Freshwater - Brookvale

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Freshwater - Brookvale's population is around 23,415 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,587 people (7.3%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 21,828 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 23,255 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 75 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 3,261 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Freshwater - Brookvale's 7.3% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area (3.3%) and the SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 65.3% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Anticipating future population dynamics, lower quartile growth of national statistical areas is anticipated, with the area expected to grow by 490 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 1.4% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Freshwater - Brookvale when compared nationally

Freshwater - Brookvale has recorded around 62 residential properties granted approval per year, with 311 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 41 so far in FY-26. At an average of 2.2 new residents per year for each dwelling over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), indicating healthy demand that should support property values, new homes are being built at an average construction cost of $727,000, showing that developers are focusing on the premium market with high-end developments. Additionally, $111.1 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, indicating strong commercial development momentum.

Compared to Greater Sydney, Freshwater - Brookvale has similar development levels (per person), maintaining a market balance consistent with the broader area. This activity is similarly below the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. Recent construction comprises 62.0% standalone homes and 38.0% medium and high-density housing, with a growing mix of townhouses and apartments providing options across different price points, from family homes to more affordable compact living. Interestingly, developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests (42.0% at Census), indicating continued strong demand for family homes despite density pressures. At around 426 people per approval, Freshwater - Brookvale indicates a mature market.

Future projections show Freshwater - Brookvale adding 330 residents by 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Freshwater - Brookvale has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 32 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Freshwater Beach Masterplan, The Alba, Warringah Mall Mixed Use Redevelopment, and Northern Beaches Secondary College Freshwater Campus Expansion, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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.

AreaSearch assessment positions Freshwater - Brookvale ahead of most Australian regions for employment performance

Freshwater - Brookvale features a highly educated workforce, with the technology sector a particular standout in terms of representation, and an unemployment rate of only 3.1%. As of December 2025, 14,480 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 1.1% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation is well beyond standard (76.7% compared to Greater Sydney's 70.2%). Based on Census responses, a high 53.0% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The dominant employment sectors among residents include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and construction. The area demonstrates a particularly notable concentration in professional & technical, with employment levels at 1.5 times the regional average. Meanwhile, health care & social assistance has a limited presence with 11.3% employment compared to 14.1% regionally. The ratio of 0.8 workers for each resident, as at the Census, indicates a level of local employment opportunities above the norm.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, the 12-month period saw the labour force decrease by 0.2% combined with employment decreasing by 1.1%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.9 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.2% and labour force growth of 2.3%, with a marginal rise. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Freshwater - Brookvale. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Freshwater - Brookvale's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.3% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

As per AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released for FY-23, the Freshwater - Brookvale SA2's median income among taxpayers is $74,724, with an average of $126,872. This is exceptionally high nationally, and compares to Greater Sydney's median of $60,817 and average of $83,003. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $81,345 (median) and $138,113 (average) as of September 2025. From the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Freshwater - Brookvale, between the 94th and 94th percentiles nationally. The earnings profile shows the $4000+ bracket dominates with 32.0% of residents (7,492 people), contrasting with the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 30.9%. Economic strength emerges through 46.0% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 17.2% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 93rd percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Freshwater - Brookvale features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

Dwelling structure within Freshwater - Brookvale, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 41.7% houses and 58.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Freshwater - Brookvale was in line with that of Sydney metro, at 27.6%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (35.4%) or rented (37.0%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Sydney metro average at $3,033, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $600, compared to Sydney metro's $2,427 and $470. Nationally, Freshwater - Brookvale's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Freshwater - Brookvale features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 70.3% of all households, comprising 33.2% couples with children, 27.9% couples without children, and 8.3% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 29.7%, with lone person households at 24.5% and group households comprising 5.2% of the total. The median household size of 2.5 people is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Educational achievement in Freshwater - Brookvale places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in Freshwater - Brookvale significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 46.9% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in NSW. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 32.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (11.0%) and graduate diplomas (3.3%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 27.6% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (11.7%) and certificates (15.9%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 28.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 8.9% in primary education, 7.8% in secondary education, and 5.3% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 209 active transport stops operating within Freshwater - Brookvale, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 114 individual routes, collectively providing 9,988 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 131 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 78%, with 8% by bus and 7% walking. Vehicle ownership averages 1.2 per dwelling. A high 53.0% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 1,426 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 47 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map shows the 100 nearest stops to the location centrepoint.

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

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across Freshwater - Brookvale, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. There is a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 80% of the total population (18,708 people). This compares to 59.9% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are asthma and mental health issues, impacting 6.3% and 5.8% of residents, respectively, while 78.0% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. The area has 14.2% of residents aged 65 and over (3,324 people), which is lower than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

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

Freshwater - Brookvale is more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 16.5% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 33.3% born overseas. The main religion in Freshwater - Brookvale is Christianity, which makes up 45.3% of people. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.2% of the population, compared to 0.8% across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Freshwater - Brookvale are English, comprising 29.5% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 19.0%, Australian, comprising 21.5% of the population, and Other, comprising 9.8% of the population, which is notably lower than the regional average of 16.0%. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: French is notably overrepresented at 1.3% of Freshwater - Brookvale (vs 0.5% regionally), Spanish at 0.8% (vs 0.6%) and Welsh at 0.8% (vs 0.4%).

Freshwater - Brookvale's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

With a median age of 37, Freshwater - Brookvale is equal to the Greater Sydney figure of 37 and remains comparable to Australia's 38 years. The 45 - 54 age group shows strong representation at 13.7% compared to Greater Sydney, whereas the 5 - 14 cohort is less prevalent at 10.0%. In the period since 2021, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 10.4% to 12.4% of the population. Conversely, the 5 to 14 cohort has declined from 11.9% to 10.0% and the 45 to 54 group dropped from 15.1% to 13.7%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections reveal significant shifts in Freshwater - Brookvale's age structure. Leading the demographic shift, the 75 to 84 group will grow by 56% (599 people), reaching 1,663 from 1,063. The aging population dynamic is clear, with those 65+ comprising 94% of projected growth. On the other hand, the 45 to 54 and 25 to 34 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.