Ashfield - North
Statistical Area - sa2

Ashfield - North is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Ashfield - North's population, as of August 2025, is approximately 12,528 people. This figure represents an increase of 1,072 individuals since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 11,456. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 12,420 in June 2024 and an additional 101 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 8,030 persons per square kilometer, placing Ashfield - North in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's 9.4% growth since the 2021 census exceeds both the SA4 region (6.3%) and the state level, indicating it as a regional population growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 94.7% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, based on the latest population numbers, Ashfield - North is expected to increase by approximately 1,180 persons, reflecting an overall growth of 8.6% over the 17-year period.

The level of residential development activity in Ashfield - North is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Development activity data is being compiled for this area.

Relative to Greater Sydney, Ashfield - North has significantly less development activity, at 94.0% below the regional average per person. This scarcity of new homes typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties in the area. This level is similarly under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. Recent construction comprises 50.0% detached houses and 50.0% attached dwellings. This skew towards compact living offers affordable entry pathways and attracts downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. New construction favours detached housing more than current patterns suggest (16.0% at Census), demonstrating ongoing robust demand for family homes. With around 3908 people per dwelling approval, Ashfield - North reflects a highly mature market in terms of development activity.

Ashfield - North has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 24 projects that may affect this region. Notable initiatives include the North Ashfield Urban Design Study and Master Plan, Sydney Metro Sydenham to Bankstown Conversion - Dulwich Hill Station, NSW Health Infrastructure Program - Inner West, and Cardinal Freeman Final Release Development - Wattle Building. The following list details those considered most relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

Ashfield - North has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Ashfield - North has an educated workforce with strong representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 5.0% as of June 2024.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 3.9%. As of June 2025, 7,761 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 4.2%, 0.8% higher than Greater Sydney's rate. Workforce participation in Ashfield - North was 65.9%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Leading employment industries among residents include health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training.

The area has a particularly strong specialization in health care & social assistance, with an employment share of 1.2 times the regional level. Construction employs only 4.6% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 8.6%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 3.9%, and labour force increased by 4.3%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.4 percentage points. By comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%, with unemployment rising 0.3 percentage points. As of Sep-25, NSW employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Ashfield - North's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.2%% over five years and 14.6% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Ashfield - North is above the national average. The median assessed income is $51,756 and the average income stands at $67,998. This contrasts with Greater Sydney's figures of a median income of $56,994 and an average income of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $57,242 (median) and $75,206 (average) as of March 2025. The 2021 Census data shows that household, family, and personal incomes in Ashfield - North cluster around the 64th percentile nationally. The predominant income cohort spans 36.1% of locals (4,522 people) in the $1,500 - 2,999 category. High housing costs consume 18.5% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 56th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Ashfield - North features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

In Ashfield - North, as per the latest Census, 16.5% of dwellings were houses while 83.5% consisted of other types such as semi-detached homes and apartments. This is in contrast to Sydney metropolitan areas where 33.5% were houses and 66.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Ashfield - North stood at 21.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 22.9% and rented ones at 55.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, lower than Sydney's average of $2,436. Median weekly rent in the area was $420 compared to Sydney's $465. Nationally, Ashfield - North's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,863 and rents were substantially above the national average of $375.

Ashfield - North features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 58.1% of all households, consisting of 22.1% couples with children, 25.1% couples without children, and 8.9% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 41.9%, with lone person households at 33.1% and group households making up 8.7%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.5.

Ashfield - North shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Ashfield - North is significantly higher than broader benchmarks. Among residents aged 15 and above, 51.2% hold university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 32.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (15.8%) and graduate diplomas (3.2%). Vocational pathways account for 23.4% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 12.2% and certificates at 11.2%.

Educational participation is high, with 29.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 10.8% in tertiary, 5.8% in primary, and 4.3% in secondary education. The four schools in Ashfield - North have a combined enrollment of 1,061 students. The area has typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 1045) with balanced educational opportunities. It includes one primary, two secondary, and one K-12 school. School places per 100 residents (8.5) are below the regional average (15.9), indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas.

Transport servicing is good compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Public transport analysis shows 36 active transport stops operating within Ashfield - North. These stops serve a mix of bus routes, totaling 19 individual routes. Collectively, these routes provide 1,486 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically located 128 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 212 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 41 weekly trips per individual stop.

Ashfield - North's residents are extremely healthy with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Ashfield - North, with younger cohorts particularly showing very low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is found to be fairly high at approximately 53% of the total population (~6,689 people), compared to 57.3% across Greater Sydney.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 8.3 and 6.2% of residents respectively, while 74.9% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 77.0% across Greater Sydney. As of 14th June 2021, the area has 14.0% of residents aged 65 and over (1,751 people). Health outcomes among seniors are above average but require more attention than the broader population.

Ashfield - North is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Ashfield-North is among the most culturally diverse areas in Australia, with 51.4% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 53.5% born overseas. The predominant religion in Ashfield-North is Christianity, which accounts for 35.2% of people in the area. However, Hinduism is notably overrepresented, comprising 13.5% of the population compared to 11.2% across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry, the top three represented groups are Other (21.4%), Chinese (15.1%), and English (14.7%). Notably, Filipino (3.3%) is overrepresented in Ashfield-North compared to the regional average (1.9%), as are Korean (1.2% vs 2.8%) and Polish (1.1% vs 0.6%).

Ashfield - North's population is younger than the national pattern

Ashfield-North's median age is 34 years, which is lower than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Ashfield-North has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (26.6%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (6.6%). This concentration of residents aged 25-34 is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, the proportion of residents aged 25 to 34 has increased from 24.0% to 26.6%, while those aged 15 to 24 have risen from 12.0% to 14.1%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 55 to 64 has decreased from 10.1% to 8.5%, and those aged 35 to 44 have dropped from 16.1% to 15.0%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic changes for Ashfield-North. The cohort aged 75 to 84 is projected to grow by 75%, adding 408 residents to reach a total of 955. Residents aged 65 and above will drive 64% of the population growth, reflecting broader demographic aging trends. Conversely, populations in the cohorts aged 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 are projected to decline.