Fairfield - East
Statistical Area - sa2

Population growth drivers in Fairfield - East are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Fairfield East's population, as per AreaSearch's analysis, is 16,232 as of August 2025. This marks an increase of 490 people from the 2021 Census figure of 15,742, indicating a 3.1% rise. The change was inferred from ABS' estimated resident population of 16,229 in June 2024 and an additional 208 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 2,842 persons per square kilometer, placing Fairfield East in the upper quartile relative to other national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 94.9% of overall population gains during recent periods, driving primary growth in the area.

AreaSearch adopts 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 uses 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 years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends forecast a significant increase in Fairfield East's top quartile statistical area, with an expected expansion of 5,772 persons by 2041 based on the latest population numbers, indicating a total increase of 35.4% over the 17-year period.

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

Fairfield - East has received approximately 127 dwelling approvals per year. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides this data on a financial year basis, totalling 635 approvals from FY-20 to FY-25, with 10 approvals so far in FY-26. Despite population decline during this period, new supply has likely kept pace with demand, offering buyers good choice. The average construction cost of new dwellings is $302,000, below the regional average, suggesting more affordable housing options.

This financial year, $19.1 million in commercial approvals have been registered, indicating balanced commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Fairfield - East records roughly half the building activity per person and ranks among the 46th percentile nationally, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing homes. Recent construction comprises 75% detached houses and 25% attached dwellings, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes appealing to those seeking space. With around 373 people per dwelling approval, Fairfield - East shows a developed market.

Population forecasts indicate Fairfield - East will gain approximately 5,746 residents by 2041. Current development appears well-matched to future needs, supporting steady market conditions without extreme price pressure.

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

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 28 projects that could affect the region. Notable projects include the Villawood Town Centre Redevelopment (Kinara Place), Condell Park High School Upgrade, Stage 2 Villawood Town Centre, and 47-53 Pedestrian Mall Villawood. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Employment conditions in Fairfield - East face significant challenges, ranking among the bottom 10% of areas assessed nationally

Fairfield-East has a skilled workforce with strong representation in manufacturing and industrial sectors. As of June 2025, it has an unemployment rate of 16.5%.

This is 12.3% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, indicating room for improvement. Workforce participation is significantly lower at 37.3%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. The dominant employment sectors include health care & social assistance, manufacturing, and retail trade. Manufacturing stands out with employment levels at 2.1 times the regional average.

However, professional & technical services are under-represented at 5.8% of Fairfield-East's workforce compared to Greater Sydney's 11.5%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities as indicated by the difference between Census working population and resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the labour force increased by 3.1%, but employment declined by 2.0%, leading to a 4.4 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%, with a slight rise in unemployment rate of 0.3 percentage points. Statewide, NSW experienced employment contraction of 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs) by Sep-25, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%, compared to the national rate of 4.5%. Looking ahead, Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years nationally. Applying these projections to Fairfield-East's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.1% over five years and 13.0% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income metrics place the area in the bottom 10% of locations nationally according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year ending June 30, 2022 shows that median income in Fairfield - East was $39,645 with an average of $48,073. This is lower than the national averages of a median income of $56,994 and an average of $80,856 for Greater Sydney. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% between financial years 2022 and 2025 (March), estimated current incomes are approximately $43,847 median and $53,169 average in Fairfield - East. According to the Australian Census of Population and Housing conducted in August 2021, household, family, and personal incomes in Fairfield - East fall between the 3rd and 12th percentiles nationally. The earnings profile reveals that 27.6% of the population (4,480 individuals) have income within the $1,500 to $2,999 range. This pattern is similar to the surrounding region where 30.9% fall into this income bracket. Housing affordability pressures are severe in Fairfield - East with only 78.2% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 9th percentile nationally.

Fairfield - East displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Fairfield - East's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 64.9% houses and 35.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). Sydney metro had 62.1% houses and 37.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Fairfield - East was 25.8%, with the rest mortgaged (28.2%) or rented (46.0%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,850, lower than Sydney metro's $2,167 and national average of $1,863. Median weekly rent in Fairfield - East was $300, below Sydney metro's $400 and national figure of $375.

Fairfield - East has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 70.8% of all households, including 36.4% couples with children, 16.2% couples without children, and 16.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 29.2%, with lone person households at 25.8% and group households comprising 3.3%. The median household size is 3.0 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 3.1.

Fairfield - East faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area's university qualification rate is 18.7%, significantly lower than the SA4 region average of 39.1%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 14.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.4%) and graduate diplomas (1.0%). Vocational credentials are held by 27.5% of residents aged 15 and above, including advanced diplomas (10.0%) and certificates (17.5%). Educational participation is high, with 35.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: 11.3% in primary, 10.1% in secondary, and 6.4% in tertiary education.

Six schools operate within Fairfield - East, educating approximately 2,431 students. The educational mix includes four primary, one secondary, and one K-12 school.

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

Fairfield - East has 128 active public transport stops. These are a mix of train and bus stations. They are serviced by 45 individual routes that collectively provide 5,568 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated excellent with residents typically located 138 meters from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 795 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 43 weekly trips per stop.

Fairfield - East's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with prevalence of common health conditions quite low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Health data for Fairfield - East shows positive health trends with a low prevalence of common conditions among its general population. However, prevalence is higher than the national average among older and at-risk cohorts.

Private health cover stands at approximately 46% (around 7,466 people), which is lower than the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis and diabetes, affecting 6.7% and 6.7% of residents respectively. About 73.4% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 77.0% in Greater Sydney. Fairfield - East has 16.3% (2,645 people) of its population aged 65 and over, higher than the 13.9% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors require additional attention due to presenting challenges.

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

Fairfield-East, as of a specific date, has one of the highest levels of cultural diversity in Australia, with approximately 54.9 percent of its residents born overseas and around 74.3 percent speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Fairfield-East, comprising about 38.8 percent of the population. However, Buddhism is notably overrepresented in this area, making up approximately 15.7 percent of the population, which is significantly higher than the Greater Sydney average of around 5.3 percent.

In terms of ancestry or country of birth of parents, the top three groups in Fairfield-East are 'Other', comprising about 27.7 percent of the population, Vietnamese at approximately 16.9 percent, which is substantially higher than the regional average of around 4.0 percent, and Lebanese at about 12.7 percent. Notably, there are significant differences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Spanish is overrepresented at around 0.9 percent (compared to approximately 0.5 percent regionally), Samoan at about 1.0 percent (compared to around 0.7 percent), and Chinese at approximately 9.9 percent (compared to around 8.0 percent).

Fairfield - East's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Fairfield-East has a median age of 37, matching Greater Sydney's figure and closely aligning with Australia's median age of 38 years. The 15-24 age group constitutes 16.0%, outpacing Greater Sydney's representation, while the 35-44 cohort stands at 11.8%. Between 2021 and the present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 14.0% to 16.0% of Fairfield-East's population. Conversely, the 85+ cohort has decreased from 3.0% to 2.1%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant changes in Fairfield-East's age structure. Notably, the 15 to 24 group is projected to grow by 33%, adding 851 people and reaching a total of 3,453 from its current figure of 2,601.