Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay's population was 3,369 as of the 2021 Census. As of Nov 2025, it is around 3,372, reflecting an increase of 3 people (0.1%) since the Census. This change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 3,366 in June 2024 and 6 validated new addresses since the Census date. The population density ratio is 2,655 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 79.5% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for areas not covered by this data, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Considering projected demographic shifts, the area is expected to grow by 458 persons to 2041 based on latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a gain of 13.4% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay has had approximately 7 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, 36 homes were approved, with another 7 approved in FY26 so far.

On average, over these five years, there have been about 0.5 new residents per year for each dwelling constructed. This suggests that new construction is meeting or exceeding demand, providing more options for buyers and potentially enabling population growth beyond current expectations. The average expected construction cost of new properties in the area is $632,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment. Compared to Greater Sydney, Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay has significantly less development activity, with 69.0% fewer dwellings approved per person than the regional average. This scarcity of new dwellings typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. Recent construction in the area comprises 57.0% standalone homes and 43.0% attached dwellings, showing a shift from the current housing mix, which is currently 95.0% houses.

This change reflects reduced availability of development sites and addresses shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. The location has approximately 354 people per dwelling approval, reflecting an established area. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay is expected to grow by 452 residents by 2041. If current development rates continue, housing supply may not keep pace with population growth, potentially increasing competition among buyers and supporting stronger price growth.

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

No factors impact an area's performance more than local infrastructure alterations, significant projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has pinpointed a total of 0 projects expected to affect this region. Notable projects include Sutherland to Cronulla Active Transport Link (SCATL), Ozone Cronulla Apartment Development, M6 Stage 2, and Rail Service Improvement Program - T4 Illawarra & Eastern Suburbs Line, with the following list outlining those most pertinent.

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Employment conditions in Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. As of September 2025, the unemployment rate is 0.8%, with an estimated employment growth of 0.5% over the past year.

There are 1,963 residents employed, and the unemployment rate is 3.4% lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation stands at 66.9%, higher than Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in construction (1.6 times the regional average), professional & technical services, and education & training. Health care & social assistance shows lower representation at 11.5% compared to the regional average of 14.1%.

The area offers limited local employment opportunities, indicated by the census working population vs resident population count. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 0.5%, while labour force grew by 0.7%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.1% and labour force expand by 2.4%. State-level data from NSW to 25-Nov-25 shows employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%, favourable compared to the national rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Lilli Pilli's employment mix suggests local employment should grow by 6.9% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year ended June 2022, Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $70,199 with the average level standing at $104,531. This places it in the top percentile nationally and compares to levels of $56,994 and $80,856 across Greater Sydney respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% from July 2022 to September 2025, current estimates would be approximately $79,051 (median) and $117,712 (average). According to the Census conducted in August 2021, household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay, between the 90th and 99th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that the $4000+ earnings band captures 43.9% of the community (1,480 individuals), contrasting with the region where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket leads at 30.9%. The district demonstrates considerable affluence with 58.0% earning over $3,000 per week. After housing costs, residents retain 86.8% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay, as per the latest Census conducted in 2016, houses accounted for 94.7% of dwellings while other types such as semi-detached and apartments constituted 5.3%. This is notably different from Sydney metropolitan area's dwelling structure which was 52.4% houses and 47.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay stood at 48.3%, with mortgaged properties at 44.1% and rented ones at 7.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $3,900 as of 2016, significantly higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,774. Median weekly rent in Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay was recorded at $833 during this period, compared to Sydney metro's $500. Nationally, mortgage repayments were much lower at $1,863 while rents averaged $375.

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households comprise 90.3% of all households, including 55.0% couples with children, 28.3% couples without children, and 6.4% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 9.7%, with lone person households at 9.3% and group households making up 0.4%. The median household size is 3.2 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.5.

Educational achievement in Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

The area's educational profile is notable regionally, with university qualification rates of 36.2% among residents aged 15+, surpassing the Australian average of 30.4% and the SA4 region's rate of 31.0%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 24.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.1%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 32.1% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas at 12.4% and certificates at 19.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 31.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 10.3% in primary education, 9.5% in secondary education, and 6.5% pursuing tertiary education.

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

The analysis shows that as of October 2021, there are 19 active public transport stops in the Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay area. These stops serve a mix of bus routes, with four individual routes operating in total. The combined weekly passenger trips across these routes amount to 480.

Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 146 meters to the nearest stop. Service frequency is high, with 68 trips per day on average across all routes, translating to approximately 25 weekly trips per individual stop.

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay exhibits excellent health outcomes, with a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 74% of the total population (2,485 people), compared to 65.7% in Greater Sydney and 55.3% nationally. Arthritis and asthma are the most common medical conditions in the area, affecting 6.8 and 5.6% of residents respectively.

A significant majority, 77.0%, declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 72.3% across Greater Sydney. The area has 18.7% of residents aged 65 and over (630 people), lower than the 21.1% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly aligning with the general population's health profile.

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay, surveyed in 2016, had a below average cultural diversity with 87.0% of its population born in Australia, 95.7% being citizens, and 91.3% speaking English only at home. The dominant religion was Christianity, practiced by 68.5%. This compares to 61.2% across Greater Sydney as per the 2016 Census.

Regarding ancestry, the top three groups were English (29.4%), Australian (27.2%), and Irish (9.8%). Notably, French was overrepresented at 1.0%, Greek at 3.7%, and Maltese at 1.1%.

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay's median age exceeds the national pattern

Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay has a median age of 41 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and somewhat older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The 2021 Census showed that the 15-24 age group was notably over-represented at 17.5%, while the 25-34 age group was under-represented at 7.1% compared to Greater Sydney's averages. Between the 2016 and 2021 Censuses, the 15-24 age group grew from 15.4% to 17.5%, and the 75-84 age group increased from 5.1% to 6.9%. Conversely, the 45-54 age group declined from 15.2% to 13.8%. Demographic modeling suggests that Lilli Pilli - Port Hacking - Dolans Bay's age profile will change significantly by 2041. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to grow the most, by 28%, adding 132 residents to reach a total of 599. Meanwhile, both the 0-4 and 35-44 age groups are expected to decrease in number.