Glebe - Forest Lodge

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Glebe - Forest Lodge's population is around 21,813 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,551 people (7.7%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 20,262 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 21,794 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 121 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 9,483 persons per square kilometer, which lies in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch, making land in the area a highly sought-after resource. Over the past decade, Glebe - Forest Lodge has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a 1.4% compound annual growth rate, outpacing the state. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 87.4% 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. Moving forward with demographic trends, lower quartile growth of national statistical areas is anticipated, with the area expected to expand by 620 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, recording a gain of 2.8% in total 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 around 28 new homes approved annually, totalling 143 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 45 approvals have been recorded. At an average of 1.5 new residents per year arriving per new home over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), supply and demand appear well-balanced, creating stable market conditions, with recent figures showing this has accelerated to 96.2 people per dwelling over the past 2 financial years, suggesting increasing demand and tightening supply. New homes are being built at an average value of $498,000, revealing that developers are targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties. Additionally, $543.9 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, indicating strong commercial development momentum.

When measured against Greater Sydney, Glebe - Forest Lodge records markedly lower building activity (76.0% below regional average per person). This limited new supply generally supports stronger demand and values for established properties. This activity is also below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and pointing to possible planning constraints. New development consists of 14.0% standalone homes and 86.0% townhouses or apartments. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. With around 3708 people per dwelling approval, Glebe - Forest Lodge reflects a highly mature market.

Future projections show Glebe - Forest Lodge adding 601 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.

Glebe - Forest Lodge has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 41 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include Cowper Street Social Housing Development, Wentworth Park Rd, Glebe, Elger Street Social Housing, and Bidura, 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.

The labour market performance in Glebe - Forest Lodge lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Glebe - Forest Lodge features a highly educated workforce, with the technology sector a particular standout in terms of representation, and an unemployment rate of 7.7%. As of December 2025, 12,480 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 3.6% above Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, showing room for improvement, and workforce participation is broadly similar to Greater Sydney's 70.2%. Based on Census responses, a high 63.0% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Leading employment industries among residents comprise professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. The area demonstrates a particularly notable concentration in professional & technical, with employment levels at 1.7 times the regional average. On the other hand, construction is under-represented, with only 3.7% of Glebe - Forest Lodge's workforce compared to 8.6% in Greater Sydney. While local employment opportunities exist in the area, it appears many residents commute elsewhere for work, based on the count of Census working population to local population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, the labour force decreased by 0.4% while employment declined by 1.1%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.6 percentage points. This compares to Greater Sydney, where employment grew by 2.2%, labour force expanded by 2.3%, and unemployment rose marginally. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Glebe - Forest Lodge. 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 Glebe - Forest Lodge's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.5% over five years and 14.9% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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's income level is among the top percentile nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Glebe - Forest Lodge SA2's median income among taxpayers is $67,786 and the average income stands at $101,649, compared to Greater Sydney's figures of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $73,792 (median) and $110,655 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals individual earnings stand out at the 92nd percentile nationally ($1,230 weekly). Distribution data shows the $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 26.3% of the community (5,736 individuals), mirroring regional levels where 30.9% occupy this bracket. Higher earners represent a substantial presence with 35.2% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. High housing costs consume 21.5% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 62nd percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Glebe - Forest Lodge features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure within Glebe - Forest Lodge, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 3.6% houses and 96.4% 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 Glebe - Forest Lodge lagged that of Sydney metro at 17.7%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (18.4%) or rented (63.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Sydney metro average at $2,949, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $505, compared to Sydney metro's $2,427 and $470. Nationally, Glebe - Forest Lodge's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Glebe - Forest Lodge features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 49.4% of all households, comprising 13.7% couples with children, 27.6% couples without children, and 7.0% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 50.6%, with lone person households at 42.1% and group households comprising 8.5% of the total. The median household size of 1.9 people is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

Educational attainment in Glebe - Forest Lodge significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 61.2% 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 35.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (21.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.9%). Vocational pathways account for 17.5% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (8.9%) and certificates (8.6%).

Educational participation is notably high, 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

Public transport analysis reveals 104 active transport stops operating within Glebe - Forest Lodge, comprising a mix of ferry, light rail and buses. These stops are serviced by 38 individual routes, collectively providing 11,661 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 44%, with 20% walking and 15% by bus. Vehicle ownership averages 0.4 per dwelling, below the regional average. A high 63.0% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 1,665 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 112 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map shows the 100 nearest stops to the location centrepoint.

Glebe - Forest Lodge's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Glebe - Forest Lodge, 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 71% of the total population (15,574 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 mental health issues and asthma, impacting 10.8 and 7.6% of residents, respectively, while 71.8% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. The under-65 population demonstrates better than average health outcomes. The area has 14.6% of residents aged 65 and over (3,184 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

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 scores highly on cultural diversity, with 27.2% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 40.8% born overseas. The main religion in Glebe - Forest Lodge is Christianity, which makes up 30.8% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 0.7% 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 Glebe - Forest Lodge are English, comprising 22.2% of the population, Australian, comprising 16.2% of the population, and Other, comprising 12.6% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: French is notably overrepresented at 1.0% of Glebe - Forest Lodge (vs 0.5% regionally), Russian at 0.7% (vs 0.4%) and Spanish at 0.8% (vs 0.6%).

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

At 36 years, Glebe - Forest Lodge's median age is nearly matching the Greater Sydney average of 37 and is similarly modestly under the Australian median of 38. Relative to Greater Sydney, Glebe - Forest Lodge has a higher concentration of 25 - 34 residents (23.5%) but fewer 5 - 14 year-olds (5.4%). This 25 - 34 concentration is well above the national 14.4%. Since the 2021 Census, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 12.3% to 15.1% of the population, while the 75 to 84 cohort increased from 3.7% to 5.1%. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 24.9% to 23.5% and the 55 to 64 group dropped from 10.8% to 9.8%. Demographic modeling suggests Glebe - Forest Lodge's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 75 to 84 cohort shows the strongest projected growth at 47%, adding 521 residents to reach 1,634. Senior residents (65+) will drive 81% of population growth, underscoring demographic aging trends. On the other hand, the 15 to 24 and 0 to 4 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.