Beacon Hill - Narraweena
Statistical Area - sa2

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

As of Aug 2025, Beacon Hill - Narraweena's population is around 14,538, a decrease of 9 people from the 2021 Census figure of 14,547. This change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 14,535 in June 2024 and an additional 8 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density ratio is 3,349 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch's assessment. Overseas migration contributed approximately 88.6% of overall population gains recently. AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections where ABS data is not available, 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. By 2041, the area's population is expected to grow by 80 persons, an increase of 0.5% over the 17-year period based on the latest population numbers.

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 recorded approximately 27 residential property approvals per year over the past five financial years ending June 30, totalling 136 homes. As of FY26, two approvals have been recorded. The area's population has declined in recent years, with new supply likely keeping pace with demand, offering buyers good choice. Average expected construction cost value for new homes is $542,000.

This financial year, $2.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Beacon Hill - Narraweena records around 63% of the building activity per person and ranks among the 24th percentile nationally, indicating relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing dwellings. This is below average nationally, suggesting maturity and possible planning constraints. New building activity comprises approximately 96.0% standalone homes and 4.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character focused on family homes.

With around 681 people per approval, Beacon Hill - Narraweena is a mature, established area. Population forecasts indicate an increase of 77 residents by 2041. Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should 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 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified eight projects likely impacting the area. Key projects include Northern Beaches Hospital Infrastructure, Northern Beaches Housing Reforms Implementation, Wakehurst Parkway Improvements, and Frenchs Forest Park Upgrades.

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

Beacon Hill - Narraweena has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Beacon Hill - Narraweena has a well-educated workforce with strong professional services representation and an unemployment rate of 4.7% as of June 2025. There are 7,766 residents employed, with the area's unemployment rate being 0.5% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%.

The workforce participation rate is 63.3%, slightly above Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Key industries for employment among residents include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade, with notable concentration in retail trade at 1.2 times the regional average. Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing shows lower representation at 3.3% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. Over the year to June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.0%, employment declined by 0.9%, resulting in an unemployment rate rise of 0.8 percentage points.

In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and a 0.3 percentage point increase in unemployment. State-level data to Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%, compared to the national rate of 4.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Beacon Hill - Narraweena's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 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

Beacon Hill - Narraweena has a very high national income level according to AreaSearch aggregated ATO data for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers is $60,034 and the average income stands at $92,786, compared to Greater Sydney's figures of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes as of March 2025 would be approximately $66,398 (median) and $102,621 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household incomes rank at the 89th percentile with $2,445 weekly. Income distribution shows that 29.0% of residents earn over $4,000 per week (4,216 people), contrasting with regional levels where the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket leads at 30.9%. Beacon Hill - Narraweena demonstrates significant affluence with 41.4% earning over $3,000 per week. High housing costs consume 17.7% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 86th percentile. 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

The dwelling structure in Beacon Hill - Narraweena, as per the latest Census, consisted of 81.4% houses and 18.6% other dwellings. In comparison, Sydney metro had 57.6% houses and 42.4% other dwellings. The home ownership level in Beacon Hill - Narraweena was 34.7%, with the rest 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. The median weekly rent figure was $550, compared to Sydney metro's $592. Nationally, Beacon Hill - Narraweena's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were 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 comprise 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 constitute the remaining 21.1%, consisting of 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, 31.9% of residents aged 15 and above hold university degrees, compared to the SA4 region's 41.5%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 22.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.9%) and graduate diplomas (2.3%). Vocational credentials are also common, with 33.1% of residents holding such qualifications; advanced diplomas account for 12.3% and certificates for 20.8%. Educational participation is high, with 31.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: 10.2% in primary, 9.0% in secondary, and 5.3% in tertiary education.

The five schools in Beacon Hill - Narraweena have a combined enrollment of 1,201 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1086). All five schools focus on primary education; secondary options are available in nearby areas. There are 8.3 school places per 100 residents, below the regional average of 16.2. Some students may attend schools in adjacent areas. Note that where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

Transport analysis shows 79 active stops operating in Beacon Hill - Narraweena, served by buses. There are 59 routes providing a total of 3491 weekly passenger trips. Residents' average distance to the nearest stop is 174 meters.

Daily service frequency averages 498 trips across all routes, equating to about 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 across both younger and older age groups, with low prevalence of common conditions. Approximately 67% (9,754 people) have private health cover, exceeding Greater Sydney's 71.5% and Australia's national average of 55.3%. Arthritis and asthma are the most prevalent conditions, affecting 6.8 and 6.4% respectively.

73.3% report no medical ailments, compared to 74.7% in Greater Sydney. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65+, at 19.2% (2,788 people), than Greater Sydney's 17.8%. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, mirroring the general population's profile.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Beacon Hill-Narraweena had 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 was the predominant religion in Beacon Hill-Narraweena, accounting for 57.5% of the population, compared to 51.6% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups were English (25.3%), Australian (21.2%), and Other (9.9%).

Notably, Italian ancestry was higher in Beacon Hill-Narraweena at 9.2%, compared to 4.5% regionally. Serbian ancestry was also slightly higher at 0.8%, compared to 0.6%. French ancestry was lower than the regional average, at 0.8% versus 1.1%.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Beacon Hill - Narraweena is 42 years, significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's national average of 38 years. The age group of 45-54 shows strong representation at 14.6%, compared to the 25-34 cohort which is less prevalent at 8.9%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 15-24 age group has increased from 12.7% to 14.4% of the population, while the 35-44 cohort has declined from 12.7% to 11.8%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Beacon Hill - Narraweena. The 75-84 age group is expected to grow by 44%, reaching 1,460 people from the current 1,016. Notably, all growth in the total population will come from those aged 65 and above, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 55-64 and 25-34 age groups are expected to experience population declines.