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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Matraville - Chifley's population is around 14,293 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 881 people (6.6%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 13,412 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 13,966 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 79 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 4,191 persons per square kilometer, which lies in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch, making land in the area a highly sought resource. Over the past decade, Matraville - Chifley has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a 0.6% compound annual growth rate, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 82.9% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Moving forward with demographic trends, lower quartile growth of national statistical areas is anticipated, with the area expected to expand by 667 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 2.4% in total over the 17 years.

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

Matraville - Chifley has recorded around 76 residential properties granted approval each year, totalling 382 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 32 approvals have been recorded. With an average of only 0.8 people per year moving to the area for each dwelling built over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), new construction is matching or outpacing demand, offering buyers more options and enabling population growth that could exceed current expectations, while new properties are constructed at an average value of $496,000, revealing that developers are targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties. There have also been $675,000 in commercial approvals this financial year, indicating minimal commercial development activity.

Compared to Greater Sydney, Matraville - Chifley shows 113.0% higher new home approvals (per person), creating greater choice for buyers. New building activity shows 18.0% detached houses and 82.0% townhouses or apartments. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This marks a significant departure from existing housing patterns (currently 50.0% houses), suggesting diminishing developable land availability and responding to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs. At around 200 people per approval, Matraville - Chifley reflects a low density area.

Population forecasts indicate Matraville - Chifley will gain 340 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

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total 16 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Finucane Reserve Upgrade, Yorktown Parade and Fitzgerald Avenue Affordable Housing Redevelopment, Prince Henry at Little Bay, and the Heffron Park Central Amenities Upgrade, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

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

Matraville - Chifley features a well-educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of 8.2%, and 4.0% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 7,026 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 4.0% above Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, showing room for improvement, and workforce participation is somewhat below standard (67.2% compared to Greater Sydney's 70.2%). Based on Census responses, a high 39.7% of residents were found to 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 particularly strong specialization in construction, with an employment share of 1.3 times the regional level. Conversely, professional & technical services show lower representation at 8.8% versus the regional average of 11.5%. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, over the 12 months to December 2025, employment increased by 4.0% while the labour force increased by 3.3%, resulting in unemployment falling by 0.7 percentage points. By comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.2%, labour force growth of 2.3%, with unemployment rising marginally. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Matraville - Chifley. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Matraville - Chifley's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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

The Matraville - Chifley SA2's income level is very high nationally according to the latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for FY-23. The Matraville - Chifley SA2's median income among taxpayers is $57,700 and the average income stands at $78,513, which compares to figures for Greater Sydney's of $60,817 and $83,003 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $62,812 (median) and $85,469 (average) as of September 2025. 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 (3,616 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 emerges 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

Dwelling structure within Matraville - Chifley, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 50.5% houses and 49.5% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Matraville - Chifley was well beyond that of Sydney metro, at 33.0%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (32.6%) or rented (34.5%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Sydney metro average at $3,000, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $475, compared to Sydney metro's $2,427 and $470. Nationally, Matraville - Chifley's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households dominate at 75.0% of all households, comprising 40.4% couples with children, 19.6% couples without children, and 13.7% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 25.0%, with lone person households at 22.3% and group households comprising 2.7% of the total. The median household size of 2.8 people is 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 faces educational challenges, with university qualification rates (30.4%) substantially below the SA4 region average of 54.6%. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees lead at 20.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.2%) and graduate diplomas (2.0%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 32.0% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (11.3%) and certificates (20.7%).

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

Public transport analysis reveals 82 active transport stops operating within Matraville - Chifley, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 31 individual routes, collectively providing 4,471 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 151 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 83%, with 8% by bus. Vehicle ownership averages 1.3 per dwelling. A high 39.7% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 638 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 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 shows strong performance throughout Matraville - Chifley, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Both young and old age cohorts show low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 58% of the total population (~8,289 people).

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 7.2 and 6.5% of residents, respectively, while 72.6% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 18.4% of residents aged 65 and over (2,632 people), which is higher than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are 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 scores highly on cultural diversity, with 34.8% of its population born overseas and 29.0% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Matraville - Chifley is Christianity, which makes up 63.5% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 3.5% of the population, compared to 0.8% across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Matraville - Chifley are English, comprising 18.5% of the population, Australian, comprising 18.4% of the population, and Other, comprising 13.2% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: French is notably overrepresented at 1.3% of Matraville - Chifley (vs 0.5% regionally), Russian at 1.1% (vs 0.4%) and Hungarian at 0.6% (vs 0.3%).

Matraville - Chifley's median age exceeds the national pattern

The 42-year median age in Matraville - Chifley is significantly above Greater Sydney's average of 37 and similarly considerably older than Australia's 38 years. The 15 - 24 age group shows strong representation at 15.6% compared to Greater Sydney, whereas the 25 - 34 cohort is less prevalent at 8.2%. Post-2021 Census data shows the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 12.0% to 15.6% of the population. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 9.8% to 8.2% and the 55 to 64 group dropped from 13.2% to 12.0%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for Matraville - Chifley. Leading the demographic shift, the 85+ group will grow by 79% (268 people), reaching 609 from 340. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 54% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 5 to 14 and 65 to 74 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.