Hornsby - West

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

Hornsby - West's population, as of November 2025, is approximately 11,068. This figure represents an increase of 439 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 10,629. The growth was inferred from the estimated resident population of 10,794 in June 2024 and an additional 27 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,759 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Hornsby - West's growth rate of 4.1% since the census is within 1.6 percentage points of the SA4 region's growth rate of 5.7%, indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 91.3% 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 years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends suggest an increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation, with Hornsby - West expected to increase by 1,358 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a total increase of 9.8% over the 17 years.

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

Hornsby-West has received approximately 41 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totaling 206 homes. As of FY-26, 8 approvals have been recorded. Despite population decline, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, creating a balanced market with good buyer choice. The average expected construction cost value for new homes is $481,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment.

This year, $4.4 million in commercial approvals have been registered, suggesting limited commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Hornsby-West has slightly more development (38.0% above regional average per person over the five-year period), maintaining good buyer choice and supporting existing property values. Recent construction comprises 50.0% detached dwellings and 50.0% townhouses or apartments, reflecting a shift towards higher-density living to create affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This represents a significant change from the current housing mix of 70.0% houses. With approximately 373 people per dwelling approval, Hornsby-West shows a developed market.

According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Hornsby-West is expected to grow by 1,084 residents through to 2041. Current development appears well-matched to future needs, supporting steady market conditions without extreme price pressure.

Hornsby - West 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 identified 12 projects likely impacting the area. Notable projects include Hornsby Park, Twin Towers Hornsby, Hornsby Park - from quarry to parklands, and Hornsby Town Centre Master Plan. 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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The labour market performance in Hornsby - West lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Hornsby - West has an unemployment rate of 9.5%, with 5,226 residents employed as of September 2025. This rate is 1.1 percentage points higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation in Hornsby - West is at 66.0%, compared to Greater Sydney's 70.0%.

According to Census responses, 53.2% of residents work from home. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training sectors. Notably, employment in professional & technical services is at 1.3 times the regional average, while construction has limited presence with 5.7% employment compared to 8.6% regionally. Over the year to September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.3%, but employment decreased by 2.2%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 2.4 percentage points.

In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment rise by 2.1%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project an increase of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Hornsby - West's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.6% over ten years, although 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

The median income among taxpayers in Hornsby - West SA2 is $61,673, based on latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2023. The average income stands at $76,438. These figures compare to Greater Sydney's median of $60,817 and average of $83,003 respectively. By September 2025, based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86%, estimated median income would be approximately $67,137 and average income would be around $83,210. Census data shows household, family and personal incomes in Hornsby - West cluster at the 70th percentile nationally. The earnings profile indicates that 29.9% of residents (3,309 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly income bracket. Significantly, 35.3% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.6% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 75th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Hornsby - West is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure in Hornsby - West, as per the latest Census, consisted of 70.4% houses and 29.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Hornsby - West was at 32.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 38.2% and rented dwellings at 29.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, above Sydney metro's average of $2,427. The median weekly rent figure was $450, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Hornsby - West's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Hornsby - West features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 77.5% of all households, including 42.5% couples with children, 23.8% couples without children, and 10.2% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 22.5%, with lone person households at 20.3% and group households comprising 2.1%. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Hornsby - West demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Hornsby-West has a notably high educational attainment among residents aged 15 and above, with 47.5% holding university qualifications compared to the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%. This is particularly evident in bachelor degrees (28.4%), postgraduate qualifications (15.4%), and graduate diplomas (3.7%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 25.7% of residents possessing them, including advanced diplomas (11.1%) and certificates (14.6%). Educational participation is high, with 32.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes primary education (11.0%), secondary education (8.2%), and tertiary education (6.3%).

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

Hornsby-West has 96 operational public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 52 distinct routes, facilitating 2,418 weekly passenger trips in total. Transport accessibility is considered good, with residents generally situated within 200 meters of the nearest stop. Predominantly residential, most Hornsby-West residents commute outward using cars as the primary mode at 72%, followed by train at 17% and walking at 7%. On average, there are 1.1 vehicles per dwelling. According to the 2021 Census, a high 53.2% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions.

Service frequency averages 345 trips daily across all routes, translating to approximately 25 weekly trips per individual stop.

Hornsby - West'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 Hornsby-West. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were very low across all age groups.

Private health cover was found to be very high at approximately 57% of the total population (~6,308 people), compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney. The most common medical conditions in the area were mental health issues (6.7%) and asthma (6.5%). 74.6% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, similar to the 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents had low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 17.4% of residents aged 65 and over (1,921 people), higher than the 15.3% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors were particularly strong, with national rankings even higher than the general population.

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

Hornsby-West has a high level of cultural diversity, with 40.0% of its residents speaking a language other than English at home and 43.3% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Hornsby-West, making up 44.3% of the population. However, Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, comprising 0.4% versus 0.8%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (20.4%), Australian (18.5%), and Chinese (17.5%), which is significantly higher than the regional average of 8.4%. Notably, Korean (2.5%) is overrepresented compared to the regional average of 1.1%, as are Russian (0.9% vs 0.4%) and South African (0.7% vs 0.5%).

Hornsby - West's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Hornsby-West's median age is 41 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and slightly older than Australia's median of 38 years. Compared to the Greater Sydney average, Hornsby-West has a notably over-represented cohort of 45-54 year-olds at 15.3%, while 25-34 year-olds are under-represented at 9.1%. According to the 2021 Census, the 15-24 age group grew from 11.0% to 12.2% of the population, while the 65-74 cohort declined from 9.8% to 9.1%. Demographic modeling suggests that Hornsby-West's age profile will significantly change by 2041. The 55-64 cohort is projected to grow strongly at 26%, adding 314 residents to reach 1,542. Conversely, both the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are expected to decrease in numbers.