Panania (South) - Picnic Point
Statistical Area - sa2

Panania (South) - Picnic Point has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Panania (South) - Picnic Point's population is 16,439 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 445 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 15,994. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 16,439 in June 2024 and additional 77 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,406 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Panania (South) - Picnic Point's growth rate of 2.8% since census positions it within 1.2 percentage points of the SA3 area's growth rate of 4.0%. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration contributing approximately 61.1% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends indicate an increase just below the median of national areas, with the area expected to expand by 1,259 persons to 2041 based on latest population numbers, reflecting a total increase of 7.6% over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Panania (South) - Picnic Point when compared nationally

Panania South's Picnic Point has averaged approximately 103 dwelling approvals annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) provides development approval data on a financial year basis, showing 517 homes approved over the past five years from FY20 to FY25, with an additional 12 approved in FY26. On average, around 0.8 people have moved to the area per dwelling built annually between FY20 and FY25.

This suggests that new supply is meeting or exceeding demand, providing ample buyer choices and capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts. The average construction cost of new properties is $532,000. Comparatively, Panania South's Picnic Point has slightly higher development activity than the Greater Sydney regional average, with 22% more dwelling approvals per person over the five-year period ending FY25. This preserves reasonable buyer options while sustaining existing property demand. New developments consist of 26% detached houses and 74% attached dwellings, indicating a shift towards denser development that caters to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers.

This trend differs from the area's current housing composition, which is predominantly houses (73%). This suggests decreasing availability of developable sites and reflects changing lifestyles and the need for diverse, affordable housing options. Panania South's Picnic Point has a population density of approximately 168 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low-density area. Population forecasts project an increase of 1,250 residents by 2041. Given current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering favourable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Panania (South) - Picnic Point 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 likely to affect the area. Key projects include Panania Library and Knowledge Centre, a three-storey mixed-use development at Tower Street comprising two commercial tenancies, 229 Tower Street Apartments, and NSW Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy Implementation. The following list details those most relevant.

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

The employment environment in Panania (South) - Picnic Point shows above-average strength when compared nationally

Panania South Picnic Point has a well-educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. As of June 2025, unemployment stands at 2.9%, with an estimated employment growth of 2.4% over the past year.

This is below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation matches Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Leading industries include education & training, health care & social assistance, and construction. Education & training has particularly notable concentration, with levels at 1.4 times the regional average.

However, professional & technical employs only 8.8% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 11.5%. Employment opportunities locally appear limited due to Census working population vs resident population count. In the year to June 2025, employment increased by 2.4%, labour force by 2.7%, leading to an unemployment rise of 0.3 percentage points. Greater Sydney recorded similar trends with slight variations in growth rates and unemployment changes. State-wide, NSW saw employment contract by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs) by Sep-25, with a state unemployment rate of 4.3%. National comparisons show NSW lagging behind national employment growth of 0.26% but having a lower unemployment rate of 4.3% compared to the national average of 4.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia's forecasts from May 2025 project national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Panania South Picnic Point's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.6%% over five years and 13.5% over ten years, although this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

In financial year 2022, Panania (South) - Picnic Point had a median income among taxpayers of $57,164 and an average level of $70,825. These figures were above the national average for that year. In Greater Sydney, the median income was $56,994 and the average was $80,856. By March 2025, estimated incomes would be approximately $63,223 (median) and $78,332 (average), based on a 10.6% growth in wages since financial year 2022. According to the 2021 Census, household, family, and personal incomes in Panania (South) - Picnic Point were at the 69th percentile nationally. The largest income segment comprised 28.2% of residents earning $1,500-$2,999 weekly. A substantial 34.3% earned over $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power in the community. High housing costs consumed 16.7% of income, but disposable income was at the 75th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 7th decile.

Panania (South) - Picnic Point is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Panania (South) - Picnic Point, as evaluated at the latest Census, consisted of 72.6% houses and 27.3% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. In contrast, Sydney metropolitan areas had 61.5% houses and 38.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Panania (South) - Picnic Point was 36.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 39.7% and rented ones at 24.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,695, exceeding Sydney's average of $2,240. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $480, compared to Sydney's $425. Nationally, Panania (South) - Picnic Point's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Panania (South) - Picnic Point features high concentrations of family households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 78.3% of all households, including 43.1% couples with children, 22.9% couples without children, and 11.3% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 21.7%, with lone person households at 20.0% and group households comprising 1.6%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 3.1.

Panania (South) - Picnic Point performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

In Panania (South) - Picnic Point, 28.6% of residents aged 15+ have university degrees, compared to Greater Sydney's 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 19.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.5%) and graduate diplomas (2.2%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 33.0% of residents holding them, including advanced diplomas (11.5%) and certificates (21.5%). Educational participation is high, with 29.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: primary (10.6%), secondary (8.6%), and tertiary (5.1%).

There are eight schools serving approximately 4,168 students in the area, which has typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 1036) with balanced educational opportunities. Five primary and three secondary schools serve distinct age groups, making it an education hub with 25.4 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 16.8.

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

Transport analysis shows 86 active stops operating in Panania (South) - Picnic Point, offering a mix of train and bus services. These are served by 39 individual routes, collectively facilitating 2,947 weekly passenger trips. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 150 meters to the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 421 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately 34 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Panania (South) - Picnic Point is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population and nearer the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Panania South - Picnic Point shows better-than-average health outcomes, with lower prevalence of common conditions among its general population compared to older, at-risk cohorts nationally. Around 9,041 people have private health cover, approximately 55%, higher than Greater Sydney's 48.6%.

The most frequent medical conditions are arthritis (7.5%) and asthma (6.8%). About 73.2% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 75.8% in Greater Sydney. Around 17.5% of residents are aged 65 or over (2,881 people), higher than Greater Sydney's 15.8%. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention despite being above average overall.

Panania (South) - Picnic Point 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

Panania (South) - Picnic Point has a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 27.6% of its population born overseas and 33.1% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Panania (South) - Picnic Point, making up 63.8% of the population, compared to 46.5% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups are Australian (19.8%, higher than the regional average of 14.1%), English (19.1%, higher than the regional average of 11.3%), and Other (11.5%, lower than the regional average of 20.1%).

Notably, Lebanese ethnicity is overrepresented at 5.6% compared to the regional average of 14.9%, Macedonian at 2.0% compared to 1.7%, and Greek at 5.2% compared to 3.4%.

Panania (South) - Picnic Point's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Panania (South) - Picnic Point is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. Locally, the 55-64 age cohort is notably over-represented at 11.9%, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 10.1%. Post-Census data from 2021 shows that the 15-24 age group has grown from 12.4% to 13.9% of the population, while the 25-34 cohort has declined from 11.0% to 10.1%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Panania (South) - Picnic Point, with the 75-84 age group expected to grow by 55%, reaching 1,466 people from 945. Residents aged 65 and older will represent 64% of this growth. Conversely, the 0-4 and 35-44 age cohorts are anticipated to experience population declines.