Avoca Beach - Copacabana
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Avoca Beach - Copacabana's population is around 7,570 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 57 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,513 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 7,570 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 22 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 1,175 persons per square kilometer. Avoca Beach - Copacabana's growth rate of 0.8% since census positions it within 1.5 percentage points of the SA3 area (2.3%), demonstrating competitive growth fundamentals. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration that contributed approximately 64.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Anticipating future population dynamics, lower quartile growth is anticipated, with the area expected to expand by 128 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, resulting in a total increase of 1.7% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Avoca Beach - Copacabana, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Avoca Beach - Copacabana has seen approximately 25 new homes approved annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, totalling 127 approvals across the past five financial years from FY-20 to FY-25, with two approvals so far in FY-26. Population decline over recent years has resulted in adequate development activity relative to demand, creating a balanced market with good buyer choice. The average construction value of new homes is $1,064,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

This financial year has seen $7.8 million in commercial approvals registered, reflecting the area's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Avoca Beach - Copacabana maintains similar construction rates per person, consistent with the broader area's market balance. However, this level is below average nationally, suggesting possible planning constraints. Recent construction comprises 72% standalone homes and 28% medium and high-density housing, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character. This represents a change from the current housing mix of 90% houses, likely due to reduced development site availability and shifting lifestyle demands.

With around 342 people per approval, Avoca Beach - Copacabana indicates a mature market. Future projections estimate an increase of 128 residents by 2041. Given current development patterns, new housing supply should meet demand, offering favourable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Avoca Beach - Copacabana has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

No factors influence an area's performance more than changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified zero projects that could impact this area. Notable projects include Terrigal Esplanade Private Access Stairs Development, Aria Terrigal, Terrigal Boardwalk and Rockpool Restoration, and Terrigal Public School Upgrade, with the following list detailing those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Avoca Beach - Copacabana performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Avoca Beach - Copacabana has a highly educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate is 1.2% as of June 2025, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.5%. As of June 2025, there are 4,086 residents in work with a workforce participation rate of 64.4%, slightly higher than Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training, with construction showing particularly strong specialization at 1.5 times the regional level. Finance & insurance has limited presence, with only 3.7% employment compared to 7.3% regionally.

Employment opportunities may be limited locally as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 2.5%, labour force grew by 2.7%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 0.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6%, labour force expansion of 2.9%, with an unemployment increase of 0.3 percentage points. As of Sep-25, NSW's employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%, favourable to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Avoca Beach - Copacabana's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.1%% over five years and 14.5% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Avoca Beach - Copacabana had a median income among taxpayers of $57,293 and an average of $84,780. Nationally, these figures are extremely high compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. By March 2025, estimates based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% would be approximately $63,366 (median) and $93,767 (average). Census data reveals Avoca Beach - Copacabana's household, family, and personal incomes rank highly nationally, between the 69th and 82nd percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 30.4% of its population, which totals 2,301 individuals, fall within the $1,500-$2,999 income range. This is similar to metropolitan regions where 30.9% occupy this range. The suburb displays considerable affluence with 37.4% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. Housing accounts for 15.1% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 82nd percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Avoca Beach - Copacabana is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure in Avoca Beach-Copacabana, evaluated at the latest Census, consisted of 89.8% houses and 10.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 74.2% houses and 25.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Avoca Beach-Copacabana was 37.4%, similar to Sydney metro, with the rest being mortgaged (43.4%) or rented (19.2%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,438, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,150. Median weekly rent in Avoca Beach-Copacabana was $520, higher than the Sydney metro figure of $400 and the national average of $375. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $1,863.

Avoca Beach - Copacabana features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households make up 81.7% of all households, including 39.3% couples with children, 29.6% couples without children, and 12.1% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 18.3%, with lone person households at 16.5% and group households comprising 1.8%. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than Greater Sydney's average of 2.5.

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

Educational attainment in Avoca Beach - Copacabana is higher than broader benchmarks. 33.8% of residents aged 15 and above have university qualifications, compared to 20.8% in the SA4 region and 25.7% in the SA3 area. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 23.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.8%) and graduate diplomas (3.4%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 36.5% of residents aged 15 and above holding them - advanced diplomas (13.7%) and certificates (22.8%).

Educational participation is high, with 32.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.7% in primary education, 9.5% in secondary education, and 4.9% pursuing tertiary education. Avoca Beach Public School and Copacabana Public School serve a total of 717 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1076). Both schools focus on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. There are 9.5 school places per 100 residents, below the regional average of 16.0, indicating some students may attend schools outside the area.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 65 active transport stops operating within Avoca Beach - Copacabana. These stops are serviced by a mix of buses comprising 29 individual routes. Collectively, these routes provide 355 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 175 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 50 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 5 weekly trips per individual stop.

Avoca Beach - Copacabana's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics indicates strong performance throughout Avoca Beach - Copacabana. The prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups is very low. Approximately 62% of the total population (4723 people) has private health cover, compared to 54.7% in Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.3%.

Arthritis and asthma are the most common medical conditions in the area, affecting 6.9 and 6.8% of residents respectively. 73.5% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 64.8% across Greater Sydney. The area has 19.8% of residents aged 65 and over (1498 people), which is lower than the 24.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

Avoca Beach - Copacabana ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Avoca Beach-Copacabana showed below-average cultural diversity, with 80.5% of its population born in Australia, 91.7% being citizens, and 94.9% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the main religion, comprising 48.3%. Judaism was overrepresented at 0.5%, compared to 0.2% across Greater Sydney.

Top ancestry groups were English (32.4%), Australian (26.8%), and Irish (10.6%). Welsh (0.9%) and French (0.8%) were notably overrepresented, as was South African (0.6%).

Avoca Beach - Copacabana hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Avoca Beach - Copacabana is 43 years, significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and exceeding the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that individuals aged 55-64 years make up 15.2% of the population, while those aged 25-34 years comprise only 4.7%. Between 2021 and the present, the proportion of individuals aged 15-24 years has increased from 12.5% to 14.5%, and those aged 75-84 years have risen from 5.1% to 6.3%. Conversely, the percentage of individuals aged 25-34 years has decreased from 6.8% to 4.7%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Avoca Beach - Copacabana's age structure. The number of individuals aged 85 years and above is projected to grow by 253 people (175%), from 144 to 398. Notably, the combined age groups of 65 years and above will account for 96% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. Conversely, the populations aged 25-34 years and 55-64 years are expected to decline.