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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Beacon Hill - Narraweena's population is around 14,538 as of Aug 2025. This reflects a decrease of 9 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 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 8 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 3,349 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration that contributed approximately 88.6% 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 any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Moving forward with demographic trends, lower quartile growth of Australian statistical areas is anticipated, with the area expected to grow by 80 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, resulting in 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. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, totalling 136 approvals across the past five financial years from FY-2021 to FY-2025, with two approvals so far in FY-2026. The population has declined over recent years, suggesting new supply has kept pace with demand, providing good options for buyers. New homes are being built at an average construction cost value of $542,000.

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

With approximately 681 people per approval, Beacon Hill - Narraweena indicates a mature, established area. Population forecasts suggest Beacon Hill - Narraweena will gain 77 residents by 2041. Based on 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 30% nationally

Infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified eight projects likely impacting the region. Notable ones are Northern Beaches Hospital Infrastructure, Northern Beaches Housing Reforms Implementation, Wakehurst Parkway Improvements, and Frenchs Forest Park Upgrades. The following details these projects in order of relevance.

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 representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 4.7%.

As of June 2025, 7,766 residents are employed, which is 0.5% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation stands at 63.3%, slightly above Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Key industries for employment among residents are health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and retail trade. Retail trade shows notable concentration 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%. Over the year to June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.0%, with a 0.9% employment decline, leading to an unemployment rate rise of 0.8 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%. By Sep-25, NSW employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%, slightly below the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest a 6.6% growth over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Beacon Hill - Narraweena's employment mix indicates potential 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's median income among taxpayers was $60,034 and average income stood at $92,786 in the financial year 2022. These figures are higher than Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856 respectively. By March 2025, estimated median income is approximately $66,398 and average income is around $102,621, based on a 10.6% growth in the Wage Price Index since financial year 2022. According to the 2021 Census, household incomes rank at the 89th percentile with $2,445 weekly income. Income distribution shows that 29.0% of residents (4,216 people) earn over $4,000 per week, contrasting with regional levels where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 30.9%. Beacon Hill - Narraweena demonstrates affluence with 41.4% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. 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

Dwelling structure in Beacon Hill - Narraweena, as evaluated at the latest Census (2016), comprised 81.4% houses and 18.6% other dwellings. In comparison, Sydney metro had 57.6% houses and 42.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Beacon Hill - Narraweena was 34.7%, similar to Sydney metro's figure. Mortgaged dwellings were at 39.4% and rented dwellings at 25.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,200, higher than Sydney metro's average of $3,000. Median weekly rent 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, while 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 account for 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%, 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

Educational qualifications in Beacon Hill - Narraweena trail regional benchmarks. 31.9% of residents aged 15+ hold university degrees, compared to 41.5% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most common at 22.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.9%) and graduate diplomas (2.3%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 33.1% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (12.3%) and certificates (20.8%).

Educational participation is high at 31.1%, including primary education (10.2%), secondary education (9.0%), and tertiary education (5.3%). Beacon Hill - Narraweena's five schools have a combined enrollment of 1,201 students. The suburb has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1086). All five schools focus on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas. School places per 100 residents are lower than the regional average at 8.3, indicating some students may attend schools in adjacent areas. Note: for schools showing '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

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

The accessibility of public transportation in this region is rated as excellent, with residents typically residing approximately 174 meters away from the nearest transport stop. On average, there are 498 trips per day across all routes, which equates to roughly 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 young and elderly cohorts, with low prevalence of common conditions. Private health cover stands at about 67% (9,754 people), higher than Greater Sydney's 71.5% but below the national average of 55.3%. Predominant medical conditions are arthritis affecting 6.8%, asthma impacting 6.4%.

About 73.3% report no medical ailments, slightly lower than 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 among seniors align with 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 has a cultural diversity higher than most local areas, with 31.0% of its population born overseas and 22.6% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity is the dominant religion in Beacon Hill-Narraweena, accounting for 57.5%, compared to 51.6% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestral groups are English (25.3%), Australian (21.2%), and Other (9.9%).

Notably, Italian ancestry is higher at 9.2% in Beacon Hill-Narraweena than the regional average of 4.5%. Serbian ancestry stands at 0.8%, slightly above the regional figure of 0.6%, while French ancestry is also relatively high at 0.8%, compared to the regional average of 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, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. The age group of 45-54 years has a strong representation at 14.6%, compared to Greater Sydney's percentage. Conversely, the 25-34 age group 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 age group has declined from 12.7% to 11.8%. By 2041, significant demographic changes are forecasted for Beacon Hill - Narraweena. The 75-84 age group is expected to grow by 44%, reaching 1,460 people from 1,016. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for all of the total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 55-64 and 25-34 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.