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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Beacon Hill - Narraweena's population is around 14,541 as of Feb 2026. This reflects a decrease of 6 people (0.0%) 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 9 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level 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 for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which 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. Regarding 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 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 around 27 residential properties granted approval per year, totalling 136 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 19 approvals have been recorded. With population declining over recent years, new supply has likely been keeping up with demand, offering good choice to buyers, while new homes are being built at an average value of $460,000—slightly above the regional average—suggesting a focus on quality developments. Additionally, $2.6 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, demonstrating the area's primarily residential nature.

When measured against Greater Sydney, Beacon Hill - Narraweena records about 63% of the building activity per person, placing it among the 23rd percentile of areas assessed nationally, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing dwellings. This is also below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and pointing to possible planning constraints. New building activity consists of 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. At around 681 people per approval, Beacon Hill - Narraweena is a mature, established area.

Population forecasts indicate Beacon Hill - Narraweena will gain 74 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). 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 very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 13 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects 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, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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 features a well-educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation and an unemployment rate of 5.5%. As of December 2025, 7,614 residents are in work, while the unemployment rate is 1.4% above Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation is somewhat below standard (67.7% compared to Greater Sydney's 70.2%). Based on Census responses, a high 42.1% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The key industries of employment among residents are health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and retail trade. The area demonstrates a particularly notable concentration in retail trade, with employment levels at 1.2 times the regional average. Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing shows lower representation at 3.3% versus the regional average of 5.3%. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3% alongside a 1.4% employment decline, resulting in the unemployment rate rising by 1.0 percentage points. By comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.2% and labour force growth of 2.3%, with unemployment rising marginally. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Beacon Hill - Narraweena. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ 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 (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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's income level is extremely high nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Beacon Hill - Narraweena SA2's median income among taxpayers is $64,712 and the average income stands at $93,031, which compares to figures for Greater Sydney's of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $70,445 (median) and $101,274 (average) as of September 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, household incomes rank exceptionally at the 89th percentile ($2,445 weekly). Distribution data shows 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 within Beacon Hill - Narraweena, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 81.4% houses and 18.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Beacon Hill - Narraweena was well beyond that of Sydney metro, at 34.7%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (39.4%) or rented (25.9%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Sydney metro average at $3,200, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $550, compared to Sydney metro's $2,427 and $470. Nationally, Beacon Hill - Narraweena's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are 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 dominate at 78.9% of all households, comprising 45.4% couples with children, 21.3% couples without children, and 11.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 21.1%, with lone person households at 19.2% and group households comprising 2.0% of the total. The median household size of 3.0 people is 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, with 31.9% of residents aged 15+ holding university degrees compared to 41.5% in the SA4 region. This gap highlights the potential for educational development and skills enhancement. Bachelor degrees lead at 22.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.9%) and graduate diplomas (2.3%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 33.1% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (12.3%) and certificates (20.8%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 31.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.2% in primary education, 9.0% in secondary education, and 5.3% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 86 active transport stops operating within Beacon Hill - Narraweena, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 60 individual routes, collectively providing 4,057 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 173 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 87%, with 6% by bus. Vehicle ownership averages 1.6 per dwelling, which is above the regional average. A high 42.1% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 579 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 47 weekly trips per individual stop.

Beacon Hill - Narraweena's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across Beacon Hill - Narraweena, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Younger cohorts in particular see very low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 68% of the total population (9,815 people). This compares to 59.9% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 6.8% and 6.4% of residents, respectively, while 73.3% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 19.8% of residents aged 65 and over (2,876 people), which is higher than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, though they rank lower nationally than the broader population.

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 is more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 31.0% of its population born overseas and 22.6% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Beacon Hill - Narraweena is Christianity, which makes up 57.5% of the population, compared to 49.2% across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Beacon Hill - Narraweena are English, comprising 25.3% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 19.0%, Australian, comprising 21.2% of the population, and Other, comprising 9.9% of the population, which is notably lower than the regional average of 16.0%. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of other ethnic groups: Italian is overrepresented at 9.2% in Beacon Hill - Narraweena (vs 3.4% regionally), Serbian at 0.8% (vs 0.5%), and French at 0.8% (vs 0.5%).

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

The 42-year median age in Beacon Hill - Narraweena is significantly above Greater Sydney's average of 37 and similarly considerably older than Australia's 38 years. The 55 - 64 age group shows strong representation at 12.6% compared to Greater Sydney, whereas the 25 - 34 cohort is less prevalent at 8.7%. Post-2021 Census data shows the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 12.7% to 15.0% of the population. Conversely, the 45 to 54 cohort has declined from 15.4% to 14.1% and the 35 to 44 group dropped from 12.7% to 11.7%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Beacon Hill - Narraweena. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 39% (407 people), reaching 1,460 from 1,052. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 100% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 25 to 34 and 55 to 64 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.