Glebe - Forest Lodge

Glebe - Forest Lodge has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Glebe - Forest Lodge's population is approximately 21,843 as of November 2025. This figure represents an increase of 1,581 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 20,262 people. The growth was inferred from ABS estimated resident population figures and validated new addresses between June 2024 and the Census date. The population density is around 9,497 persons per square kilometer, placing Glebe - Forest Lodge in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. This area's growth rate of 7.8% since the 2021 census exceeded the state average of 6.7%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 87.4% of overall population gains 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, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are used, 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. Population projections indicate lower quartile growth nationally, with Glebe - Forest Lodge expected to grow by 620 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a total gain of 2.6% over the 17 years.

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

Glebe - Forest Lodge has seen approximately 28 new homes approved annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, around 143 homes were approved, and by June 2026, 45 more have been approved in FY-26. On average, about 1.5 new residents moved into these new homes each year during the past five financial years. However, recent data shows this ratio has intensified to 96.2 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply.

The average construction cost value of new homes is around $498,000, indicating a focus on the premium market with high-end developments. This year alone, $543.9 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting robust local business investment. Compared to Greater Sydney, Glebe - Forest Lodge has significantly less development activity, with 76.0% below the regional average per person. This scarcity of new dwellings typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. New building activity shows a trend towards denser development, with 14.0% detached houses and 86.0% attached dwellings. Population forecasts indicate Glebe - Forest Lodge will gain around 571 residents by 2041, suggesting current construction levels should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Population forecasts indicate Glebe - Forest Lodge will gain 571 residents through to 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.

Glebe - Forest Lodge has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 40 projects likely to impact the area. Notable ones include New Sydney Fish Market, Cowper Street Social Housing Development, Wentworth Park Rd, Glebe, and Elger Street Social Housing. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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Employment drivers in Glebe - Forest Lodge are experiencing difficulties, placing it among the bottom 20% of areas assessed across Australia

Glebe - Forest Lodge has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. As of September 2025, its unemployment rate is 7.6%, which is 3.5% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%.

The area has a workforce participation rate of 66.0%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Leading employment industries among residents include professional & technical services, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Professional & technical services have particularly notable concentration with employment levels at 1.7 times the regional average. However, construction has limited presence with 3.7% employment compared to the regional average of 8.6%.

Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. Over the year to September 2025, labour force levels decreased by 1.4%, and employment declined by 1.8%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.3 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.1% and labour force expand by 2.4%. State-level data to 25-Nov shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%, favourably comparing to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that national employment should expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Glebe - Forest Lodge's employment mix indicates local employment could increase by 7.5% over five years and 14.9% over ten years, assuming constant population projections for illustrative purposes.

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

The Glebe - Forest Lodge SA2 had one of the highest income levels nationally according to AreaSearch aggregated ATO data for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers was $64,577 and the average income stood at $98,071, compared to Greater Sydney's figures of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, estimates for September 2025 would be approximately $72,720 (median) and $110,438 (average). From the 2021 Census, individual earnings were at the 92nd percentile nationally ($1,230 weekly). Income analysis showed that 26.3% of the population (5,744 individuals) fell within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, consistent with broader trends across the region showing 30.9% in the same category. A significant 35.2% earned above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consumed 21.5% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 62nd percentile nationally and the area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 9th decile.

Glebe - Forest Lodge features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Glebe - Forest Lodge, as per the latest Census, 3.6% of dwellings were houses while 96.4% consisted of other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments and 'other' dwellings. This contrasts with Sydney metropolitan area's figures of 2.3% houses and 97.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Glebe - Forest Lodge stood at 17.7%, with mortgaged properties at 18.4% and rented ones at 63.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,949, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,705. Weekly rent in the area was recorded at $505 compared to Sydney metro's $550. Nationally, Glebe - Forest Lodge's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Glebe - Forest Lodge features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 49.4% of all households, including 13.7% couples with children, 27.6% couples without children, and 7.0% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 50.6%, with lone person households at 42.1% and group households comprising 8.5%. The median household size is 1.9 people, which aligns with the Greater Sydney average.

Glebe - Forest Lodge shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Glebe - Forest Lodge has a notably high level of educational attainment among residents aged 15 and above, with 61.2% holding university qualifications. This figure exceeds the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%, indicating a significant educational advantage for the area. Bachelor degrees are the most common type of qualification held by residents at 35.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 21.4% and graduate diplomas at 3.9%. Vocational pathways account for 17.5% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas making up 8.9% and certificates 8.6%.

Educational participation is particularly high in Glebe - Forest Lodge, with 29.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 14.8% in tertiary education, 5.0% in primary education, and 3.5% pursuing secondary education.

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

Glebe - Forest Lodge has 57 active public transport stops offering a mix of ferry, light rail, and bus services. These stops are served by 37 routes, facilitating 9,995 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 132 meters to the nearest stop.

On average, there are 1,427 trips per day across all routes, equating to around 175 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Analysis shows Glebe - Forest Lodge performed strongly on health metrics. Both younger and older residents had low prevalence of common conditions.

Private health cover was high at approximately 70%, compared to the national average of 55.3%. Mental health issues affected 10.8% and asthma impacted 7.6%. 71.8% reported no medical ailments, slightly lower than Greater Sydney's 77.4%. Residents aged 65 and over comprised 14.1%, higher than Greater Sydney's 9.7%. Senior health outcomes aligned with the general population's profile.

Glebe - Forest Lodge 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

Glebe-Forest Lodge has a high level of cultural diversity, with 27.2% of its residents speaking a language other than English at home and 40.8% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Glebe-Forest Lodge, making up 30.8% of the population. However, Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, comprising 0.7% versus 1.1%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (22.2%), Australian (16.2%), and Other (12.6%). Some ethnic groups show notable differences: French (1.0% vs 1.1% regionally), Russian (0.7% vs 0.8%), and Spanish (0.8% vs 1.0%) are overrepresented in Glebe-Forest Lodge.

Glebe - Forest Lodge's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Glebe-Forest Lodge's median age is nearly 36 years, closely matching Greater Sydney's average of 37 years, which is slightly below the Australian median of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Glebe-Forest Lodge has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (24.1%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (5.5%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is significantly higher than the national average of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, the proportion of residents aged 15 to 24 has increased from 12.3% to 15.1%, while those aged 75 to 84 have risen from 3.7% to 4.8%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 55 to 64 has decreased from 10.8% to 9.7%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests significant changes in Glebe-Forest Lodge's age profile. The 75 to 84 cohort is projected to grow by 56%, adding 589 residents and reaching a total of 1,634. Residents aged 65 and above will drive 81% of population growth, highlighting demographic aging trends. Meanwhile, the 15 to 24 and 0 to 4 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.