Lake Illawarra, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Lake Illawarra is more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 880, 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.
Lake Illawarra at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 3,288
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $1,069
- SEIFA score
- 880
- Coordinates
- -34.5436, 150.8611
Lake Illawarra demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Lake Illawarra 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 28%, 48% of homes are rented, and 20% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 520 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 377 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 796 | 24% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 911 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 690 | 21% |
Share of the 3,294 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 380 | 27% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 300 | 21% |
| Rented | 689 | 48% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 712 | 50% |
| Townhouses & semis | 379 | 27% |
| Flats & apartments | 316 | 22% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 1,422 occupied private dwellings in Lake Illawarra.
- Median weekly rent
- $328
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,733
- Average household size
- 2.1 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,451
- Median weekly personal income
- $608
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 599 (20%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 309 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 174 (5%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 931 (35%)
- Labour-force participation
- 48.2%
- Unemployment rate
- 6.3%
- Employed full-time
- 673
- Employed part-time
- 422
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 Lake Illawarra
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Lake Illawarra is January (average daytime high around 27.3°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.5°C). The area receives roughly 1157 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27.3°C | 18.3°C | 114 mm |
| Feb | 26°C | 17.8°C | 144 mm |
| Mar | 24.5°C | 16.8°C | 177 mm |
| Apr | 22.2°C | 14°C | 87 mm |
| May | 19.2°C | 11°C | 54 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.1°C | 69 mm |
| Jul | 16.5°C | 8°C | 84 mm |
| Aug | 17.4°C | 8.4°C | 73 mm |
| Sep | 20.2°C | 10.2°C | 53 mm |
| Oct | 22.6°C | 12.6°C | 100 mm |
| Nov | 23.9°C | 14.3°C | 99 mm |
| Dec | 26.1°C | 16.5°C | 103 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Lake Illawarra
Where is Lake Illawarra?
Lake Illawarra is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Lake Illawarra?
At the 2021 Census, Lake Illawarra had a population of about 3,288.
Is Lake Illawarra an advantaged area?
Lake Illawarra has an ABS SEIFA score of 880, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 8 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 8% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Lake Illawarra?
Lake Illawarra has average daytime highs of about 21.9°C and overnight lows of about 13.1°C, with roughly 1,157 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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