North Rocks

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

North Rocks' population, as of November 2025, is approximately 8,704, indicating a rise of 253 individuals (3.0%) since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 8,451. This increase is inferred from the estimated resident population of 8,692 as of June 2024 and an additional 30 validated new addresses post-Census. The resulting population density is 1,617 persons per square kilometer, exceeding the national average assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration accounted for roughly 91.1% of recent population gains in the area. AreaSearch employs ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022.

For uncovered areas, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections from 2022, using 2021 as the base year, are utilized. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, the population is projected to grow by 199 persons, reflecting a 2.1% increase over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in North Rocks according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

North Rocks has seen approximately 18 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, totalling 93 homes. In FY26 so far, 11 approvals have been recorded. On average, 3.2 new residents per year arrive for each dwelling constructed between FY21 and FY25. Commercial development approvals this financial year total $28.0 million.

North Rocks records lower building activity than Greater Sydney, at 70.0% below the regional average per person. New development consists of 73.0% standalone homes and 27.0% townhouses or apartments. Around 643 people are expected per dwelling approval in North Rocks. Future projections estimate an addition of 187 residents by 2041. Current construction levels should meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Future projections show North Rocks adding 187 residents by 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.

North Rocks has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 15 projects that may affect this region. Notable ones include North Rocks Estate at 19-23 North Rocks Road, the development at 361-365 North Rocks Road, the redevelopment of North Rocks Shopping Centre, and St Michel North Rocks. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in North Rocks rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally

North Rocks has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 1.6%, lower than the Greater Sydney average of 4.2%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.8%. As of September 2025, 5,109 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.6% and workforce participation similar to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training, with notable concentration in the latter at 1.3 times the regional average. Transport, postal & warehousing has limited presence at 3.5%, compared to the regional average of 5.3%.

Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data analysis. Between September 2024 and 2025, employment levels increased by 2.8% while labour force grew by 3.1%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In Greater Sydney, employment rose by 2.1%, labour force grew by 2.4%, and unemployment rose by 0.2 percentage points. State-level data from NSW as of 25-Nov-25 shows employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with an unemployment rate of 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project overall growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to North Rocks' employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

North Rocks SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $56,601 and an average of $71,551 according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2022. This was higher than national averages, with Greater Sydney's median income being $56,994 and average income being $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% from financial year 2022 to September 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $63,738 (median) and $80,574 (average). According to Census 2021 income data, household incomes ranked at the 87th percentile ($2,399 weekly). The earnings profile showed that 30.3% of residents (2,637 people) fell into the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket, similar to regional levels where 30.9% occupied this range. Economic strength was evident with 39.4% of households achieving high weekly earnings exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consumed 16.1% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 86th percentile, and the area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 9th decile.

North Rocks is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

As per the latest Census evaluation in North Rocks, dwelling structures comprised 86.0% houses and 14.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 36.4% houses and 63.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in North Rocks stood at 39.9%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (42.2%) or rented (18.0%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in North Rocks was $2,945, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,167. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent figure in North Rocks was recorded at $550, compared to Sydney metro's $420. Nationally, North Rocks' mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

North Rocks features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 84.6% of all households, including 48.7% couples with children, 25.8% couples without children, and 9.5% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 15.4%, with lone person households at 13.9% and group households comprising 1.5%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.6.

Educational achievement in North Rocks places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in North Rocks is notably higher than broader Australian benchmarks. As of 2016, 43.9% of residents aged 15 years and over held university qualifications, compared to the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%. This educational advantage is evident in various qualifications: bachelor degrees at 28.1%, postgraduate qualifications at 12.7%, and graduate diplomas at 3.1%. Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 27.3% of residents holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas at 11.9% and certificates at 15.4%.

Educational participation is high in North Rocks, with 30.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education as of the 2016 census. This includes 11.1% in primary education, 8.5% 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

North Rocks has 74 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 44 different routes that together facilitate 3,837 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents being an average of 148 meters away from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 548 trips per day across all routes, which translates to approximately 51 weekly trips per individual stop.

North Rocks'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 North Rocks.

Both young and old age cohorts have a low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 55% of the total population (~4,813 people). The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 7.1 and 6.3% of residents respectively. Seventy-four point one percent of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 79.0% across Greater Sydney. Nineteen point two percent of residents are aged 65 and over (1,669 people), which is higher than the 12.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

North Rocks is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

North Rocks has a high cultural diversity, with 40.8% of its population born overseas and 42.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in North Rocks, comprising 53.2% of people. Notably, Buddhism is overrepresented in North Rocks at 3.8%, compared to 2.9% across Greater Sydney.

The top three ancestry groups are Chinese (18.2%), English (17.6%), and Australian (17.5%). These figures exceed the regional averages for these groups: Chinese by 9.5%, English by -4.6%, and Australian by 5.7%. Additionally, Korean (4.3%) and Sri Lankan (0.7%) are overrepresented in North Rocks compared to their regional counterparts of 1.5% and 0.9% respectively.

North Rocks's population is slightly older than the national pattern

North Rocks's median age is 41 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and slightly above Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, North Rocks has a notably higher proportion of residents aged 5-14 (15.3% locally) and a lower proportion of those aged 25-34 (8.4%). According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 15-24 increased from 11.2% to 12.9%, while the 55-64 age group decreased from 12.1% to 11.2%. By 2041, North Rocks's age profile is projected to change significantly. The 85+ cohort is expected to grow by 137%, adding 210 residents to reach a total of 365. Residents aged 65 and older are anticipated to represent 65% of the population growth, while declines are projected for the 25-34 and 0-4 age groups.