Glebe - Forest Lodge
Statistical Area - sa2

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, as of Aug 2025, is around 21,837, showing an increase of 1,575 people (7.8%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a figure of 20,262. This change is inferred from ABS's estimated resident population of 21,794 in June 2024 and an additional 117 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density ratio is 9,494 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Glebe - Forest Lodge's growth of 7.8% since the 2021 census surpassed the state (6.4%) and metropolitan area, indicating strong population growth. 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, 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 the years 2032 to 2041. According to population projections, national lower quartile growth is anticipated, with Glebe - Forest Lodge expected to grow by 620 persons to 2041, recording a total gain of 2.6% over the 17-year period.

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 139 new homes approved annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, with 699 dwellings approved over the past five years from FY20 to FY25. By February 28, 2026, 43 dwellings have been recorded for FY26. On average, 1.5 people moved to the area annually per dwelling built between FY20 and FY25, indicating balanced supply and demand with stable market conditions. However, recent data shows this has intensified to 96.2 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply.

New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $1,105,000, reflecting developers' focus on the premium market with high-end developments. This year, commercial development approvals totaled $543.9 million, demonstrating high local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Glebe - Forest Lodge has significantly lower building activity, at 77.0% below the regional average per person, which typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. Recent construction comprises 14.0% detached dwellings and 86.0% townhouses or apartments, indicating a trend towards denser development to cater to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. The area has approximately 3708 people per dwelling approval, reflecting an established market. Population forecasts project Glebe - Forest Lodge will gain 577 residents by 2041.

Assuming current development patterns continue, new housing supply should meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 42 projects likely impacting the region. Notable initiatives include New Sydney Fish Market, Cowper Street Social Housing Development, Blackwattle Bay Precinct Development, and Wentworth Park Rd, Glebe. The following list details those expected to be most relevant.

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

Glebe - Forest Lodge shows employment indicators that trail behind approximately 70% of regions assessed across Australia

Glebe - Forest Lodge has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 7.2% as of June 2025.

The area's employment stability has been relative over the past year, with 13,088 residents currently employed. However, its unemployment rate is 3.0% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, indicating room for improvement. Workforce participation in Glebe - Forest Lodge is 66.0%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. The dominant employment sectors among residents include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training.

The area shows strong specialization in professional & technical, with an employment share of 1.7 times the regional level. Conversely, construction has limited presence with 3.7% employment compared to 8.6% regionally. Many residents appear to commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. Over the 12 months to June 2025, employment in Glebe - Forest Lodge increased by 0.5%, while labour force grew by 0.7%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment rise by 2.6% and unemployment increase by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Glebe - Forest Lodge's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.5% over five years and 14.9% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that income in Glebe - Forest Lodge is among the top percentile nationally. The median assessed income is $64,577 and the average income stands at $98,071. This contrasts with Greater Sydney's figures of a median income of $56,994 and an average income of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $71,422 (median) and $108,467 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals individual earnings stand out at the 92nd percentile nationally with a weekly income of $1,230. Income brackets indicate that 26.3% of residents (5,743 people) earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, consistent with broader trends across the surrounding region where 30.9% fall into the same category. A significant 35.2% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 21.5% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 62nd percentile nationally. 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 above-average rates of outright home ownership

Glebe-Forest Lodge's dwelling structure in its latest Census report showed 3.6% houses and 96.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 2.3% houses and 97.7% other dwellings. Home ownership stood at 17.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 18.4% and rented ones at 63.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,949, higher than Sydney metro's $2,705. Median weekly rent was $505, compared to Sydney metro's $550. Nationally, Glebe-Forest Lodge's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $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 account for 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 constitute 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

Educational attainment in Glebe - Forest Lodge is notably high, with 61.2% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications, compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in NSW as of the latest data. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 35.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (21.4%) and graduate diplomas (3.9%). Vocational pathways account for 17.5%. Educational participation is high, with 29.5% currently enrolled in formal education: 14.8% in tertiary, 5.0% in primary, and 3.5% in secondary.

As of the latest figures, seven schools operate within Glebe - Forest Lodge, educating approximately 2,954 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1092). Educational provision is split between three primary and four secondary institutions. Glebe - Forest Lodge functions as an education hub with 13.5 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 7.7, attracting students from surrounding communities.

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. These include ferry, light rail, and bus services. There are 37 different routes serving these stops, collectively providing 9,995 weekly passenger trips.

Residents have excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 132 meters to the nearest stop. Service frequency is high, with an average of 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 of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Glebe - Forest Lodge. Both young and old age cohorts have low prevalence of common health conditions.

The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 70% of the total population (15,242 people), compared to the national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 10.8 and 7.6% of residents respectively. 71.8% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 77.4% across Greater Sydney. The area has 14.1% of residents aged 65 and over (3,068 people), which is higher than the 9.7% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

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

Glebe-Forest Lodge has notable cultural diversity, with 27.2% speaking a language other than English at home as of the 2016 Census. Born overseas, 40.8% of residents were recorded in this area compared to Greater Sydney's average. Christianity is the primary religion here, comprising 30.8%, while Judaism is overrepresented at 0.7% compared to the region's 1.1%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (22.2%), Australian (16.2%), and Other (12.6%). Notable differences exist in French (1.0% vs regional 1.1%), Russian (0.7% vs 0.8%), and Spanish (0.8% vs 1.0%) ancestry representation.

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

Glebe-Forest Lodge's median age is nearly 36 years, close to Greater Sydney's average of 37 and slightly below Australia's median of 38. 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%. According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 15-24 grew from 12.3% to 15.1%, while those aged 75-84 increased from 3.7% to 4.8%. Conversely, the 55-64 age group decreased from 10.8% to 9.7%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests significant changes in Glebe-Forest Lodge's age profile. The 75-84 cohort is projected to grow by 57%, adding 590 residents to reach a total of 1,634. Residents aged 65 and above will drive 81% of population growth, highlighting demographic aging trends. Conversely, the 15-24 and 0-4 age groups are expected to experience population declines.