Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora's population is approximately 20,932 as of November 2025. This figure represents an increase of 5 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 20,927. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 20,908 in June 2024 and an additional 24 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 626 persons per square kilometer. Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora's 0.0% growth since census compares with the SA3 area's 2.6%, showing competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 58.5% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses 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 where necessary, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas from these aggregations for years 2032 to 2041. Future population dynamics anticipate lower quartile growth, with the area expected to grow by 647 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting a total increase of 2.9% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora has seen approximately 47 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 235 homes were approved, with an additional 6 approved so far in FY26. The average construction value of new properties is $429,000.

This year alone, $10.0 million in commercial approvals have been registered. Compared to Greater Sydney, the area has around three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 11th percentile nationally for housing choices. Recent construction comprises 77.0% standalone homes and 23.0% medium and high-density housing. The estimated population per dwelling approval is 1418 people.

Future projections indicate an addition of 616 residents by 2041, with current construction levels expected to meet demand adequately.

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 46thth percentile nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 17 projects that may impact the area. Notable projects include Illawong Village Shopping Centre Redevelopment, Baxter Place, Sutherland Public School Hall Upgrade, and Blaxland Riverside Estate. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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.

Employment conditions in Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented. The unemployment rate was 2.0% in September 2025, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 1.7%. As of September 2025, 12,195 residents were employed with a workforce participation rate of 67.7%, higher than Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Resident employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction. Notably, education & training employs 1.4 times the regional average.

However, professional & technical services employ only 9.3% of local workers, lower than Greater Sydney's 11.5%. The area may offer limited local employment opportunities as indicated by Census data. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment levels increased by 1.7%, labour force grew by 1.2%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.5 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.1% with a slight increase in unemployment to 4.4%. Statewide, NSW employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs) as of 25-Nov-25, with an unemployment rate of 3.9%, favourable to the national rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May-25 suggest growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora's employment mix, local employment is expected to increase by 6.7% in five years and 13.6% in ten years.

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 ATO data released for financial year ended June 2022, Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora SA2 had a median taxable income of $61,314 and an average level of $80,783. Nationally, these figures are high compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth from June 2022 to September 2025, estimated current incomes would be approximately $69,046 (median) and $90,970 (average). Census data shows household incomes rank at the 93rd percentile with a weekly income of $2,692. Income distribution reveals that 28.8% of residents earn between $1,500 to $2,999 weekly, similar to the regional average of 30.9%. Higher earners account for 44.3%, indicating strong purchasing power. Housing expenses consume 13.5% of income. Residents rank at the 94th percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 82.7% houses and 17.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 70.4% houses and 29.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora stood at 40.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 48.0% and rented ones at 11.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,687, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,600. The median weekly rent figure was $580, compared to Sydney metro's $483. Nationally, Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, with rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 86.5% of all households, including 48.7% couples with children, 26.2% couples without children, and 11.0% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 13.5%, with lone person households at 12.5% and group households comprising 1.0%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.8.

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Menai-Lucas Heights-Woronora trail residents aged 15+ have 28.6% university degrees, compared to Greater Sydney's 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 19.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.0%) and graduate diplomas (2.7%). Vocational credentials held by 37.1% of residents include advanced diplomas (12.6%) and certificates (24.5%). Educational participation is high, with 29.5% currently enrolled in formal education: primary (9.7%), secondary (8.4%), tertiary (5.2%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 29.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.7% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 5.2% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Menai-Lukas Heights-Woronora region has 133 active public transport stops. These are served by 58 different bus routes, together offering 2,326 weekly passenger trips. The average distance to the nearest stop is 166 meters for residents.

On average, there are 332 trips per day across all routes, which equates to about 17 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Menai-Lucas Heights-Woronora shows better-than-average health outcomes for both younger and older age groups, with low prevalence rates for common conditions.

Around 60% of its total population of 12,517 have private health cover, which is notably high. Asthma and arthritis are the most prevalent medical conditions in the area, affecting 7.7% and 7.6% of residents respectively. About 71.2% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 70.6% across Greater Sydney. The area has an elderly population of 18.4%, comprising 3,861 people aged 65 and over. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, generally aligning with the overall health profile of the population.

In terms of cultural diversity, Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Menai-Lucas Heights-Woronora has a higher than average cultural diversity, with 18.2% of its population born overseas and 14.7% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Menai-Lucas Heights-Woronora, making up 69.7%, compared to 61.9% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups are Australian (26.3%), English (25.9%), and Irish (8.0%).

Notably, Macedonian (1.4%) is overrepresented compared to the regional average of 0.8%. Similarly, Greek (3.2%) and Maltese (1.2%) are also more prevalent than their respective regional averages of 2.2% and 0.8%.

Menai - Lucas Heights - Woronora's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Menai-Lucas Heights-Woronora has a median age of 40, which is higher than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's figure of 38 years. Compared to the Greater Sydney average, the 65-74 cohort is notably over-represented at 11.1% locally, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 8.9%. Between 2021 and present, the 75-84 age group has grown from 4.1% to 5.6% of the population. Conversely, the 55-64 cohort has declined from 14.6% to 13.0%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Menai-Lucas Heights-Woronora's age profile will evolve significantly. The 75-84 age cohort is projected to grow by 850 people (73%), from 1,165 to 2,016. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 79% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. Meanwhile, the 15-24 and 25-34 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.