Beacon Hill - Narraweena

An assessment of population growth drivers in Beacon Hill - Narraweena reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Beacon Hill - Narraweena's population is around 14,541 as of Nov 2025. This reflects a decrease of 6 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 14,547 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 14,535 in June 2024 and an additional 9 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 3,350 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 88.6% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 years 2032 to 2041. Anticipated demographic trends suggest lower quartile growth for Australian statistical areas, with the area expected to grow by 80 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 0.5% in total over the 17 years.

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

Beacon Hill - Narraweena has recorded approximately 27 residential property approvals per year over the past five financial years, totalling 136 homes. As of FY-26, 16 approvals have been recorded. The population decline in recent years suggests that new supply has likely kept pace with demand, offering buyers good choice while new homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $460,000, slightly above the regional average, indicating a focus on quality developments. This financial year has seen $2.6 million in commercial approvals registered, demonstrating the area's primarily residential nature.

Compared to Greater Sydney, Beacon Hill - Narraweena records around 63% of building activity per person and places among the 23rd percentile nationally when measured against other areas assessed, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice which supports interest in existing dwellings. This is also below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and suggesting possible planning constraints. New building activity shows 96.0% standalone homes and 4.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes appealing to those seeking space. With around 681 people per approval, Beacon Hill - Narraweena indicates a mature, established area.

Population forecasts suggest that Beacon Hill - Narraweena will gain 74 residents by 2041 (based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Given current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 13 projects likely to affect the region. Notable initiatives include Northern Beaches Bus Network Improvements, Beacon Hill Reserve Masterplan and Sportsfield Upgrade, Beacon Hill Road Mixed-Use Precinct (Potential), and Northern Beaches Housing Reforms Implementation. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Employment performance in Beacon Hill - Narraweena has been below expectations when compared to most other areas nationally

Beacon Hill - Narraweena has a well-educated workforce with professional services being prominently represented. The unemployment rate here is 5.5%.

As of September 2025, 7,597 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is higher than Greater Sydney's at 4.2%, standing at 1.3% instead. Workforce participation in Beacon Hill - Narraweena is similar to that of Greater Sydney, with a rate of 63.3%. Key industries for employment among residents include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade. Retail trade stands out with employment levels at 1.2 times the regional average.

Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing has lower representation at 3.3% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. Over the 12 months to September 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.7% alongside a 2.0% employment decline, resulting in an unemployment rate rise of 1.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.1% and labour force growth of 2.4%, with unemployment rising by only 0.2 percentage points. State-level data to 25-Nov shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 offer insight into potential future demand within Beacon Hill - Narraweena. These projections suggest national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with growth rates varying significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Beacon Hill - Narraweena's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years.

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

The Beacon Hill - Narraweena SA2 has an extremely high national income level according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2022. Its median income among taxpayers is $60,034 and average income stands at $92,786, which compares to Greater Sydney's figures of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $67,604 (median) and $104,486 (average) as of September 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, household incomes rank exceptionally at the 89th percentile ($2,445 weekly). Distribution data shows that the $4000+ bracket dominates with 29.0% of residents (4,216 people), contrasting with regional levels where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 30.9%. Beacon Hill - Narraweena demonstrates considerable affluence with 41.4% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. High housing costs consume 17.7% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 86th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure in Beacon Hill - Narraweena, as evaluated at the latest Census held on 28 August 2016, comprised 81.4% houses and 18.6% other dwellings. In comparison, Sydney metropolitan area had 57.6% houses and 42.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Beacon Hill - Narraweena was 34.7%, with the remainder being mortgaged (39.4%) or rented (25.9%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,200, higher than Sydney metro's average of $3,000. Median weekly rent in Beacon Hill - Narraweena was $550, compared to Sydney metro's $592. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 78.9% of all households, including 45.4% couples with children, 21.3% couples without children, and 11.1% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 21.1%, with lone person households at 19.2% and group households comprising 2.0%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

In Beacon Hill-Narraweena trail region, 31.9% of residents aged 15 and above hold university degrees, compared to the SA4 regional average of 41.5%. This difference indicates potential for educational development. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 22.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 6.9% and graduate diplomas at 2.3%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 33.1% of residents aged 15 and above holding such qualifications.

This includes advanced diplomas (12.3%) and certificates (20.8%). Educational participation is high, with 31.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (10.2%), secondary education (9.0%), and tertiary education (5.3%).

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

The analysis of public transport in Beacon Hill - Narraweena shows that there are currently 79 active transport stops operating in the area. These stops serve a mix of bus routes, with a total of 59 individual routes providing service. The collective weekly passenger trips across these routes amount to 3,491.

Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 174 meters to the nearest transport stop. On average, there are 498 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 44 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Beacon Hill - Narraweena is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Beacon Hill - Narraweena shows superior health outcomes for both younger and older age groups, with low prevalence of common conditions. Approximately 67% (9,757 people) have private health cover, higher than Greater Sydney's 71.5%, but lower than the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (6.8%) and asthma (6.4%).

A total of 73.3% report no medical ailments, slightly below Greater Sydney's 74.7%. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 19.2% (2,788 people), compared to Greater Sydney's 17.8%. Health outcomes for seniors are above average, mirroring the general population's health profile.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Beacon Hill - Narraweena was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Beacon Hill-Narraweena has a higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 31.0% of its population born overseas and 22.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Beacon Hill-Narraweena, comprising 57.5% of the population, compared to 51.6% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups are English (25.3%), Australian (21.2%), and Other (9.9%).

Notably, Italian ethnicity is overrepresented at 9.2%, compared to 4.5% regionally; Serbian ethnicity stands at 0.8%, slightly higher than the regional average of 0.6%; French ethnicity is also present at 0.8%.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Beacon Hill - Narraweena is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. The 45-54 age group comprises 14.6% of the population, compared to Greater Sydney, while the 25-34 cohort makes up 8.9%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 15-24 age group has increased from 12.7% to 14.4%, whereas the 35-44 cohort has decreased from 12.7% to 11.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 suggest substantial demographic changes in Beacon Hill - Narraweena, with the 75-84 age group expected to grow by 44%, reaching 1,460 people from 1,016. Notably, all population growth will come from the combined 65+ age groups, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. Conversely, the 55-64 and 25-34 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.