Oatlands - Dundas Valley

Population growth drivers in Oatlands - Dundas Valley are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Oatlands - Dundas Valley's population is around 20,476 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,968 people (10.6%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 18,508 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 19,270 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 83 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 3,367 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Oatlands - Dundas Valley's 10.6% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the state (7.8%) and Greater Sydney, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 81.6% 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. As we examine future population trends, a significant population increase in the top quartile of Australian statistical areas is forecast, with the area expected to grow by 5,265 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 19.8% in total over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Oatlands - Dundas Valley when compared nationally

Oatlands - Dundas Valley has seen around 124 new homes approved each year, with 623 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 273 so far in FY-26. At an average of just 0.1 new residents per year arriving per new home over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), new supply is keeping pace with or exceeding demand, offering ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts, while new dwellings are developed at an average construction cost of $434,000—moderately above regional levels—indicating an emphasis on quality construction. Additionally, $7.2 million in commercial approvals have been registered this financial year, indicating a limited commercial development focus.

Relative to Greater Sydney, Oatlands - Dundas Valley records about 64% of the building activity per person and ranks in the 72nd percentile of areas assessed nationally. New building activity consists of 28.0% detached houses and 72.0% medium and high-density housing. This trend toward denser development provides accessible entry options and appeals to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. This represents a notable shift from the area's existing housing (currently 52.0% houses), indicating decreasing availability of developable sites and reflecting changing lifestyles and the need for more diverse, affordable housing options. With around 182 people per dwelling approval, Oatlands - Dundas Valley shows characteristics of a growth area.

Population forecasts indicate Oatlands - Dundas Valley will gain 4,059 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Development is keeping a reasonable pace with projected growth, though buyers may face increasing competition as the population expands.

Oatlands - Dundas Valley has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 24 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include 25 Station Street Childcare Facility, 47-71 Stewart Street Development, Telopea Renewal Project, and 18-22 Sophie Street Telopea, 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.

AreaSearch analysis indicates Oatlands - Dundas Valley maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

Oatlands - Dundas Valley possesses a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of only 3.9%, and 4.5% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 10,710 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 0.3% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation is on par with Greater Sydney's 70.2%. Based on Census responses, a high 47.2% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Leading employment industries among residents comprise health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. Conversely, finance & insurance shows lower representation at 5.7% versus the regional average of 7.3%. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 4.5% and labour force increased by 4.3%, causing the unemployment rate to fall by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.2% and labour force growth of 2.3%, with a marginal rise. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Oatlands - Dundas Valley. 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 Oatlands - Dundas Valley's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.1% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

The economic profile demonstrates above-average performance, with income metrics exceeding national benchmarks based on AreaSearch comparative assessment

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for FY-23 reveals that income in the Oatlands - Dundas Valley SA2 is above the national average, with the median assessed at $55,318 while the average income stands at $71,516. This contrasts to Greater Sydney's figures of a median income of $60,817 and an average income of $83,003. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $60,219 (median) and $77,852 (average) as of September 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, household, family and personal incomes all rank modestly in Oatlands - Dundas Valley, between the 40th and 55th percentiles. Distribution data shows the predominant cohort spans 30.1% of locals (6,163 people) in the $1,500 - 2,999 category, reflecting patterns seen in the broader area where 30.9% similarly occupy this range. High housing costs consume 20.2% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 50th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Oatlands - Dundas Valley displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure within Oatlands - Dundas Valley, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 51.8% houses and 48.3% 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 Oatlands - Dundas Valley slightly lagged that of Sydney metro, at 27.0%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (35.3%) or rented (37.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was above the Sydney metro average at $2,600, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $420, compared to Sydney metro's $2,427 and $470. Nationally, Oatlands - Dundas Valley's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Oatlands - Dundas Valley has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 74.1% of all households, comprising 40.2% couples with children, 20.7% couples without children, and 12.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 25.9%, with lone person households at 23.1% and group households comprising 2.8% of the total. The median household size of 2.8 people is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

The educational profile of Oatlands - Dundas Valley exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Educational attainment in Oatlands - Dundas Valley significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 40.5% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in NSW. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 26.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (11.6%) and graduate diplomas (2.2%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 25.6% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials, including advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (14.8%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 31.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.3% in primary education, 8.2% in secondary education, and 6.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 100 active transport stops operating within Oatlands - Dundas Valley, comprising a mix of light rail and buses. These stops are serviced by 36 individual routes, collectively providing 4,197 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 179 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 85%, with 7% by train. Vehicle ownership averages 1.3 per dwelling. A high 47.2% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 599 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 41 weekly trips per individual stop.

Oatlands - Dundas Valley's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across Oatlands - Dundas Valley, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Younger cohorts in particular see very low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is fairly high at approximately 55% of the total population (~11,241 people), compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and mental health issues, impacting 5.8% and 5.8% of residents, respectively, while 75.6% 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 17.6% of residents aged 65 and over (3,607 people), which is higher than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, though they rank lower nationally than the broader population.

Oatlands - Dundas Valley is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Oatlands - Dundas Valley scores highly on cultural diversity, with 48.2% of its population born overseas and 55.1% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in Oatlands - Dundas Valley is Christianity, which makes up 53.9% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Buddhism, which comprises 4.5% of the population, compared to 4.1% across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Oatlands - Dundas Valley are Chinese, comprising 22.0% of the population, which is substantially higher than the regional average of 8.4%, Australian, comprising 13.8% of the population, and Other, comprising 13.2% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Korean is notably overrepresented at 7.3% of Oatlands - Dundas Valley (vs 1.1% regionally), Lebanese at 6.7% (vs 2.6%) and Russian at 0.4% (vs 0.4%).

Oatlands - Dundas Valley's population is slightly older than the national pattern

With a median age of 40, Oatlands - Dundas Valley is somewhat higher than the Greater Sydney figure of 37 and similarly marginally higher than Australia's 38 years. Compared to the Greater Sydney average, the 55 - 64 cohort is notably over-represented (12.8% locally), while 25 - 34 year-olds are under-represented (10.7%). In the period since 2021, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 11.6% to 13.2% of the population, while the 65 to 74 cohort increased from 8.8% to 10.2%. Conversely, the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 11.7% to 10.7%. Demographic modeling suggests Oatlands - Dundas Valley's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 75 to 84 age cohort is projected to grow significantly, expanding by 783 people (76%) from 1,031 to 1,815. Meanwhile, the 0 to 4 cohort grows by a modest 6% (62 people).