Balmain, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Balmain is a harbourside suburb on a peninsula about 2 km west of central Sydney, in the Inner West. The land is the traditional country of the Gadigal and Wangal peoples. It takes its name from William Balmain, a colonial surgeon granted land here in 1800. Through the nineteenth century it was a hard-working industrial quarter of shipyards, foundries and wharves, and a stronghold of organised labour — the Australian Labor Party traces one of its founding meetings to the suburb in 1891. Gentrification has since turned Balmain into one of Sydney's more affluent and sought-after areas, known for its heritage cottages, harbour views, historic pubs and the Wests Tigers rugby league club.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Balmain is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1155, 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.
Balmain at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 10,454
- Median age
- 42
- Median weekly household income
- $3,039
- SEIFA score
- 1155
- Coordinates
- -33.8583, 151.1810
Balmain demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Balmain 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 young adults (25–44) at 29%, 41% of homes are rented, and 32% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 1,809 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 816 | 8% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,081 | 29% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 3,051 | 29% |
| Seniors (65+) | 1,705 | 16% |
Share of the 10,462 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 1,276 | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,258 | 28% |
| Rented | 1,853 | 41% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 974 | 22% |
| Townhouses & semis | 1,785 | 40% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,684 | 38% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 4,471 occupied private dwellings in Balmain.
- Median weekly rent
- $625
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,986
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $4,562
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,577
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 3,259 (32%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 1,295 (13%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 83 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 6,781 (81%)
- Labour-force participation
- 68.7%
- Unemployment rate
- 3.9%
- Employed full-time
- 3,889
- Employed part-time
- 1,371
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 Balmain
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Balmain is January (average daytime high around 25.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.5°C). The area receives roughly 1084 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.7°C | 19.3°C | 104 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 19°C | 119 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 18°C | 186 mm |
| Apr | 21.9°C | 15°C | 100 mm |
| May | 19.2°C | 11.7°C | 56 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.8°C | 74 mm |
| Jul | 16.5°C | 8.7°C | 70 mm |
| Aug | 17.3°C | 9.2°C | 67 mm |
| Sep | 19.6°C | 11.3°C | 55 mm |
| Oct | 21.8°C | 13.7°C | 92 mm |
| Nov | 22.8°C | 15.5°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 24.7°C | 17.5°C | 83 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Balmain
Where is Balmain?
Balmain is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Balmain?
At the 2021 Census, Balmain had a population of about 10,454.
Is Balmain an advantaged area?
Balmain has an ABS SEIFA score of 1155, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Balmain?
Balmain has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 1,084 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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