Cromer

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

Cromer's population was around 8,299 as of November 2025. This reflected an increase of 253 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 8,046. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 8,282 in June 2024 and an additional 10 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a density ratio of 1,108 persons per square kilometer, similar to averages across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Cromer's population growth rate was 0.8% compound annually, outperforming its SA3 area. Overseas migration contributed approximately 75.9% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopted 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 for areas not covered by this data, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group were applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on projected demographic shifts, Cromer is expected to grow by 89 persons by 2041, reflecting an overall gain of 0.9% over the 17-year period.

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

Cromer has recorded approximately 14 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, 72 homes were approved, with one more approved so far in FY26. On average, for every home built over these five years, there are 3.5 new residents.

This high demand significantly exceeds new supply, leading to price growth and increased buyer competition. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $346,000. In the current financial year, there have been $7.8 million in commercial approvals, indicating the area's residential character. Compared to Greater Sydney, Cromer shows roughly 60% of the construction activity per person.

Nationally, it ranks around the 22nd percentile among assessed areas, suggesting more limited choices for buyers and supporting demand for existing homes. This level of activity is below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints. Recent construction in Cromer comprises 64% standalone homes and 36% townhouses or apartments, offering a mix of medium-density options across different price brackets. The location has approximately 753 people per dwelling approval, indicating an established market. Looking ahead, Cromer is projected to grow by 72 residents by 2041 (based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favorable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Cromer has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

AreaSearch has identified 18 projects that could impact a region's performance. Key initiatives include Wakehurst Parkway improvements from Frenchs Forest to Narrabeen, Casa Delmar project in Northern Beaches, enhancing corridor capacity along A8 from Seaforth to Mona Vale, and improving the Northern Beaches bus network. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in Cromer remain below the national average according to AreaSearch analysis

Cromer has a well-educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. As of September 2025, its unemployment rate is 4.1%.

In Cromer, 4,295 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.2% compared to Greater Sydney's 4.3%, and a workforce participation rate of 62.2%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, construction, and professional & technical services. Construction employment is particularly high at 1.4 times the regional average, while transport, postal & warehousing shows lower representation at 2.9% compared to the regional average of 5.3%. Over the year to September 2025, Cromer's labour force decreased by 0.5%, and employment declined by 1.9%, leading to a rise in unemployment by 1.4 percentage points.

In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.1% and labour force expansion of 2.4%. As of 25-Nov-25, NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%, favourably comparing to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May-25 suggest Cromer's employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years, based on industry-specific projections applied to Cromer's current employment mix.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released on 1 July 2022 for financial year 2022, Cromer SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $59,497 and an average income of $89,414. These figures are among the highest in Australia, compared to $56,994 and $80,856 across Greater Sydney respectively. By September 2025, estimated median income would be approximately $67,000 and average income around $100,689, based on a Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022. From the 2021 Census, household incomes ranked at the 87th percentile with weekly earnings of $2,379. Income analysis showed that 27.6% of individuals earned over $4,000 per week (2,290 individuals), contrasting with the region where 30.9% fell within the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket. The district exhibited considerable affluence with 40.8% earning over $3,000 weekly, supporting premium retail and service offerings. High housing costs consumed 17.8% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 83rd percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 9th decile.

Cromer is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Cromer, as per the latest Census, consisted of 75.9% houses and 24.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 57.6% houses and 42.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Cromer was at 40.4%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (44.1%) or rented (15.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in Cromer was $3,179, higher than Sydney metro's average of $3,000. The median weekly rent figure in Cromer was recorded at $650, compared to Sydney metro's $592. Nationally, Cromer's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Cromer features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 78.1% of all households, including 44.5% couples with children, 24.3% couples without children, and 8.8% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 21.9%, with lone person households at 20.1% and group households comprising 1.7%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Cromer shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

The area's university qualification rate is 30.0%, significantly lower than the SA4 region average of 41.5%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 21.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.9%) and graduate diplomas (2.6%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 36.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas comprise 13.6% and certificates 22.6%. Educational participation is high at 30.8%, including 10.5% in primary education, 9.8% in secondary education, and 4.2% pursuing tertiary education.

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.5% in primary education, 9.8% in secondary education, and 4.2% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Cromer has 61 active public transport stops, all serving buses. These stops are connected by 41 different routes that together facilitate 2,318 weekly passenger trips. The average distance from a resident's home to the nearest stop is 144 meters.

On average, each route provides service 331 times daily, resulting in approximately 38 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Cromer is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Cromer shows better-than-average health results, with both younger and older age groups having low rates of common health issues. Approximately 64% of Cromer's total population (5,311 people) has private health insurance, compared to Greater Sydney's 71.5% and the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions in Cromer are arthritis and asthma, affecting 7.2% and 6.3% of residents respectively.

A total of 72.9% of residents report having no medical ailments, compared to Greater Sydney's 74.7%. Cromer has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 21.6% (1,790 people), than Greater Sydney's 17.8%. Health outcomes among seniors in Cromer are notably good, largely mirroring the overall population's health profile.

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

Cromer's population, as per the 2016 Census, showed above-average cultural diversity with 13.0% speaking a language other than English at home and 25.3% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Cromer, accounting for 56.6%. Judaism was notably overrepresented at 0.3%, compared to Greater Sydney's 0.3%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (29.9%), Australian (25.1%), and Irish (7.7%). Serbian (1.0% vs regional 0.6%) and Welsh (0.8% vs 0.7%) were overrepresented, while French showed a slight divergence at 0.8% compared to the region's 1.1%.

Cromer's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Cromer is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. The 75-84 age group constitutes 8.9% of Cromer's population, compared to Greater Sydney. Conversely, the 25-34 cohort makes up 7.5%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 12.1% to 14.2%, while the 85+ cohort has grown from 3.2% to 4.8%. However, the 65 to 74 cohort has declined from 9.4% to 7.9%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Cromer. The 85+ age group is expected to grow by 99%, reaching 792 people from 397. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 99% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 25 to 34 and 0 to 4 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.