Located in New South Wales within the Shoalhaven local government area, Nowra is a mid-sized suburb (postcode 2541). It is home to about 9,956 residents, with an established family demographic and a median age of 40. Households earn a median income of $54K per year, with an average household size of 2.2 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 community & personal service, technicians & trades, labourers. Employment in the area leans toward healthcare and retail trade. The top ancestries reported are Australian, English, Aboriginal Australian.
Nowra has a median house price of $778,000, which has surged by 11.5% year-on-year. Units have a median price of $435,000 (+2.8% YoY). The current median weekly rent is $550. This gives a gross rental yield of approximately 3.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment is $1,500.
Nowra is served by 7 schools, including 3 primary, 3 secondary, 1 combined. The average ICSEA score is 964, which is around the national average of 1,000. Public transport access includes 2 ferry wharfves, 111 bus stops. Healthcare facilities include 1 public and 1 private hospitals. The crime rate in the Shoalhaven LGA is below average at 3,690 incidents per 100,000 population.
On the investment side, Nowra shows a gross rental yield of approximately 3.7%, rated as moderate yield. Property prices sit below the state median ($778K/$1.5M), which can point to relative value. The price-to-income ratio of 14.4x is considered stretched. House prices have moved +11.5% 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.