Located in New South Wales within the Mid-Coast local government area, Forster is a settled mid-to-large suburb (postcode 2428). With a population of 14,187, the suburb has a predominantly older resident base with a median age of 57. Households earn a median income of $52K per year, with an average household size of 2.1 people. Recent annual estimates show population movement staying broadly stable across the broader catchment, with population growth running at +0.7% year-on-year at the LGA level. NSW employment has moved +1.2% year-on-year in the official ABS Labour Force trend series, which provides the broader jobs backdrop for this suburb. NSW also had 35 Commonwealth-backed major projects under construction, 17 underway, and 67 in planning as at 2025-09-01, which is useful as a broader delivery backdrop rather than a suburb-specific project count. The most common occupations are professionals, community & personal service, technicians & trades. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and retail trade. The top ancestries reported are English, Australian, Irish.
Median house prices in Forster stand at $870,000, having ticked up by 1.2% over the last twelve months. Units have a median price of $660,000 (+3.9% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $534. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 3.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,733.
Forster is served by 3 schools, including 2 primary, 1 secondary. The average ICSEA score is 961, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 196 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 private hospital. The crime rate in the Mid-Coast LGA is moderate at 4,023 incidents per 100,000 population.
On the investment side, Gross rental yield sits at around 3.2% (moderate yield). Property prices sit below the state median ($870K/$1.5M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 16.6x is considered stretched. House prices have moved +1.2% year-on-year. Population growth of +0.7% year-on-year points to stable demand fundamentals. Building approvals have changed +0% year-on-year, indicating steady development activity.