC+10), Australia/Sydney (standard time)

Age Profile

0–14 (18.6%) 15–24 (11.0%) 25–44 (23.0%) 45–64 (26.0%) 65+ (21.4%)
Show counts
0–14 years2,305 (18.6%)
15–24 years1,360 (11.0%)
25–44 years2,843 (23.0%)
45–64 years3,219 (26.0%)
65+ years2,654 (21.4%)

Housing Tenure

Owned outright (38.1%) Mortgaged (36.6%) Rented (25.3%)

SEIFA socio-economic index

Woonona is in SEIFA IRSAD decile 8 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)

Arthritis1,460 (11.8%)
Asthma1,121 (9.1%)
Heart Disease592 (4.8%)
Diabetes550 (4.4%)
Cancer469 (3.8%)
Lung Condition298 (2.4%)
Dementia235 (1.9%)

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

Motor Vehicles per Dwelling

No vehicle333 (7.2%)
1 vehicle1,653 (36.0%)
2 vehicles1,772 (38.6%)
3+ vehicles838 (18.2%)

Schools in Woonona

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

Woonona High School
Secondary · Gov · ICSEA 1030 · 767 students
Woonona Public School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 1070 · 519 students
Woonona East Public School
Primary · Gov · ICSEA 1037 · 200 students

Suburbs Near Woonona

Same Postcode (2517)

More Woonona 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.