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Suburb profile ·Lake Macquarie LGA · NSW ·2290

Charlestown NSW 2290

Charlestown is in Lake Macquarie LGA, NSW, postcode 2290, with population 13,601.

Median house $1.2M +15.3% YoY
Median rent $640/wk Income-stretched rent market
Gross yield 2.9% Low yield band
Population 13,601 14K local footprint
Schools 5 Matched school context
Decision trust

Strong evidence

Charlestown has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Property prices, Market rent, Crime, and Schools. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

8
Available
0
Verify
0
Missing
Income-stretched rent market

Weekly rent screens at about 53% of annual income. Postcode-derived rent for 2290. Multiple suburbs can share this rental market signal.

Open matching rent ranking
Development momentum

896 latest-year approvals in Lake Macquarie, +0.0% YoY; population +1.1% YoY (1.2% 5yr).

Open development signals
COMPARE THE TRADE-OFFS Use compare to test the suburb against another candidate, then validate financial assumptions in the calculator where available.
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Current status
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Source & freshness

QuickProperty mixes release files, Census baselines, and matched local services on this page. Read the status panel before treating every metric as equally fresh.

PRICE POSTURE
Manual release files still matter here.

Manual release files parsed into suburb prices

RENT POSTURE
Rent is using a state market dataset when available.

Use current rent as a starting signal, not as a fixed underwriting truth.

SERVICE POSTURE
Service coverage is matched locally, not inferred nationally.

Schools, transport, and hospitals are useful as presence signals, but they still have different source cadences.

Data status
Property prices
NSW Valuer General · 2026-Q1 · Manual release refresh
medium stability · manual file · conditional refresh · release-based
Available
Market rent
NSW Fair Trading · 2025-04 · State market dataset
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Crime
BOCSAR · January 2025 - December 2025 · Area-level release dataset
medium stability · automated · every update · release-based
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 5 schools matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · annual
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 2 hospitals matched
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Transport
GTFS feeds · 110 matched stops/stations
medium stability · manual file · snapshot · mixed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate series
stable source · automated · every update · annual
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual release series
stable source · automated · every update · monthly
Available
Available means a direct local dataset is linked. Verify means coverage exists but freshness or precision is weaker, such as Census rent fallback or low-confidence hospital matching.
Rent signal

Income-stretched rent market

Weekly rent screens at about 53% of annual income. Snapshot rent $640/wk.

Postcode-derived rent for 2290. Multiple suburbs can share this rental market signal.

Source level Postcode Confidence Medium Period 2025-04
$700/wk
+9.4% YoY
Mar 2025 → Apr 2026 · 14 periods
NSW Fair Trading · postcode 2290 · Apr 2026
$700
$620
Mar 2025Apr 2026
Evidence depth
Strong evidence

Charlestown has enough direct local evidence for a first-pass decision.

Direct signals include Property prices, Market rent, Crime, and Schools. Missing or weaker areas are still shown so the page does not overstate precision.

Next step

Use compare to test the suburb against another candidate, then validate financial assumptions in the calculator where available.

Direct
8

Property prices, Market rent, Crime, Schools

Verify
0

No fallback or lower-precision signals flagged.

Missing
0

No major visible gaps in the current status panel.

Decision intelligence
Growth-momentum

Charlestown currently reads as a growth-momentum candidate.

Recent price movement shows visible market momentum. School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal. Gross yield looks low for an income-first use case.

Recommended next step

Compare it against a contrasting suburb before turning it into a decision.

Why it fits

Recent price movement shows visible market momentum. School coverage gives the page a stronger family/livability signal. Transport coverage adds a practical access signal.

What to check

Gross yield looks low for an income-first use case.

Decisive gaps

No decisive evidence gap was detected from the current inputs.

Compare status

Compare-ready

Why people look here Intent
  • Buyers want a quick sense of price, schools, and neighbourhood scale before getting lost in data.
  • Investors want to know whether rent, yield, and affordability broadly support the suburb story.
  • Researchers want one place that ties property, demographics, transport, and services together.
Local signals Mixed
Schools: 5 matched, including St Joseph's Primary School, Charlestown East Public School, Charlestown South Public School.
Crime: 3,436 per 100k at the Lake Macquarie LGA level.
Transport: 110 matched stops/stations across local feeds.

Price history

HousesUnits

Full data detail

Charlestown NSW

Postcode 2290 · Lake Macquarie LGA

Charlestown is a well-established suburb in New South Wales within the Lake Macquarie local government area (postcode 2290). With a population of 13,601, the suburb has an established demographic with a median age of 38. Households earn a median income of $96K per year, with an average household size of 2.5 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +1.1% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +0.3% year-on-year in the official Jobs and Skills Australia NERO series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 37 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 5 underway, and 75 in planning as at 2 October 2024, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are professionals, technicians & trades, clerical & administrative. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and education. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Scottish.

The median house price in Charlestown is $1.2 million, having surged 15.3% over the past year. Units have a median price of $730,000 (+5% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $640. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 2.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $2,000.

Charlestown is served by 5 schools, including 5 primary. The average ICSEA score is 1054, which is above the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 110 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 2 private hospitals. The crime rate in the Lake Macquarie LGA is below average at 3,436 incidents per 100,000 population.

From an investment perspective, Charlestown offers a gross rental yield of 2.9%, rated as low yield. Property prices are near the state median ($1.2M/$1.5M). The price-to-income ratio of 12.1x is considered stretched. House prices have moved +15.3% year-on-year. Population growth of +1.1% year-on-year indicates stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.

Investment signals
Rental Yield2.9% Low Yield
Price vs State$1.2M/$1.5M Near Median
Affordability12.1x Stretched
Price Momentum+15.3% Rising
Pop. Growth+1.1% Stable
Development+0% Steady
Income (ATO 2022-23)
Median income$62,394
Mean income$74,198
Earners16,583
YoY change+6%
SEIFA index (ABS) — 1 = most disadvantaged, 10 = most advantaged
Advantage7/10
Education7/10
Economic5/10
Disadvantage7/10
Latest prices (state valuers)
Median house
$1.2M
15.3% YoY
Median unit
$730K
5% YoY
Census 2021 (ABS)
Median rent /wk
$400
Population
13,601
Demographics
Median age38
Household size2.5
HH income /wk$1,839
Personal income /wk$880
Mortgage /mth$2,000
Crime (Lake Macquarie LGA)
Crime rate (per 100k)3,436
Total incidents7,534
Transport
Bus stops110
Schools (5)
Avg ICSEA1054
Total students1,313
Catholic1
Government4
St Joseph's Primary SchoolPrimary · Catholic · ICSEA 1102
Charlestown East Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1036
Charlestown South Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1075
Charlestown Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1037
Hillsborough Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1020
Hospitals (2)
Charlestown Private Hospitalprivate
Newcastle Endoscopy Centreprivate
Population growth (Lake Macquarie LGA)
Population (2025)224,540
5-year growth+1.2% CAGR
YoY change+1.1%
Development (Lake Macquarie LGA)
Approvals (2026)896
Houses577
Units319
YoY change+0%
Data status
Property prices
NSW Valuer General · 2026-Q1 · Release dataset
Available
Market rent
NSW Fair Trading · 2025-04 · Market dataset
Available
Crime
BOCSAR · January 2025 - December 2025 · LGA-level dataset
Available
Schools
ACARA 2025 · 5 schools matched
Available
Hospitals
AIHW · 2 hospitals matched
Available
Transport
GTFS · Stop-level feed
Available
Population growth
ABS ERP · 2025 · Annual estimate
Available
Building approvals
ABS Building Approvals · 2026 · Annual series
Available
Available means a local dataset is present. Verify means coverage exists but location confidence is limited.
Data: 2026
Sources: ABS Census 2021 · ABS dwelling prices · State Valuers General · ATO income · ACARA schools · AIHW hospitals · GTFS · state police

Charlestown FAQ

Common questions
  1. What LGA is Charlestown in?

    Charlestown is in the Lake Macquarie Local Government Area, NSW, postcode 2290. Council-level context for Lake Macquarie LGA (suburb mix, population, rent, and price coverage) is available on the QuickProperty LGA page.

  2. What is the median house price in Charlestown?

    The current median house price in Charlestown, NSW is $1.2M, based on the latest available sales data from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region.

  3. What is the typical weekly rent in Charlestown?

    The median weekly rent in Charlestown is $640/wk, based on the current market rent dataset. The current rent signal is income-stretched rent market.

  4. What does the rent signal say about Charlestown?

    Income-stretched rent market: Weekly rent screens at about 53% of annual income. Use this as a suburb screening signal before comparing candidates or modelling a purchase; the matching rent ranking can provide broader market context.

  5. Is Charlestown a good investment?

    QuickProperty's investment signals for Charlestown show: Low Yield, Near Median, Stretched. These are computed from price, rent, income, and population data — not an opaque score.

  6. Where does QuickProperty get its data for Charlestown?

    Property prices come from state Valuers General offices and ABS Data by Region. Demographics are from ABS Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA. Crime statistics are from state police agencies. Transport data is sourced from GTFS feeds.

  7. How often is the Charlestown data updated?

    Property prices update quarterly. RBA macro indicators update with each deploy. Demographics are from Census 2021. School ICSEA scores are from ACARA 2025.