Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau
Statistical Area - sa2

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's population is around 14,222 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 242 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 13,980 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 14,155 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 11 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 3,443 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's growth of 1.7% since census positions it within 1.4 percentage points of the SA4 region (3.1%), demonstrating competitive growth fundamentals. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration that contributed approximately 76.6% 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. According to this methodology, projections indicate a decline in overall population over this period, with the area's population expected to decline by 357 persons by 2041. However, growth across specific age cohorts is anticipated, led by the 85 and over age group, which is projected to increase by 630 people.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau has seen approximately 36 dwelling approvals annually. Between financial years FY-21 and FY-25181 homes were approved, with a further 8 approved in FY-26 so far. Despite population decline over this period, new supply appears to have kept pace with demand, offering buyers good choice.

The average construction cost value of new homes is $1,197,000, indicating developers are targeting the premium market segment. Commercial approvals totalled $322,000 in FY-26, suggesting minimal commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau records 13.0% less building activity per person and ranks at the 50th percentile nationally, though activity has accelerated recently. This level is below the national average, suggesting an established area with potential planning limitations.

Recent construction comprises 59.0% detached houses and 41.0% townhouses or apartments, expanding medium-density options across price brackets. The location has approximately 361 people per dwelling approval, reflecting its established nature. Given stable or declining population forecasts, Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

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

Ten infrastructure projects identified by AreaSearch are expected to impact the area significantly. Key projects include Montecito Collaroy, Stuart & Ramsay Streets Coastal Protection Works, Bathers Collaroy, and 1010-1014 Pittwater Road Mixed Use Development. The following list details those considered most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis indicates Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau has an educated workforce with professional services being notably represented. As of June 2025, the unemployment rate is 3.6%.

In this month, 8,104 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 0.6% lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. The workforce participation rate is 66.6%, exceeding Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Leading employment industries include construction, professional & technical services, and health care & social assistance. Construction stands out with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level, while transport, postal & warehousing has a limited presence at 3.2% compared to the regional 5.3%.

The area's predominantly residential nature suggests limited local employment opportunities. Between June 2024 and June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.0%, with employment decreasing by 1.0%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.9 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%. By Sep-25, NSW's employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%, favourably comparing to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.0% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

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

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau had a median taxpayer income of $62,125 and an average income of $101,706 in the financial year 2022, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This places it in the top percentile nationally, compared to Greater Sydney's median income of $56,994 and average income of $80,856. By March 2025, estimates suggest a median income of approximately $68,710 and an average income of $112,487, based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022. In Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau, household, family, and personal incomes ranked highly in Census 2021 data, between the 84th and 93rd percentiles nationally. Income distribution showed that 30.2% of the population (4,295 individuals) had incomes of $4000 or more, differing from regional patterns where the dominant range was $1,500 - 2,999 with 30.9%. The substantial proportion of high earners, with 43.6% earning above $3,000 per week, indicates strong economic capacity in the district. High housing costs consumed 15.9% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 92nd percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 9th decile.

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Collaroy-Collaroy Plateau, evaluated at the latest Census in June 2016, dwelling structures comprised 58.1% houses and 41.9% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This is compared to Sydney metropolitan's 57.6% houses and 42.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Collaroy-Collaroy Plateau stood at 36.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 36.9% and rented ones at 26.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,000, aligning with the Sydney metropolitan average, while the median weekly rent figure was $600 compared to Sydney's $3,000 and $592 respectively. Nationally, Collaroy-Collaroy Plateau's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863 as of June 2016, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 76.0% of all households, including 38.9% couples with children, 26.6% couples without children, and 9.5% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 24.0%, with lone person households at 21.1% and group households at 2.9%. The median household size is 2.7 people, which matches the Greater Sydney average.

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Educational qualifications in Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau show that 35.6% of residents aged 15 and above have university degrees, compared to 41.5% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 25.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 7.4% and graduate diplomas at 2.8%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 33.5% of residents holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (13.3%) and certificates (20.2%). Educational participation is high, with 29.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, broken down into primary (9.3%), secondary (8.4%), and tertiary (5.5%) levels.

The area has two schools serving 1,488 students: Collaroy Plateau Public School and Pittwater House Schools. The ICSEA score for the area is 1135, indicating significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement. There is one primary school and one K-12 school in the mix. School places per 100 residents are lower than the regional average (10.5 vs. 16.2), suggesting some students may attend schools in nearby areas.

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

Transport analysis indicates 53 active stops within Collaroy-Collaroy Plateau offering mixed bus services. These stops are serviced by 59 routes, collectively facilitating 5,481 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated excellent with residents typically located 173 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 783 trips daily across all routes, equating to approximately 103 weekly trips per individual stop.

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data shows exceptional results in Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau, with a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is approximately 72% of the total population (10,197 people), significantly higher than the national average of 55.3%.

Asthma and arthritis are the most common medical conditions in the area, affecting 6.4% and 6.2% of residents respectively. A majority of residents, 75.2%, report being completely clear of medical ailments, slightly higher than the Greater Sydney average of 74.7%. The population aged 65 and over comprises 18.4% of residents (2,609 people). Health outcomes among seniors are notably strong, aligning with the general population's health profile.

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

Collaroy-Collaroy Plateau, as per the Census conducted on the 27th of August, 2016, exhibited cultural diversity above the average with 13.4% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 26.0% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Collaroy-Collaroy Plateau, accounting for 54.9% of its population. Notably, Judaism, comprising 0.3%, showed an overrepresentation compared to the 0.3% average across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry, the top three represented groups were English at 29.2%, Australian at 24.0%, and Irish at 9.4%. There were also notable differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: French at 0.8% compared to 1.1% regionally, Serbian at 0.6% matching the regional average, and New Zealand at 1.0% compared to 0.9% regionally.

Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's median age exceeds the national pattern

At an age of 41 years, Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's median age is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years, and somewhat older than Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to the Greater Sydney average, the 55-64 age cohort is notably over-represented in Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau at 13.2%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 11.0%. According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 15 to 24 has grown from 12.7% to 14.9%, and the 75 to 84 age group has increased from 5.3% to 6.5%. Conversely, the 35 to 44 age cohort has declined from 13.1% to 11.5%, and the 5 to 14 age group has dropped from 12.4% to 11.2%. Demographic modeling indicates that Collaroy - Collaroy Plateau's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 85+ cohort shows the strongest projected growth at 172%, adding 608 residents to reach a total of 963. This demographic aging trend continues, with residents aged 65 and older representing 100% of anticipated population growth. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 55 to 64 age cohort and the 45 to 54 age cohort.