Watsons Bay, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Watsons Bay is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1160, 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.
Watsons Bay at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 883
- Median age
- 40
- Median weekly household income
- $2,924
- SEIFA score
- 1160
- Coordinates
- -33.8415, 151.2817
Watsons Bay demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Watsons Bay 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%, 28% of homes are rented, and 29% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 128 | 15% |
| Youth (15–24) | 185 | 21% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 169 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 243 | 28% |
| Seniors (65+) | 149 | 17% |
Share of the 874 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 114 | 41% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 63 | 23% |
| Rented | 77 | 28% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 122 | 46% |
| Townhouses & semis | 45 | 17% |
| Flats & apartments | 81 | 30% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 268 occupied private dwellings in Watsons Bay.
- Median weekly rent
- $674
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,384
- Average household size
- 2.4 people
- Median weekly family income
- $4,083
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,225
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 226 (29%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 80 (10%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 6 (1%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 553 (77%)
- Labour-force participation
- 58.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 2.3%
- Employed full-time
- 302
- Employed part-time
- 104
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 Watsons Bay
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Watsons Bay 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 Watsons Bay
Where is Watsons Bay?
Watsons Bay is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Watsons Bay?
At the 2021 Census, Watsons Bay had a population of about 883.
Is Watsons Bay an advantaged area?
Watsons Bay has an ABS SEIFA score of 1160, 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 Watsons Bay?
Watsons Bay 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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