Hornsby - West
Statistical Area - sa2

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

As of August 2025, Hornsby - West's population is approximately 10,825, marking an increase of 196 individuals since the 2021 Census. This growth represents a 1.8% rise from the previously reported figure of 10,629 people. The estimation is derived from the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) June 2024 resident population of 10,806 and the validation of 27 new addresses post-census. This results in a population density ratio of 1,721 persons per square kilometer, higher than the national average assessed by AreaSearch. Hornsby - West's growth rate since the census is 1.8%, positioning it within 2.3 percentage points of the SA3 area (4.1%), indicating strong growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 91.3% to recent population gains in the area.

AreaSearch employs ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, 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 with a base year of 2021 are used. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends suggest that Hornsby - West will experience an increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation, with a projected growth of 1,358 persons by 2041 based on current numbers, reflecting a total increase of 12.3% over the 17-year period.

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 per year. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports that from Financial Year 2021 to Financial Year 2025, a total of 206 dwellings were approved in the area, with one already approved in Financial Year 2026. Despite population decline, new supply has likely met demand, providing good buyer choice. The average expected construction cost value for new dwellings is $577,000.

As of this financial year, $4.4 million in commercial approvals have been registered, indicating limited commercial development focus compared to residential growth. Against the Greater Sydney average, Hornsby - West has seen slightly more development per person over the past five years, maintaining good buyer choice and supporting existing property values. Recent construction comprises 50% detached dwellings and 50% townhouses or apartments, reflecting a shift towards higher-density living to accommodate downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This marks a significant change from the current housing mix of 70% houses. With approximately 373 people per dwelling approval, Hornsby - West demonstrates a developed market.

By 2041, the area is projected to grow by 1,327 residents. Development activity is keeping pace with projected growth, though increasing competition among buyers can be expected as the population expands.

Hornsby - West has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Local infrastructure changes significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified eight projects likely impacting this region. Key initiatives include Hornsby Park, Twin Towers Hornsby, Hornsby Town Centre Masterplan, and Westfield Hornsby Mixed-Use Redevelopment. The following list details those most relevant:.

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

The labour market performance in Hornsby - West lags significantly behind most other regions nationally

Hornsby - West has an educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. As of June 2025, its unemployment rate is 9.3%.

By this date, 5,338 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 5.1% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, indicating potential improvement areas. Workforce participation stands at 62.6%, slightly above Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training. The area shows particular strength in professional & technical jobs, with employment levels at 1.3 times the regional average.

Conversely, construction has limited presence with 5.7% employment compared to the regional average of 8.6%. Over the year to June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3%, accompanied by a 2.4% drop in employment, causing unemployment to rise by 2.0 percentage points, unlike Greater Sydney where employment and labour force grew while unemployment rose marginally. State-level data from Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.5% with employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Hornsby - West's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.2% over five years and 14.6% over ten years, though these are illustrative extrapolations not accounting for local population changes.

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

Hornsby-West has a high national income level according to AreaSearch analysis of ATO data for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers in Hornsby-West is $57,776, with an average income of $74,096. This compares to Greater Sydney's figures of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. By March 2025, based on a 10.6% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022, estimated incomes would be approximately $63,900 (median) and $81,950 (average). Census data shows that household, family, and personal incomes in Hornsby-West cluster around the 71st percentile nationally. The earnings profile indicates that 29.9% of residents (3,236 people) fall into the $1,500 - $2,999 weekly income bracket, reflecting a similar pattern seen in the broader area where 30.9% occupy this range. Notably, 35.3% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.6% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 76th percentile nationally. 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 evaluated at the Census conducted on 28 August 2016, comprised 70.4% houses and 29.6% other dwellings including semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This compares to Sydney metropolitan area's structure of 61.4% houses and 38.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Hornsby - West stood at 32.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 38.2% and rented dwellings at 29.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,600 as of the latest data point, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $450. In comparison, Sydney metropolitan area's averages were $2,500 for mortgage repayments and $480 for rents. 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% that are couples with children, 23.8% that are couples without children, and 10.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 22.5%, consisting of lone person households at 20.3% and group households comprising 2.1%. The median household size is 2.8 people, which is 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 significantly higher proportion of residents aged 15 and above with university qualifications compared to national and state averages. As of the latest data, 47.5% of its residents hold such qualifications, surpassing Australia's 30.4% and NSW's 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 28.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 15.4% and graduate diplomas at 3.7%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 25.7% of residents holding them, including advanced diplomas (11.1%) and certificates (14.6%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 32.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.0% in primary education, 8.2% in secondary education, and 6.3% pursuing tertiary education. As of the 20XX census, Hornsby-West's four schools had a combined enrollment of 1,619 students. The area demonstrates significant socio-educational advantages with an ICSEA score of 1101. Its educational mix includes three primary schools and one K-12 school.

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

Hornsby-West has 84 active public transport stops. These are served by 60 different routes, offering a total of 5156 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents on average located 199 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 736 daily trips across all routes, which equates to approximately 61 weekly trips per individual stop.

Hornsby - West's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Hornsby-West recorded low prevalence rates for common health conditions across all age groups, with mental health issues affecting 6.7% and asthma impacting 6.5% of residents. Approximately 74.6% of residents reported no medical ailments.

The area had private health cover at a rate of about 56%, covering around 6,116 people, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.8%. Around 17.4% of the population were aged 65 and over (1,879 people), with seniors demonstrating strong health outcomes, similar to the general population's profile.

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 population speaking a language other than English at home and 43.3% born overseas. The predominant religion in Hornsby-West is Christianity, comprising 44.3% of the population. However, Judaism is notably overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, making up 0.4% of Hornsby-West's population.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English (20.4%), Australian (18.5%), and Chinese (17.5%), which exceeds the regional average of 11.6%. Additionally, there are significant differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Korean is overrepresented at 2.5% compared to the regional average of 2.0%, Russian at 0.9% vs 0.6%, and South African at 0.7% vs 0.6%.

Hornsby - West's median age exceeds the national pattern

Hornsby-West's median age is 41 years, significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 and slightly older than Australia's median of 38. Comparing with Greater Sydney's average, the 45-54 cohort is notably over-represented at 15.3% locally, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 9.1%. Post the 2021 Census, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 11.0% to 12.2%, whereas the 65 to 74 cohort has decreased from 9.8% to 9.1%. By 2041, demographic modeling indicates Hornsby-West's age profile will change significantly. The 55-64 cohort is projected to grow by 28%, adding 341 residents to reach 1,542. Conversely, both the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 age groups are expected to decrease in numbers.