Forestville - Killarney Heights

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

Forestville - Killarney Heights' population is approximately 13,599 as of May 2026. This figure represents an increase of 438 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 13,161. The growth is inferred from the estimated resident population of 13,533 in June 2025 and an additional 24 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,522 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's 3.3% growth since the census is close to the SA3 area's growth rate of 3.7%, indicating strong growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses 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 utilises 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. Based on projected demographic shifts and latest annual ERP population numbers, the area is expected to grow by 451 persons by 2041, reflecting a total gain of 2.8% over the 16-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Forestville - Killarney Heights, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Forestville-Killarney Heights has approved around 28 residential properties annually. Between FY-21 and FY-25, it granted approval for 144 homes, with an additional 18 approved in FY-26 to date. Over these years, the average new residents per year per dwelling constructed was 0.6.

This indicates that new construction is meeting or exceeding demand, providing more options for buyers and potentially driving population growth beyond current projections. The average value of new properties being constructed is $449,000, which is higher than regional norms due to quality-focused development. In FY-26, Forestville-Killarney Heights has seen $10.9 million in commercial approvals, indicating steady investment activity in the area. Compared to Greater Sydney, Forestville-Killarney Heights has approximately 75% of the construction activity per person.

Nationally, it ranks at the 34th percentile for areas assessed, suggesting limited choices for buyers and supporting demand for existing homes. Recent construction in the area comprises 95.0% standalone homes and 5.0% townhouses or apartments, maintaining its suburban identity with a concentration of family homes suited to buyers seeking space. As of now, there are approximately 489 people per dwelling approval, reflecting an established area. Looking ahead, Forestville-Killarney Heights is expected to grow by 385 residents by 2041, according to 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.

Forestville - Killarney Heights has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 23 projects likely affecting the region. Notable initiatives include Forestway Shopping Centre Redevelopment, Forestville RSL Club Redevelopment, Angel Place Seniors Living, and Forest High School Science and Technology Centre. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

While Forestville - Killarney Heights retains a healthy unemployment rate of 3.5%, recent employment declines have impacted its national performance ranking

Forestville - Killarney Heights has a highly educated workforce with significant representation in the technology sector. The unemployment rate as of December 2025 is 3.5%. There are 6,856 residents employed, which is 0.7% below Greater Sydney's unemployment rate of 4.2%.

Workforce participation is lower at 65.1%, compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%. A high proportion of residents work from home, with 56.5% reporting this arrangement in Census responses. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical (1.4 times the regional average), health care & social assistance, and education & training sectors. Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing shows lower representation at 2.8%.

The area offers limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the difference between working population and resident population counts. Over the year to December 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3% while employment declined by 1.1%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.2%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Forestville - Killarney Heights' employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, although these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only and do not account for localized population projections.

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

AreaSearch's aggregation of latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2023 shows Forestville - Killarney Heights SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $64,046 and an average income of $103,203. This places it in the top percentile nationally, compared to Greater Sydney's levels of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $70,656 (median) and $113,854 (average) as of March 2026. The 2021 Census ranks household incomes exceptionally at the 95th percentile ($2,794 weekly). Income analysis reveals that 36.3% of individuals in Forestville - Killarney Heights earn over $4,000 per week (4,936 individuals), contrasting with the region's leading bracket of $1,500 - 2,999 at 30.9%. The district demonstrates considerable affluence with 47.7% earning over $3,000 per week. High housing costs consume 15.5% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 94th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

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

Forestville - Killarney Heights' dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 85.3% houses and 14.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This differed from Sydney metro's composition of 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Forestville - Killarney Heights was higher at 43.5%, with the rest being mortgaged (38.7%) or rented (17.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,400, exceeding Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Forestville - Killarney Heights was recorded at $720, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 80.8 percent of all households, including 49.2 percent couples with children, 21.4 percent couples without children, and 9.4 percent single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 19.2 percent, with lone person households at 18.3 percent and group households comprising 0.9 percent of the total. The median household size is 3.0 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

Forestville - Killarney Heights has a higher educational attainment than national and state averages. Specifically, 44.3% of its residents aged 15 and above have university qualifications, compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 29.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.0%) and graduate diplomas (3.3%). Vocational pathways account for 24.9% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas making up 11.5% and certificates 13.4%.

Educational participation is high in the area, with 33.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.7% in primary education, 11.4% in secondary education, and 5.8% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Forestville-Killarney Heights has 60 active public transport stops serving a mix of bus routes. These stops are used by 59 different routes, providing a total of 4,074 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically living 252 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward daily. Car remains the primary mode of transport at 84%, followed by bus at 7% and walking at 4%. On average, there are 1.6 vehicles per dwelling, higher than the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, 56.5% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency averages 582 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 67 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Forestville - Killarney Heights demonstrates excellent health outcomes based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The area has a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. Approximately 72% of the total population (9,832 people) have private health cover, which is higher than the Greater Sydney average of 59.9%, and the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, affecting 6.5% and 6.3% of residents respectively. A total of 74.5% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. The area has 18.4% of residents aged 65 and over (2,500 people), which is higher than the 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are strong but rank lower nationally than those of the broader population.

Forestville - Killarney Heights was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Forestville-Killarney Heights, surveyed in June 2016, had a higher proportion of residents speaking a language other than English at home (25.9%) compared to most local areas. Additionally, 34.1% of its population was born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 53.2%.

Judaism's representation in Forestville-Killarney Heights was notable at 0.8%, slightly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 0.8%. In terms of ancestry, English (25.0%) and Australian (21.2%) were the top groups, both higher than regional averages of 19.0% and 14.7% respectively. Other ancestry made up 13.2%. Some ethnic groups showed significant differences: French (2.6%) and South Australian (1.0%) residents were more prevalent compared to regional averages of 0.5%, while Croatian residents at 0.9% were slightly higher than the region's average of 0.7%.

Forestville - Killarney Heights's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Forestville - Killarney Heights is 43 years, higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 5-14 years make up 15.6%, while those aged 25-34 years comprise only 5.5%. Between 2021 and present, the population aged 15-24 has increased from 13.3% to 16.8%. Conversely, the 45-54 age group has decreased from 16.8% to 15.8%, and the 0-4 age group has dropped from 4.8% to 3.8%. By 2041, demographic projections show that the 65-74 age cohort is expected to increase by 406 people (39%), from 1,034 to 1,441. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are projected to account for 92% of total population growth. The 45-54 and 0-4 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.