Hill Top - Colo Vale

Population growth drivers in Hill Top - Colo Vale are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Hill Top - Colo Vale's population was approximately 6,393 as of the 2021 Census. By November 2025, this had increased to around 6,600, reflecting a rise of 207 people (3.2%) since the Census date. This growth is inferred from an estimated resident population of 6,561 in June 2024 and an additional 235 validated new addresses since then. The population density was approximately 37 persons per square kilometer. Hill Top - Colo Vale's population grew by 3.2% between the 2021 Census and November 2025, outpacing the SA3 area's growth of 3.1%. Natural growth contributed about 81.4% of overall population gains during this period.

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. These projections forecast significant population increases in the top quartile of national regional areas. By 2041, Hill Top - Colo Vale is expected to increase by 1,936 persons, reflecting an overall increase of 28.7% over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Hill Top - Colo Vale according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Hill Top - Colo Vale has seen approximately 19 dwellings granted development approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 95 homes received approvals, with another 8 approved so far in FY26. On average, each dwelling added about 2.4 new residents per year over these five years, indicating steady demand that supports property values.

The average expected construction cost of new homes is $301,000. This financial year has seen around $550,000 in commercial approvals, suggesting a primarily residential focus. Compared to the rest of NSW, Hill Top - Colo Vale shows significantly reduced construction activity, with 55.0% fewer approvals per person than the regional average. This limited new supply generally supports stronger demand and values for established properties. The area also falls below the national average for development, indicating its established nature and suggesting potential planning restrictions.

New development consists mostly of standalone homes (93.0%) with a smaller portion being medium to high-density housing (7.0%), maintaining the area's traditional low-density character focused on family homes. As of now, there are an estimated 491 people per dwelling approval in the area, reflecting its quiet and low-activity development environment. Population forecasts indicate Hill Top - Colo Vale will gain approximately 1,894 residents by 2041, based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. If current development rates continue, housing supply may not keep pace with population growth, potentially increasing competition among buyers and supporting stronger price growth in the future.

Hill Top - Colo Vale has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 45thth percentile nationally

Changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified one project likely to affect this region: Tahmoor South Coal Project, Maldon to Dombarton Freight Rail Line, Illawarra-Shoalhaven Regional Transport Plan 2041, and South Pacific Offshore Wind Project are key projects, with the following list providing details on those most relevant.

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

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AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Hill Top - Colo Vale performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Hill Top - Colo Vale has a balanced workforce with representation across white and blue collar jobs. The construction sector is notably prominent.

As of September 2025, the unemployment rate is 1.6%. Over the past year, there's been an estimated employment growth of 2.9%. In this period, 3,535 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 2.3% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.8%. Workforce participation stands at 68.0%, higher than Rest of NSW's 56.4%.

Employment is concentrated in construction, health care & social assistance, and retail trade. The area specializes in construction with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level. Conversely, health care & social assistance has lower representation at 12.1% compared to the regional average of 16.9%. Limited local employment opportunities are indicated by Census data on working population versus resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 2.9%, labour force rose by 3.6%, leading to a 0.6 percentage point rise in unemployment rate. In contrast, Rest of NSW saw employment fall by 0.5%, labour force contract by 0.1%, with unemployment rising by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 shows NSW's employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with a state unemployment rate of 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Hill Top - Colo Vale's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.9% over five years and 12.4% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch aggregated latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022. Hill Top - Colo Vale SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $51,888 and an average income of $112,224. These figures are exceptionally high nationally compared to Rest of NSW's median of $49,459 and average of $62,998. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes for September 2025 would be approximately $58,431 (median) and $126,375 (average). Census data shows household, family, and personal incomes in Hill Top - Colo Vale cluster around the 56th percentile nationally. Income analysis reveals that 38.0% of the population, equating to 2,508 individuals, fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, mirroring the broader area where 29.9% occupy this bracket. High housing costs consume 16.3% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 61st percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 5th decile.

Hill Top - Colo Vale is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

In Hill Top - Colo Vale, as per the latest Census evaluation, 99.0% of dwellings were houses with 1.0% being other types such as semi-detached units and apartments. This is compared to Non-Metro NSW's figures of 90.6% for houses and 9.4% for other dwellings. Home ownership in Hill Top - Colo Vale stood at 30.8%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (55.2%) or rented (14.0%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, lower than Non-Metro NSW's average of $2,167. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent figure in Hill Top - Colo Vale was recorded at $430, matching the Non-Metro NSW figure. Nationally, Hill Top - Colo Vale's mortgage repayments are higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Hill Top - Colo Vale features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 79.7% of all households, including 39.4% couples with children, 27.3% couples without children, and 12.0% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 20.3%, with lone person households at 18.2% and group households comprising 2.2%. The median household size is 2.8 people, which is larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.4.

Educational outcomes in Hill Top - Colo Vale fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's university qualification rate is 15.0%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 10.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.7%) and graduate diplomas (2.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 45.7% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.2%) and certificates (35.5%). Educational participation is high at 28.4%, with 10.2% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 2.6% pursuing tertiary education.

Educational participation is notably high, with 28.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.2% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 2.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Hill Top-Colo Vale has 125 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 26 routes that facilitate 1,870 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy good transport accessibility, with an average distance of 200 meters to the nearest stop.

The service frequency is 267 trips daily across all routes, translating to about 14 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health outcomes in Hill Top - Colo Vale are marginally below the national average with common health conditions slightly more prevalent than average across both younger and older age cohorts

Hill Top-Colo Vale shows below-average health outcomes, with common conditions slightly more prevalent across both younger and older age groups compared to averages. Private health cover stands at approximately 76% (5,029 people), higher than Rest of NSW's 66.3%, but above the national average of 55.3%. Arthritis and asthma are the most common conditions, affecting 9.3% and 8.6% respectively.

67.3% report no medical ailments, compared to 64.8% in Rest of NSW. The area has 15.1% (993 people) aged 65 and over, lower than Rest of NSW's 27.7%.

Hill Top - Colo Vale is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Hill Top-Colo Vale, surveyed in the period from July 2016 to June 2021, had a population with 87.9% born in Australia, 93.1% being citizens, and 95.7% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the dominant religion, comprising 56.2%. This figure is slightly lower than the regional average of 57.0% for Rest of NSW.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (31.9%), Australian (30.6%), and Scottish (8.2%). Notably, Maltese, Hungarian, and Macedonian ethnicities had higher representations in Hill Top-Colo Vale compared to regional averages: Maltese at 1.1% vs 0.5%, Hungarian at 0.4% vs 0.3%, and Macedonian at 0.3% vs 0.2%.

Hill Top - Colo Vale's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The median age in Hill Top - Colo Vale is 36 years, significantly below Rest of NSW's average of 43 and somewhat younger than Australia's 38 years. The 35-44 age group represents 14.5%, compared to Rest of NSW, while the 65-74 cohort is less prevalent at 8.7%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 35-44 age group has grown from 12.2% to 14.5% of the population. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort has declined from 14.1% to 11.9%. Population forecasts for Hill Top - Colo Vale indicate substantial demographic changes by 2041. The 35-44 age group is expected to grow by 53%, adding 505 people and reaching a total of 1,462 from the current figure of 957. In contrast, the 15-24 cohort shows minimal growth of just 6%, with an increase of 49 people.