Earlwood
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Earlwood's population was approximately 18,132 as of August 2025. This figure represents an increase of 163 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 17,969. The increase is inferred from ABS estimated resident population data of 18,113 in June 2024 and additional validated new addresses since then. This results in a population density ratio of 3,243 persons per square kilometer, placing Earlwood in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch assessments. Overseas migration contributed approximately 82.6% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses 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 are applied to all areas from these aggregations for years 2032 to 2041. Projections indicate an overall population decline by 167 persons by 2041, but growth is anticipated in specific age cohorts, notably a 747 person increase in the 65 to 74 age group.

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

Earlwood has seen approximately 53 new homes approved annually. Development approval data, produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, shows 266 homes over the past five financial years from FY-21 to FY-25, with three recorded so far in FY-26. The population has fallen during this period, yet housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a balanced market with good buyer choice. New homes are being built at an average construction cost of $662,000, which is moderately above regional levels, indicating an emphasis on quality construction.

In FY-26, $6.1 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, suggesting limited commercial development focus compared to residential growth. Relative to Greater Sydney, Earlwood shows comparable building activity per person, supporting market stability inline with regional patterns, although this activity is below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints. New building activity consists of 52.0% detached houses and 48.0% attached dwellings, indicating an increasing blend of attached housing types offering choices across price ranges from spacious family homes to more affordable compact options. This shift reflects reduced availability of development sites and addresses changing lifestyle demands and affordability requirements, marking a considerable change from the current housing mix of 80.0% houses. Earlwood has approximately 320 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market.

Given stable or declining population forecasts, Earlwood may experience less housing pressure in the future, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Earlwood has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

The performance of an area is significantly influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of 86 projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable projects include Sydney Metro City & Southwest, Botany Aquatic Centre Redevelopment, T8 Airport Line Power Supply Upgrade, and Wolli Creek Urban Renewal Precinct. The following list details those projects likely to be most relevant.

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

The labour market in Earlwood shows considerable strength compared to most other Australian regions

Earlwood has an educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 2.4% in the past year, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Employment growth was estimated at 2.5%. As of June 2025, 10,600 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.8%, and workforce participation is 55.7%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. Education & training has notable concentration, at 1.3 times the regional average.

However, health care & social assistance is under-represented, at 12.1% compared to Greater Sydney's 14.1%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited, as indicated by Census data comparing working population and resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.5%, while labour force increased by 2.7%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. This compares to Greater Sydney's employment growth of 2.6% and unemployment rise of 0.3 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with a state unemployment rate of 4.3%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.5%, with employment growth at 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project overall growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Earlwood's industry mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years.

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

AreaSearch released postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022. Earlwood's median income among taxpayers was $58,766 with an average of $81,759. This was among the highest in Australia, compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, estimates for March 2025 would be approximately $64,995 (median) and $90,425 (average). According to 2021 Census figures, household income ranked at the 76th percentile ($2,163 weekly), while personal income was at the 56th percentile. The $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captured 27.9% of the community (5,058 individuals). In the region, 30.9% similarly occupied this range. Economic strength emerged through 35.7% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000. High housing costs consumed 15.5% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 76th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 8th decile.

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

In Earlwood, as per the latest Census evaluation, 80.2% of dwellings were houses, with 19.8% being other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This is in contrast to Sydney metropolitan area's dwelling composition which stood at 48.7% houses and 51.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Earlwood was recorded at 45.7%, with mortgaged dwellings making up 33.3% and rented ones accounting for 21.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,809, surpassing Sydney metro's average of $2,167. The median weekly rent figure in Earlwood was $570, compared to Sydney metro's $390. Nationally, Earlwood's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Earlwood features high concentrations of family households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 78.1% of all households, including 41.4% couples with children, 23.7% couples without children, and 11.9% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 21.9%, with lone person households at 19.3% and group households comprising 2.6%. The median household size is 2.8 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.9.

The educational profile of Earlwood exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

University qualification levels in Earlwood stand at 33.2%, slightly below Greater Sydney's average of 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 22.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.3%) and graduate diplomas (2.5%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 26.9% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas account for 10.6% and certificates for 16.3%.

Educational participation is high at 28.1%, including 8.8% in primary education, 8.7% in secondary education, and 5.6% pursuing tertiary education. Earlwood's three schools have a combined enrollment of 1,142 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1099). All three schools focus on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. School places per 100 residents are 6.3, below the regional average of 9.6, indicating some students may attend schools outside Earlwood.

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

Earlwood has 91 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 39 different routes that together facilitate 3,517 weekly passenger trips. The transport accessibility in Earlwood is rated as excellent, with residents on average located just 149 meters from the nearest stop.

Across all routes, there are an average of 502 trips per day, which equates to about 38 weekly trips per individual stop.

Earlwood's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis shows Earlwood performed well across various health metrics. Both younger and older residents had low prevalence of common conditions. Private health cover was high at approximately 61%, compared to 49.6% in Greater Sydney and 55.3% nationally.

Common conditions were arthritis (7.3%) and asthma (5.6%). 73.2% reported no medical ailments, slightly lower than Greater Sydney's 77.7%. The area had 21.4% residents aged 65+, higher than Greater Sydney's 15.8%. Senior health outcomes were strong, similar to the general population's profile.

Earlwood is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Earlwood has a high level of cultural diversity, with 35.9% of its population born overseas and 48.1% speaking a language other than English at home. The predominant religion in Earlwood is Christianity, making up 66.5% of the population, compared to 45.8% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups are Greek (17.9%), Other (14.3%), and Australian (13.5%).

Notably, Lebanese (6.3%) and Italian (7.2%) populations in Earlwood are higher than regional averages of 10.6% and 3.9%, respectively. However, Vietnamese population at 2.9% is lower than the regional average of 3.7%.

Earlwood hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Earlwood has a median age of 44, which exceeds Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and is substantially higher than the national norm of 38. The 55-64 age group comprises 13.3% of Earlwood's population, compared to Greater Sydney, while the 25-34 cohort makes up 10.4%. According to the 2021 Census, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 11.5% to 13.3%, whereas the 5 to 14 cohort has decreased from 11.8% to 10.2% and the 45 to 54 group has dropped from 15.8% to 14.5%. Demographic modeling indicates that Earlwood's age profile will significantly change by 2041. The 65 to 74 age group is projected to grow by 38%, reaching 2,382 people from 1,724. This growth is driven entirely by the aging population dynamic, with those aged 65 and above comprising all of the projected growth. Meanwhile, the 25 to 34 and 45 to 54 age groups are expected to experience population declines.