The City of Newcastle is a local government area in the Hunter region. The City of Newcastle incorporates much of the area of the Newcastle metropolitan area.

Proposed amalgamation
After a 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal found that Newcastle City Council was not "fit for the future", it was recommended that the City of Newcastle merge with Lake Macquarie City Council. However, the Minister for Local Government subsequently proposed that Newcastle City Council instead merge with Port Stephens Council to form a new council with an area of 1,045 km2 and support a population of approximately 230,000. The outcome of an independent review was completed by mid–2016. On 14 February 2017, the NSW Government announced it would not be proceeding with further regional council mergers, including the Newcastle City Council and Port Stephens Council merger.

Demographics
At the 2011 census, there were 148,535 people in the City of Newcastle local government area, of these 49.2 per cent were male and 50.8 per cent were female.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.6 per cent of the population, which was marginally higher than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the City of Newcastle was 37 years, equal to the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 17.0 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 15.4 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 41.6 per cent were married and 12.6 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Population growth in the City of Newcastle between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 3.91 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 4.78 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in the City of Newcastle local government area was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the City of Newcastle was marginally lower than the national average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the City of Newcastle local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 76 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 56% of all residents in the City of Newcastle nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the City of Newcastle local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (10.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (87.3 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).

Sister cities
Newcastle Council has sister city relations with the following cities: