Back Forest, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Back Forest is more socio-economically advantaged than about 89% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1069, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Is Back Forest a good place to live?
There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.
Strong on the data we score
A weighted blend of the 2 components we can score for Back Forest from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.
Socio-economic advantage
89/100Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (89/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021
Housing affordability
58/100Around the national median for cost
Median weekly rent was $252 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 58% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021
Not yet scored
We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.
- Amenities & accessNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap amenity mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- Green spaceNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap green-space mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- TransportNot scored yet — our OpenStreetMap public-transport mapping is still rolling out across suburbs.
- SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
- SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
- CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.
A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.
Back Forest at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 91
- Median age
- 56
- Median weekly household income
- $1,374
- SEIFA score
- 1069
- Local government area
- Shoalhaven
- Coordinates
- -34.8437, 150.6827
Map of Back Forest
© OpenStreetMap contributors · View larger map
Housing & property in Back Forest
What it costs to live in Back Forest and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.
- Median rent
- $252
- per week
- Median mortgage
- $4,768
- per month
- Owner-occupied
- 100%
- of dwellings
- Rented
- 0%
- of dwellings
The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Back Forest demographics section below.
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.
Back Forest demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Back Forest using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is mid-life (45–64) at 33% and 13% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 19 | 19% |
| Youth (15–24) | 9 | 9% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 17 | 17% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 32 | 33% |
| Seniors (65+) | 21 | 21% |
Share of the 98 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 21 | 70% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 9 | 30% |
| Rented | 0 | 0% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 30 | 100% |
| Townhouses & semis | 0 | 0% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 30 occupied private dwellings in Back Forest.
- Average household size
- 2.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,833
- Median weekly personal income
- $632
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 12 (13%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6 (7%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 3 (3%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 50 (65%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.1%
- Employed full-time
- 18
- Employed part-time
- 26
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Back Forest
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Back Forest is January (average daytime high around 25.4°C) and the coolest is July (around 15.5°C). The area receives roughly 1353 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.4°C | 17.6°C | 111 mm |
| Feb | 24.5°C | 17.1°C | 158 mm |
| Mar | 23.2°C | 16.3°C | 219 mm |
| Apr | 20.9°C | 13.5°C | 116 mm |
| May | 18.2°C | 10.7°C | 65 mm |
| Jun | 15.5°C | 8.8°C | 87 mm |
| Jul | 15.5°C | 7.8°C | 96 mm |
| Aug | 16.2°C | 8.1°C | 96 mm |
| Sep | 18.7°C | 9.7°C | 65 mm |
| Oct | 20.9°C | 12°C | 112 mm |
| Nov | 22.2°C | 13.7°C | 106 mm |
| Dec | 24.1°C | 15.7°C | 122 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Share your local knowledge of Back Forest
Lived here or spent time in Back Forest? Add a review or a quick tip. Reviews and tips are moderated before they appear.
Common questions about Back Forest
Is Back Forest a good place to live?
There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage and housing affordability, Back Forest rates 79/100 overall (Strong on the data we score). Public transport, schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.
What is the median rent in Back Forest?
At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Back Forest was $252, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $4,768. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.
Where is Back Forest?
Back Forest is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Shoalhaven local government area.
What is the population of Back Forest?
At the 2021 Census, Back Forest had a population of about 91.
Is Back Forest an advantaged area?
Back Forest has an ABS SEIFA score of 1069, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 89 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 89% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Back Forest?
Back Forest has average daytime highs of about 20.4°C and overnight lows of about 12.6°C, with roughly 1,353 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
Nearby suburbs in New South Wales
More suburb guides in New South Wales
Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.