Matraville - Chifley

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

Matraville - Chifley's population is around 14,305 as of May 2026. This reflects an increase of 893 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 13,412 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 14,280 from the ABS in June 2025 and an additional 80 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 4,195 persons per square kilometer, placing Matraville - Chifley in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Matraville - Chifley has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.6%, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 78.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 the 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. Based on demographic trends and latest annual ERP population numbers, Matraville - Chifley is expected to expand by 618 persons to 2041, reflecting an increase of 4.2% in total over the 16 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Matraville - Chifley when compared nationally

Matraville - Chifley has recorded approximately 76 residential property approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling 382 homes. As of FY-26, 44 approvals have been recorded. On average, around 0.8 people per year moved to the area for each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating that new construction is meeting or exceeding demand. The average expected construction cost value of new properties is $496,000, suggesting developers are targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties.

In FY-26, there have been $675,000 in commercial approvals, indicating minimal commercial development activity compared to residential growth. Compared to Greater Sydney, Matraville - Chifley shows 112.0% higher new home approvals per person as of the latest data. New building activity consists of approximately 18.0% detached houses and 82.0% townhouses or apartments, marking a significant shift from existing housing patterns which are currently 50.0% houses. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. With around 200 people per approval, Matraville - Chifley reflects a developing area with current population forecasts indicating an increase of 593 residents by 2041. Given current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Population forecasts indicate Matraville - Chifley will gain 593 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Matraville - Chifley has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

The performance of an area can be significantly influenced by changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of 16 such projects that are likely to impact the area. Notable projects include Finucane Reserve Upgrade, Yorktown Parade, Fitzgerald Avenue Affordable Housing Redevelopment (scheduled for completion in late-2022), Prince Henry at Little Bay (expected to be completed by mid-2023), and Heffron Park Central Amenities Upgrade (commenced on 15th March 2021). The following list details those projects likely to have the most relevance.

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

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Matraville - Chifley shows employment indicators that trail behind approximately 70% of regions assessed across Australia

Matraville-Chifley has a well-educated workforce with professional services showing strong representation. The unemployment rate is 8.2%, with an estimated employment growth of 4.0% over the past year. As of December 2025, there are 7,026 residents in work while the unemployment rate stands at 4.0%.

This is above Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, indicating room for improvement. Workforce participation is somewhat below standard at 65.5% compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%. A high proportion of residents, 39.7%, work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Employment among residents is concentrated in health care & social assistance, construction, and education & training.

The area shows strong specialization in construction with an employment share of 1.3 times the regional level. Conversely, professional & technical services have lower representation at 8.8% versus the regional average of 11.5%. Over the year to December 2025, employment increased by 4.0% while labour force grew by 3.3%, resulting in a unemployment fall of 0.7 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Matraville-Chifley's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

The Matraville - Chifley SA2 has a high national income level according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. Its median income among taxpayers is $57,700 and average income stands at $78,513. These figures compare to Greater Sydney's of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $63,655 (median) and $86,616 (average) as of March 2026. From the 2021 Census, household, family and personal incomes in Matraville - Chifley cluster around the 67th percentile nationally. Income analysis reveals 25.3% of the population (3,619 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, consistent with broader trends across the region showing 30.9% in the same category. Economic strength is evident through 35.6% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 18.3% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 70th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Matraville - Chifley displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Matraville-Chifley's dwelling structure in the latest Census showed 50.5% houses and 49.5% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Matraville-Chifley was at 33.0%, with the rest either mortgaged (32.6%) or rented (34.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,000, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Matraville-Chifley was $475, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Matraville - Chifley has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 75.0% of all households, including 40.4% couples with children, 19.6% couples without children, and 13.7% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 25.0%, with lone person households at 22.3% and group households making up 2.7%. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Educational attainment in Matraville - Chifley aligns closely with national averages, showing typical qualification patterns and performance metrics

The area's university qualification rate is 30.4%, significantly lower than the SA4 region average of 54.6%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 20.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.2%) and graduate diplomas (2.0%). Vocational credentials are held by 32.0% of residents aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 11.3% and certificates at 20.7%. Educational participation is high, with 30.8% currently enrolled in formal education: primary education (10.1%), secondary education (8.8%), and tertiary education (5.6%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.1% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 5.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Matraville-Chifley has 82 operational public transport stops, all bus services. These are spread across 31 routes, facilitating 4,471 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 151 meters to the nearest stop. As a predominantly residential area, most commutes are outward-bound. Cars remain the primary mode of transport at 83%, while buses account for 8%. On average, there are 1.3 vehicles per dwelling.

According to the 2021 Census, 39.7% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency averages 638 trips daily across all routes, equating to roughly 54 weekly trips per individual stop.

Matraville - Chifley's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics indicates strong performance throughout Matraville - Chifley.

Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were found to be low across both young and old age cohorts. Private health cover was found to be very high at approximately 58% of the total population, which is around 8,296 people. The most common medical conditions in the area were arthritis and asthma, affecting 7.2 and 6.5% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 72.6%, declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents showed notably healthy outcomes with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 18.3% of residents aged 65 and over, totaling 2,616 people, which is higher than the 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors were particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Matraville - Chifley 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

Matraville-Chifley has high cultural diversity with 34.8% of its population born overseas and 29.0% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the main religion in Matraville-Chifley, making up 63.5%. Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, comprising 3.5% vs 0.8%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (18.5%), Australian (18.4%), and Other (13.2%). French (1.3%) Russian (1.1%) and Hungarian (0.6%) are notably overrepresented compared to regional averages of 0.5%, 0.4%, and 0.3% respectively.

Matraville - Chifley's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Matraville - Chifley is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. The 45-54 age group comprises 14.6% of the population, compared to Greater Sydney, while the 25-34 cohort makes up 9.0%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 15-24 age group has increased from 12.0% to 15.6%, and the 55-64 cohort has decreased from 13.2% to 11.8%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate substantial demographic changes for Matraville - Chifley. The 45-54 age group is projected to grow by 13%, adding 278 people and reaching a total of 2,373 from the previous count of 2,094. Conversely, the 65-74 and 0-4 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.