Holsworthy - Wattle Grove
Statistical Area - sa2

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

As of Aug 2025, Holsworthy - Wattle Grove's population is approximately 21,296, reflecting an increase of 167 people since the 2021 Census. The population was recorded as 21,129 in 2021. This growth is inferred from ABS estimated resident population data of 21,269 as of Jun 2024 and validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density is around 289 persons per square kilometer. Overseas migration contributed approximately 59.2% to recent population gains.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for SA2 areas, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections from 2022 using a base year of 2021 are applied. Growth rates by age group are used for years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends indicate an increase just below the Australian statistical area median by 2041. The area is expected to grow by approximately 1,815 persons by 2041, representing an 8.4% total increase over 17 years based on current numbers.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Holsworthy - Wattle Grove according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove has received around 59 dwelling development approvals per year. From the financial years FY20 to FY25, a total of 296 approvals were recorded by the ABS. In FY26, 9 approvals have been registered so far. Despite population decline, development activity has remained adequate relative to demand, creating a balanced housing market with varied buyer choices.

The average value of new dwellings is $487,000, aligning with regional patterns. This financial year has seen $84.1 million in commercial approvals, indicating strong local business investment. Compared to Greater Sydney, Holsworthy - Wattle Grove has significantly lower development activity, 69.0% below the regional average per person. This constraint typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings, reflecting market maturity and potential development constraints. New developments consist of 54.0% detached dwellings and 46.0% townhouses or apartments, offering choices across price ranges. This shift from the current housing mix (87.0% houses) addresses changing lifestyle demands and affordability requirements.

The area has an estimated 340 people per dwelling approval, indicating a quiet development environment. Future projections suggest Holsworthy - Wattle Grove will add 1,788 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favourable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting population growth beyond current projections.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Area infrastructure significantly impacts local performance. AreaSearch identified 60 potential impact projects. Key initiatives include Holsworthy Local Centre Mixed-Use Development, M5 Motorway Westbound Traffic Upgrade, Georges Cove Residences, and La Vie @ Casula.

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

Employment conditions in Holsworthy - Wattle Grove rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented. Its unemployment rate was 1.2% as of June 2025.

The area experienced an employment growth of 4.9% over the past year. As of June 2025, 14,365 residents were employed with an unemployment rate of 3.0%, lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation was at 67.1%, higher than Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Major employment industries among residents include public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and education & training.

Public administration & safety had particularly high concentration with employment levels at 2.8 times the regional average. Professional & technical services had limited presence with 7.9% employment compared to 11.5% regionally. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census data comparisons of working population and resident population. Over a 12-month period ending June 2025, employment increased by 4.9%, while the labour force grew by 4.9%, keeping unemployment relatively stable at 3.0%. This contrasts with Greater Sydney where employment rose by 2.6%, labour force grew by 2.9%, and unemployment rose to 4.5%. Statewide in NSW, employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs) as of Sep-25, with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. This compares favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%, but lags behind national employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 indicate that while overall employment is expected to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates vary significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Holsworthy - Wattle Grove's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.4%% over five years and 13.3% over ten years.

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 Holsworthy - Wattle Grove had a median income of $61,919 and an average income of $70,776. Nationally, the median income was lower at $54,834 with an average of $76,077. In Greater Sydney, the median was $56,994 and the average was $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes for March 2025 would be approximately $68,482 (median) and $78,278 (average). According to Census 2021 income data, Holsworthy - Wattle Grove's household, family, and personal incomes rank between the 81st and 90th percentiles nationally. Income distribution shows that 36.2% of individuals earn between $1,500 and $2,999, similar to the broader area where 30.9% fall within this range. Economic strength is evident with 37.7% of households earning high weekly incomes exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 15.4% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 89th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Holsworthy - Wattle Grove, as per the latest Census data, consisted of 86.7% houses and 13.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This is compared to Sydney metro's dwelling structure, which was 63.3% houses and 36.8% other dwellings. The home ownership rate in Holsworthy - Wattle Grove was higher than that of Sydney metro, at 26.0%. The remaining dwellings were either mortgaged (46.1%) or rented (27.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,275, which is above the Sydney metro average of $2,167. The median weekly rent figure for Holsworthy - Wattle Grove was recorded at $495, compared to Sydney metro's $400. Nationally, Holsworthy - Wattle Grove's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 85.6% of all households. They are composed of couples with children at 51.7%, couples without children at 21.4%, and single parent families at 11.6%. Non-family households constitute the remaining 14.4%, with lone person households at 13.3% and group households at 1.2%. The median household size is 3.1 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 3.0.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

The area's university qualification rate is 31.4% among residents aged 15+, surpassing the SA4 region average of 21.4%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 21.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.0%) and graduate diplomas (2.0%). Trade and technical skills are also prominent, with 34.4% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (12.6%) and certificates (21.8%).

Educational participation is high, with 33.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 11.9% in primary, 8.6% in secondary, and 6.0% in tertiary education. There are seven schools operating within Holsworthy - Wattle Grove, educating approximately 3,562 students. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1061). The educational mix includes five primary, one secondary, and one K-12 school.

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

Holsworthy-Wattle Grove has 127 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 29 individual routes that collectively facilitate 3,242 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents typically residing just 181 meters from the nearest stop.

Across all routes, service frequency averages 463 trips per day, equating to approximately 25 weekly trips per stop.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data shows excellent results in Holsworthy - Wattle Grove, with younger age groups particularly having a low prevalence of common health conditions. Private health cover is high, at approximately 55% of the total population (~11,712 people), compared to 50.4% across Greater Sydney.

The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 7.0 and 5.8% of residents respectively. 75.5% of residents report being completely free from medical ailments, compared to 76.4% in Greater Sydney. As of 2016, 13.0% of residents are aged 65 and over (2,762 people). Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove 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

Holsworthy-Wattle Grove, found in the Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2016 Census data, had a higher cultural diversity than most local markets. Its overseas-born population was 31.6%, with 33.1% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity dominated, with 59.3%.

Hinduism's representation was notably high at 7.2%, compared to Greater Sydney's 7.2%. Ancestry-wise, Australian (22.6%), English (18.7%) and Other (16.0%) were the top groups, differing significantly from regional averages of 14.1%, 11.5% and 27.9% respectively. Notably, Lebanese at 1.8%, Macedonian at 0.9% and Indian at 5.8% showed divergences compared to regional percentages of 5.2%, 1.3% and 6.2%.

Holsworthy - Wattle Grove's population is younger than the national pattern

Holsworthy-Wattle Grove has a median age of 35 years, which is slightly younger than Greater Sydney's 37 years and somewhat younger than the national average of 38 years. The 5-14 age group makes up 14.4% of the population, compared to Greater Sydney, while the 25-34 cohort represents 13.2%. From 2021 to present, the 65-74 age group has increased from 6.1% to 6.8% of the population. Conversely, the 45-54 age group has decreased from 14.1% to 13.0%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic changes for Holsworthy-Wattle Grove. The 75-84 age cohort is projected to rise substantially by 651 people (70%), from 934 to 1,586. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 70% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, both the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are expected to decrease in numbers.