Office of Local Government stats 2023-24

Published on 12 March 2025

The latest 2023-24 Time Series Data is in, offering insights on how Kiama is tracking across key areas like population trends, employment, development, financial performance, and sustainability. This data isn’t just numbers—this data helps us measure our impact, plan, and ensure we’re meeting the needs of our community.  

For Kiama Council staff, this is a valuable resource for understanding our community’s trajectory and shaping the way we plan and deliver services. There are some key insights worth noting—our population has dipped slightly over the past five years, but employment remains strong. In addition, our waste and recycling efforts continue to be a standout and we’re seeing a shift towards an older demographic.

It’s important to note that while there has been a slight dip in population recently, the Kiama community is set to grow with an extra 6,917 people anticipated to call the area home by 2041 as detailed in the Local Housing Strategy.

 
Here are some of the key Kiama Council 2023-24 takeaways: 

Demographics & Economy 
Population: 23,002 (a -1.6% change over five years) 
Population Density: 89.3 people/km² 
Age Breakdown: Under 20: 22.0%, 20–60: 42.1%, Over 60: 35.9% 

Employment & Income:  
Unemployment Rate (June 2024): 2.3% 
Largest Industry Employer (2022): Health Care & Social Assistance 
Average Taxable Income (2020): $65,850 
Active Businesses in Kiama (2023): 2,119 

Development & Financial Performance 
Development Applications Processed (2024): 187 
Total Value of Approved Developments: $125,893,403 
Mean DA Processing Time: 165 days 

Financial Indicators
Operating Performance Ratio: -17.6% 
Unrestricted Current Ratio: 2.6 
Own Source Revenue: 64.4% 
Grants & Contributions Revenue: 35.5% 
Net Operating Result (Before Capital): -$26,623,000 

Sustainability & Waste Management 
Recycling Rate (2022-23): 73.7% 
Tonnes of Dry Recycling Collected: 2,552 
Tonnes of Organics Collected: 5,627 (50.7% of total waste) 

The full dataset will be finalised by the Office of Local Government soon, but this preliminary report gives us key insights into our community’s trajectory. 

For more details or to explore comparisons with neighbouring councils, visit the Office of Local Government’s website. 

More statistics on Kiama Council can be found in our Annual Report, State of our Municipality Report and monthly Business papers (Council meeting agendas).