Douglas Park - Appin
Statistical Area - sa2

Douglas Park - Appin lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Douglas Park - Appin's population is around 14,271 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 3,159 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,112 people. The change is inferred from ABS estimates showing 12,534 residents in June 2024 and an additional 1,518 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level equates to a density ratio of 49 persons per square kilometer. Douglas Park - Appin's growth rate of 28.4% since the 2021 census exceeded the state (6.4%) and metropolitan area, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Interstate migration contributed approximately 61.0% of overall population gains during recent periods, with all drivers including natural growth and overseas migration being positive factors.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on demographic trends and latest population numbers, exceptional growth is predicted over this period, with the area expected to grow by 31,621 persons to 2041, an increase of 209.1% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Douglas Park - Appin was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Douglas Park - Appin has recorded approximately 279 residential properties granted approval annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, totaling 1,396 approvals from FY-21 to FY-25, with 67 so far in FY-26. Over the past five financial years (FY-21 to FY-25), an average of 1.1 people have moved to the area per dwelling built. This indicates a balanced supply and demand dynamic, maintaining stable market conditions.

The average expected construction cost value for new homes is $462,000, aligning with regional trends. In FY-26, commercial approvals totaled $10.8 million, suggesting balanced commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Douglas Park - Appin records 55.0% more new home approvals per capita, offering buyers greater choice and reflecting strong developer confidence in the area. New building activity comprises 88.0% standalone homes and 12.0% townhouses or apartments, preserving the area's traditional low-density character focused on family homes. With approximately 32 people per approval, Douglas Park - Appin is a developing area.

Population forecasts indicate an increase of 29,843 residents by 2041. At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to keep pace with population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Douglas Park - Appin has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 61 projects likely impacting the region. Notable projects include New Schools in Panorama, Panorama at North Wilton, Bingara Gorge Master Planned Community, and Wilton Greens Estate. The following list details those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Douglas Park - Appin performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Douglas Park - Appin had an unemployment rate of 1.5% in the past year with estimated employment growth of 4.7%. By June 2025, 7,050 residents were employed, below Greater Sydney's unemployment rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation was 65.1% compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%.

Key industries were construction, education & training, and health care & social assistance, with notable concentration in construction at 1.9 times the regional average. Professional & technical services had lower representation at 5.1% compared to Greater Sydney's 11.5%. Local employment opportunities appeared limited based on Census data analysis. Over June 2024 to June 2025, employment increased by 4.7% while labour force rose by 4.9%, resulting in unemployment rate increase of 0.1 percentage points.

In contrast, Greater Sydney had employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%. State-level data to Sep-25 showed NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with a state unemployment rate of 4.3% compared to the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 projected growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, varying significantly between industries. Applying these projections to Douglas Park - Appin's employment mix suggested local growth of approximately 6.0%% over five years and 12.5% over ten years.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Douglas Park - Appin had a median taxpayer income of $56,041 and an average of $69,193. This is above the national average. Greater Sydney's median income was $56,994 with an average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Douglas Park - Appin would be approximately $61,981 (median) and $76,527 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes in Douglas Park - Appin rank highly nationally, between the 75th and 90th percentiles. The earnings profile shows that 31.5% of individuals earn between $1,500 and $2,999 per week. This pattern is similar to surrounding regions where 30.9% fall into this range. The district demonstrates affluence with 39.3% earning over $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.1% of income but strong earnings place disposable income at the 89th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Douglas Park - Appin is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

Douglas Park - Appin dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, comprised 96.9% houses and 3.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 94.1% houses and 5.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Douglas Park - Appin was at 30.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 56.2% and rented dwellings at 13.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,318. Median weekly rent in the area was $490, compared to Sydney metro's $415. Nationally, Douglas Park - Appin's median monthly mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,600 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially higher at $490 compared to the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 85.6% of all households, consisting of 49.5% couples with children, 27.3% couples without children, and 8.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 14.4%, with lone person households at 13.3% and group households comprising 1.2%. The median household size is 3.2 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.9.

Educational attainment in Douglas Park - Appin aligns closely with national averages, showing typical qualification patterns and performance metrics

The area's university qualification rate is 18.7%, significantly lower than Greater Sydney's average of 38.0%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 13.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.5%) and graduate diplomas (1.6%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 45.8% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas (12.4%) and certificates (33.4%).

Educational participation is high at 32.6%, including primary education (12.9%), secondary education (8.5%), and tertiary education (3.7%). Douglas Park-Appin's 5 schools have a combined enrollment of 1,150 students, operating under typical Australian school conditions with balanced educational opportunities. The educational mix includes 4 primary schools and 1 K-12 school. School places per 100 residents are 8.1, below the regional average of 11.4, suggesting some students may attend schools in nearby areas. Note: for schools marked 'n/a' regarding enrolments, please refer to their parent campus.

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

Douglas Park - Appin has 193 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 66 individual routes that facilitate 2,988 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy good transport accessibility, with an average distance of 230 meters to the nearest stop.

The service frequency averages 426 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately 15 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Douglas Park - Appin is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Douglas Park - Appin shows superior health outcomes with a low prevalence of common health conditions among its general population.

However, this rate is higher than the national average for older and at-risk cohorts. Approximately 54% (~7663 people) of the total population has private health cover. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (8.2%) and asthma (7.5%), while 72.0% report no medical ailments, compared to 68.7% in Greater Sydney. There are 15.1% (2152 people) residents aged 65 and over, lower than the 16.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than those of the broader population.

Douglas Park - Appin is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Douglas Park-Appin, as per the 2016 Census, had a cultural diversity below average with 88.0% of its population born in Australia, 91.4% being citizens, and 94.3% speaking English only at home. The dominant religion was Christianity, comprising 65.1%. This figure is slightly higher than the Greater Sydney average of 63.0%.

Regarding ancestry, Australians were the largest group at 32.6%, followed by English at 28.7%, and Irish at 7.2%. Notably, Maltese (1.9% vs regional 2.3%), Serbian (0.5% vs 0.3%), and Macedonian (0.4% vs 0.2%) were disproportionately represented in Douglas Park-Appin compared to the regional averages.

Douglas Park - Appin's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

At 36 years, Douglas Park-Appin's median age is nearly matching Greater Sydney's average of 37. This figure is modestly under the Australian median of 38. Relative to Greater Sydney, Douglas Park-Appin has a higher concentration of residents aged 5-14 (16.1%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (10.5%). Since the 2021 Census, the age group of 35 to 44 has grown from 14.4% to 15.6% of the population. Conversely, the age group of 65 to 74 has declined from 8.7% to 7.9%. Demographic modeling suggests that Douglas Park-Appin's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 35 to 44 cohort shows the strongest projected growth at 200%, adding 4,445 residents to reach 6,669.