Neutral Bay - Kirribilli
Statistical Area - sa2

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Neutral Bay-Kirribilli's population was around 18,209 as of August 2025. This figure shows an increase of 6% since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 17,183. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population data: 18,158 in June 2024 and 124 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a high population density ratio of 8,239 persons per square kilometer, placing Neutral Bay-Kirribilli in the top 10% of locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's growth rate exceeded the SA4 region's at 6%, making it a growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 87.9% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections where data is unavailable, released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future trends indicate lower quartile growth nationally; Neutral Bay-Kirribilli is expected to expand by 389 persons by 2041, reflecting a total increase of 1.9% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Neutral Bay - Kirribilli, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli averaged approximately 51 new dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, showing 257 homes approved over the past five financial years from FY-20 to FY-25, with an additional nine approved in FY-26 thus far. Population decline in recent years suggests that new supply has likely kept pace with demand, providing good options for buyers. The average expected construction cost of new properties is $875,000, indicating a focus on the premium market by developers.

This financial year has seen $70.9 million in commercial approvals, reflecting high local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Neutral Bay - Kirribilli records around 69% of the building activity per person and ranks among the 28th percentile nationally for areas assessed, leading to relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing properties. This is below average nationally, suggesting maturity and possible planning constraints. New development consists of 8.0% detached houses and 92.0% townhouses or apartments, demonstrating a trend towards denser development that caters to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. With approximately 1308 people per dwelling approval, Neutral Bay - Kirribilli reflects a highly mature market.

Future projections indicate a growth of around 338 residents by 2041. Given current construction levels, housing supply is expected to meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers and potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 47 projects likely impacting the area. Key projects include Neutral Bay Town Centre Plaza, Pienza Neutral Bay, Enso Neutral Bay, and Woolworths Neutral Bay Mixed-Use Development. The following list details those likely most relevant.

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

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli shows employment indicators that trail behind approximately 70% of regions assessed across Australia

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 5.4% as of June 2025.

The area had an unemployment rate 1.2% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation was 68.3%, above Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Dominant employment sectors included professional & technical, finance & insurance, and health care & social assistance. The area showed particular specialization in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share 1.9 times the regional level.

However, construction had lower representation at 4.9% compared to the regional average of 8.6%. While local employment opportunities exist, many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. In the year ending June 2025, labour force decreased by 0.1%, employment declined by 1.3%, causing unemployment to rise by 1.1 percentage points. Meanwhile, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%. By Sep-25, NSW employment had contracted by 0.41%, losing 19,270 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 15.0% over ten years. Applying these projections to Neutral Bay - Kirribilli's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.6%% over five years and 15.0% over ten years, assuming constant population projections for illustrative purposes.

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

The AreaSearch postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Neutral Bay - Kirribilli had a median income of $79,439 and an average income of $138,855. Greater Sydney's median income was $56,994 with an average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Neutral Bay - Kirribilli are approximately $87,860 (median) and $153,574 (average) as of March 2025. The 2021 Census figures place Neutral Bay - Kirribilli's household, family, and personal incomes between the 87th and 98th percentiles nationally. Income brackets indicate that 30.1% of locals (5,480 people) earn over $4,000 weekly, contrasting with Greater Sydney where 30.9% fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 range. A significant 41.3% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 18.3% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 82nd percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Neutral Bay-Kirribilli's dwelling structure in the latest Census showed 8.7% houses and 91.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other'). Sydney metro had 17.9% houses and 82.1% other dwellings. Home ownership was 25.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 18.5% and rented at 56.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,990, lower than Sydney metro's $3,085. Median weekly rent was $541, compared to Sydney metro's $582. Nationally, Neutral Bay-Kirribilli's repayments were higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 50.8% of all households, including 15.3% couples with children, 28.5% couples without children, and 5.9% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 49.2%, with lone person households at 43.7% and group households comprising 5.6%. The median household size is 1.9 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.1.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Neutral Bay-Kirribilli shows significantly higher educational attainment than broader benchmarks. As of 2021, 62.5% of residents aged 15+ held university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees were the most common at 39.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (18.6%) and graduate diplomas (4.2%). Vocational pathways accounted for 19.5% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 11.2% and certificates at 8.3%.

In total, 23.9% of the population was actively pursuing formal education in 2021, including 8.1% in tertiary education, 5.8% in primary education, and 4.2% in secondary education. The five schools in Neutral Bay-Kirribilli had a combined enrollment of 3,169 students as of 2021. These schools demonstrated exceptional educational performance, with an ICSEA score of 1198, placing them among the most advantaged nationally. The educational mix included three primary schools, one secondary school, and one K-12 school.

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

Neutral Bay-Kirribilli has 57 active public transport stops, serving a mix of ferry and bus routes. These stops are covered by 84 individual routes, facilitating 11,596 weekly passenger trips in total. The area's transport accessibility is rated excellent, with residents on average located 125 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 1,656 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 203 weekly trips per individual stop.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Neutral Bay - Kirribilli. Prevalence of common health conditions is very low across all age groups. Private health cover rate is exceptionally high at approximately 83% of the total population (15,149 people), compared to 86.4% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.3%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, impacting 7.0% and 6.5% of residents respectively. 73.8% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 75.2% across Greater Sydney. As of 14th October 2021, the area has 21.1% of residents aged 65 and over (3,834 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli 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

Neutral Bay-Kirribilli showed higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 21.0% speaking a language other than English at home and 39.6% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 44.7%. Judaism was slightly overrepresented at 1.1%, compared to Greater Sydney's 1.0%.

For ancestry, top groups were English (26.1%), Australian (17.1%), and Other (11.8%). Some ethnicities showed notable variations: French was 1.2% versus regional 1.1%, Russian was 0.7% matching regionally, and Spanish was 0.8% compared to regional 0.7%.

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Neutral Bay - Kirribilli has a median age of 40, which is higher than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's national median age of 38. The 25-34 cohort is notably over-represented in Neutral Bay - Kirribilli at 21.8%, compared to the Greater Sydney average of approximately 16% and the national average of 14.5%. Conversely, the 5-14 age group is under-represented at 6.0%. Between 2021 and present, the 15-24 age group has grown from 8.1% to 9.9%, while the 35-44 cohort has declined from 16.6% to 15.5% and the 45-54 group has dropped from 11.9% to 10.8%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests significant changes in Neutral Bay - Kirribilli's age profile. The 85+ age cohort is projected to increase dramatically by 635 people (101%), from 631 to 1,267. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 87% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. Meanwhile, the 15-24 and 5-14 cohorts are projected to experience population declines.