Aerial view
Imagery © Esri
The quick read on
Back Forest
NSW 2535 · Shoalhaven
What homes cost, how rents have moved, and a feel for the people who call it home.
- Population
- 91
- Postcode
- 2535
ABS 2021
Back Forest, New South Wales
Property market insights for Back Forest
Median sale price and rental income of properties in Back Forest NSW
Median rent trend for houses
Crime and safety
Is Back Forest safe?
The overall rate for Back Forest is 1,894 offences per 100,000 residents — 43% below the Rest of NSW benchmark.
That is the clearest suburb-wide answer. Open the detailed profile to see how the pattern changes across offence types and different parts of Back Forest.
Overall crime rate
1,894
offences per 100,000 residents
43% belowRest of NSW
Back ForestRest of NSW: 3,298
Suburb-wide estimate from Microburbs' public crime model; it is not an address-level measure.
The people behind the postcode
Who lives in Back Forest?
Back Forest NSW 2535 is in New South Wales, within Rest of NSW.
91 people call Back Forest home, with an average of 2.9 people per household and a median household income of $1,374 a week.
Public ABS 2021 Census figures. The bars compare the local share with the capital-region benchmark.
- Population
- 91
- Median age
- 56 years
- Median mortgage
- $4,768 / month
- 2021 household rent
- $252 / week
Above the benchmarkBelow the benchmarkIn lineRest of NSW benchmark
Age profile
Share of residents in each age band.
Under 1520.9%Above
15–3423.1%In line
35–548.8%Below
55–7441.8%Above
75 and over13.2%Above
Homes
Share of occupied private dwellings.
Separate houses83.3%Above
Townhouses0.0%Below
Apartments0.0%Below
Ownership
Share of homes with a stated ownership or rental status.
Owned outright70.0%Above
Paying a mortgage30.0%Below
Renting0.0%Below
Cars at home
Vehicles available to occupied households.
No car0.0%Below
One car17.2%Below
Two cars34.5%Below
Three or more48.3%Above
Getting to work
Selected ways residents worked or travelled on Census day.
Worked from home17.0%Above
Drove to work48.9%Below
Train, tram or bus0.0%Below
Walked or cycled10.6%Above
What stands out in Back Forest
17.0% of workers in Back Forest worked from home on Census day.
5.5% of Back Forest residents were born in England, about twice the rate across Rest of NSW.
52.7% of people in Back Forest described themselves as having no religion in the 2021 Census.
A closer look at the Census
Questions people ask about Back Forest
Open any question for a plain-English reading of the public 2021 Census for Back Forest NSW 2535.
Is Back Forest family-friendly?Age, family structure and household size describe the community families would be joining.
20.9% of Back Forest's residents were children under 15 in the 2021 Census. That is somewhat above the Rest of NSW average.
30 family households lived in Back Forest; 26.7% were couple families and 13.3% were one-parent families.
26.7% of local families included children under 15. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
These are suburb-wide household figures, not school or childcare ratings.
What is the age profile of Back Forest?The balance between younger adults, families and older residents changes how a suburb feels day to day.
Back Forest had 91 residents at the 2021 Census.
18.7% of residents were aged 25 to 44.
54.9% were 55 or older. That is well above the Rest of NSW average.
Age shares use the suburb’s total Census population.
What kind of homes are in Back Forest?The dwelling mix shows whether the suburb is mostly detached homes, townhouses or apartments.
Separate houses made up 83.3% of occupied private dwellings in Back Forest.
Townhouses and other attached homes represented 0.0% of occupied private dwellings.
Flats and apartments accounted for 0.0% of occupied private dwellings.
All three shares use occupied private dwellings as the denominator.
Do people own or rent in Back Forest?Tenure shows how many households own outright, have a mortgage or rent.
70.0% of households with a stated tenure owned their home outright. That is well above the Rest of NSW average.
30.0% were buying their home with a mortgage.
0.0% rented their home. That is about half the Rest of NSW rate.
Tenure shares include households that stated one of these three arrangements.
How large are households in Back Forest?Household-size data shows the mix behind the suburb-wide average.
The average household in Back Forest had 2.9 people.
One-person households made up 0.0% of occupied homes. That is about half the Rest of NSW rate.
Two-person households represented 53.1%, while 18.8% had four or more usual residents.
Household size counts usual residents in occupied homes.
How do people get to work in Back Forest?Census-day travel shows the balance between home, road, public transport and active travel.
17.0% of workers worked from home on Census day. That is close to the Rest of NSW average.
48.9% drove a car as their only travel method. That is well below the Rest of NSW average.
0.0% used only a train, tram or bus, while 10.6% walked or cycled.
Travel figures are a 2021 Census-day snapshot.
How many cars do households have in Back Forest?Vehicle availability helps describe the routines local households can support.
0.0% of occupied households had no motor vehicle available. That is about half the Rest of NSW rate.
One-car households formed 17.2% of the total.
82.8% of households had two or more vehicles.
Vehicle counts refer to occupied households, not individual residents.
Who's moving to Back Forest, and who stays?Address history shows how settled or recently mobile residents were at the Census date.
65.1% were at the same address five years earlier, while 34.9% reported a different address.
13.2% of residents were born outside Australia. That is close to the Rest of NSW average.
Mobility figures cover residents who answered the relevant Census question.
What languages are spoken in Back Forest?Language at home gives a direct view of the community’s everyday linguistic mix.
93.4% of residents used only English at home.
6.6% used a language other than English at home.
0.0% spoke Mandarin at home, 0.0% spoke Cantonese and 0.0% spoke Hindi.
Home language is separate from English proficiency.
Where were Back Forest residents born?Birthplace adds another layer to the local story, separate from ancestry and language.
13.2% of Back Forest's population was born outside Australia, while roughly 86.8% was born in Australia.
0.0% of residents were born in China.
0.0% were born in India, while Australian citizenship across the whole suburb stood at 96.7%.
Birthplace, citizenship and ancestry describe different parts of identity.
What ancestries shape Back Forest?Ancestry responses show how residents describe family and cultural background.
English ancestry accounted for 57.1% of ancestry responses in Back Forest.
Australian ancestry made up 35.2% of responses.
Chinese ancestry represented 7.7% of responses.
People may nominate more than one ancestry, so these are shares of responses.
What work do people do in Back Forest?Occupation describes a person’s role; industry describes the sector employing them.
44.7% of employed residents worked in professional occupations. That is about twice the Rest of NSW rate.
Managers accounted for 10.6% of employed residents, while clerical and administrative workers made up 6.4%.
Health care and social assistance employed 25.5% of workers, and education and training employed 10.6%.
Occupation and industry figures describe employed residents of the suburb.
How active is the workforce in Back Forest?Participation, employment pattern and unemployment describe the resident labour force.
The labour-force participation rate was 60.8%, compared with 56.4% across Rest of NSW.
23.1% of residents aged 15 and over worked full time, while 33.3% worked part time.
Unemployment was 2.1%, compared with 4.6% across Rest of NSW.
Labour-force figures come from the 2021 Census.
What does the health profile of Back Forest show?Selected long-term health conditions help describe community service needs.
62.6% reported no selected long-term health condition.
5.5% reported a long-term mental health condition, including depression or anxiety.
5.5% reported asthma, 16.5% arthritis and 0.0% diabetes excluding gestational diabetes.
These are self-reported suburb-wide Census figures, not address-level health risks.
How educated is Back Forest?Qualifications describe the study pathways represented among local residents.
27.9% of people in the qualifications table held a bachelor degree. That is well above the Rest of NSW average.
Postgraduate degrees accounted for 9.8% of qualification responses.
Diploma-level qualifications represented 9.8%, while certificate-level qualifications represented 29.5%.
Qualification categories are reported separately and are not school ratings.
What do incomes and housing costs look like in Back Forest?Census income and household payments give historical context for local living costs.
Median household income was $1,374 per week in the 2021 Census.
The median monthly mortgage repayment reported by local households was $4,768.
Occupied renting households reported a median rent of $252 per week.
These household figures are from 2021; current sale and asking-rent medians appear in the market section.
How does Back Forest compare with Rest of NSW?A few clear differences place the suburb in its wider metropolitan context.
Working from home was 17.0% in Back Forest, compared with 15.7% across Rest of NSW.
Outright ownership was 70.0% locally and 39.6% across Rest of NSW. That is well above the Rest of NSW average.
Renting accounted for 0.0% in Back Forest, against 27.9% across Rest of NSW.
Capital-region comparisons use the same Census definitions and year.
Three useful questions
A buyer’s quick guide to Back Forest
Is Back Forest expensive?
There is not yet enough consistent market data for a dependable house median. The nearby suburb links make it easier to compare the wider market while local observations build.
Is Back Forest good for families?
The Census counted 30 local families, and 20.9% of residents were under 15. That describes the community; school quality, travel times and the right fit for a particular family need separate research.
What can I get for $1.5m in Back Forest?
The free data does not have a dependable bedroom breakdown for this suburb. Compare the current house and unit medians above, then use live listings to see what a $1.5m budget buys today.
Medians describe recorded market activity across the suburb; they are historical context, not a valuation or forecast for an individual home.
Explore the area
Streets and suburbs around Back Forest
4 streets in Back Forest
Street-by-street reports are not published yet. The streets below are the ones this suburb covers.
- Back Forest Rd
- Bailleul Lane
- Bolong Rd
- Lidbetter Rd
12 suburbs surrounding Back Forest
Compare nearby suburb prices, rents and five-year market trends.
Keep exploring
Is Back Forest right for your search?
Use the finders to compare places and properties, or open the full report when you need the street, risk, schools and growth research.
Read the thinking
Figures update as new market and census data arrives. This suburb overview is general information, not a valuation or financial advice.