Bradbury - Wedderburn
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Bradbury-Wedderburn's population, as of August 2025, is approximately 20,739. This figure indicates a rise of 728 individuals, a 3.6% increase since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 20,011. The change can be inferred from the estimated resident population of 20,705 in June 2024 and an additional 454 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 565 persons per square kilometer, suggesting ample space per person and potential for further development. Bradbury-Wedderburn's growth rate of 3.6% since the Census places it within 2.8 percentage points of the state's average (6.4%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Natural growth accounted for approximately 58.6% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses 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 employs 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 the years 2032 to 2041. Based on projected demographic shifts, the area is expected to experience population growth just below the national median statistical areas' average. By 2041, Bradbury-Wedderburn's population is projected to increase by 1,299 persons, representing a total increase of 6.1% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Bradbury - Wedderburn among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Bradbury-Wedderburn has averaged approximately 121 new dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, with 606 dwellings approved over the past five financial years from FY-20 to FY-25, including 10 approvals so far in FY-26. Over these five years, an average of 0.7 new residents per year per dwelling constructed has been recorded. This indicates that new supply is keeping pace with or exceeding demand, providing ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts.

The average construction value of new dwellings is $364,000, which is below regional norms, offering more affordable housing options for purchasers. In FY-26, there have been $3.4 million in commercial approvals, reflecting the area's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Bradbury-Wedderburn maintains similar construction rates per person, supporting market stability in line with regional patterns.

Recent construction comprises 79.0% standalone homes and 21.0% medium and high-density housing, preserving the area's low density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. With around 114 people per dwelling approval, Bradbury-Wedderburn exhibits characteristics of a low density area. Looking ahead to 2041, the area is expected to grow by approximately 1,261 residents. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Bradbury - Wedderburn has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

A total of 25 projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area. These include key initiatives such as the Airds-Bradbury Renewal Project, Gordon-Fetterplace Aquatic Centre Upgrades, Bradbury Multipurpose Courts, and Raith-Bradbury Development. The following list details those considered most relevant.

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

The labour market performance in Bradbury - Wedderburn lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Bradbury-Wedderburn, as of June 2025, has an unemployment rate of 9.1% with estimated employment growth of 5.1% over the past year. It employs 9,498 residents, a figure which is 4.9% higher than Greater Sydney's unemployment rate of 4.2%.

Workforce participation stands at 54.4%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. The dominant employment sectors are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction. Transport, postal & warehousing shows notable concentration, with employment levels at 1.7 times the regional average. Conversely, professional & technical services have lower representation at 4.1%, compared to the regional average of 11.5%.

Employment opportunities locally appear limited, as indicated by Census working population versus resident population figures. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 5.1% and labour force grew by 4.8%, resulting in a fall in unemployment by 0.3 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.6%. 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% and national employment growth of 0.26%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Bradbury-Wedderburn's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.2% over five years and 13.2% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

Bradbury-Wedderburn has a median taxpayer income of $49,627 and an average of $56,958, according to AreaSearch's postcode level ATO data for the financial year 2022. This is lower than Greater Sydney's median income of $56,994 and average income of $80,856. Based on a 10.6% growth in wages from FY2022 to March 2025, estimated incomes are approximately $54,887 (median) and $62,996 (average). Census 2021 data shows incomes in Bradbury-Wedderburn rank modestly, between the 27th and 38th percentiles. Income distribution reveals that 34.9% of residents earn between $1,500 and $2,999 annually, similar to regional trends at 30.9%. Housing affordability is severe, with only 79.0% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 34th percentile.

Bradbury - Wedderburn is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Bradbury-Wedderburn, as per the latest Census, comprised 88.3% houses and 11.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Sydney metro's 78.5% houses and 21.5% other dwellings. Home ownership in Bradbury-Wedderburn stood at 21.7%, with the rest of dwellings either mortgaged (39.7%) or rented (38.6%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, below Sydney metro's average of $2,100. Median weekly rent in the area was $370, compared to Sydney metro's $380. Nationally, Bradbury-Wedderburn's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were less than the national figure of $375.

Bradbury - Wedderburn features high concentrations of family households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 77.2% of all households, including 35.3% couples with children, 19.8% couples without children, and 20.7% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 22.8%, with lone person households at 20.0% and group households comprising 2.8%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which aligns with the Greater Sydney average.

Educational outcomes in Bradbury - Wedderburn fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area has lower university qualification rates at 16.0% compared to Greater Sydney's average of 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 10.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.9%) and graduate diplomas (1.3%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 37.3% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.5%) and certificates (26.8%). Educational participation is high at 32.3%, with 12.4% in primary education, 9.2% in secondary education, and 3.5% pursuing tertiary education.

There are 11 schools serving 3,605 students, with Bradbury - Wedderburn demonstrating typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 955). The educational mix includes 7 primary, 3 secondary, and 1 K-12 school.

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

Transport analysis in Bradbury-Wedderburn shows 149 operational transport stops. These are served by 51 distinct routes, facilitating 1,936 weekly passenger trips. Residential accessibility is high, with typical distances to nearest stops being 138 meters.

Average daily service frequency is 276 trips across all routes, translating to around 12 weekly trips per stop.

Health performance in Bradbury - Wedderburn is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across the board, though to a considerably higher degree among older age cohorts

Bradbury-Wedderburn faces significant health challenges with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across the board, but at a higher degree among older age cohorts. Approximately 48% of its total population (~10,016 people) has private health cover, compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, affecting 8.9 and 8.9% of residents respectively. Sixty-six point six percent of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 70.3% across Greater Sydney. Thirteen point one percent of residents are aged 65 and over (2,727 people), which is lower than the 14.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than those of the broader population.

Bradbury - Wedderburn 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

Bradbury-Wedderburn has a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 25.1% of its population born overseas and 23.9% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Bradbury-Wedderburn, accounting for 54.1% of its population. However, Islam is overrepresented in Bradbury-Wedderburn compared to Greater Sydney, comprising 8.3% versus 12.5%.

In terms of ancestry, Australian (24.9%), English (22.3%), and Other (13.9%) are the top groups in Bradbury-Wedderburn. Notably, Samoan is overrepresented at 2.4%, Lebanese at 2.0%, and Australian Aboriginal at 5.1%.

Bradbury - Wedderburn's young demographic places it in the bottom 15% of areas nationwide

Bradbury-Wedderburn has a median age of 33, which is younger than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Bradbury-Wedderburn has a higher proportion of residents aged 5-14 (15.7%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (13.9%). Between the 2021 Census and now, the population aged 15-24 has increased from 13.3% to 14.0%, while the 25-34 age group has decreased from 14.6% to 13.9%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic shifts in Bradbury-Wedderburn. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to grow by 16%, adding 391 residents to reach a total of 2,839. Residents aged 65 and older are expected to represent 56% of the population growth, while the 25-34 and 0-4 age cohorts are anticipated to experience population declines.