Prestons
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Preston's population is approximately 15,996 as of August 2025. This represents an increase of 304 individuals (1.9%) from the 2021 Census figure of 15,692 people. The change is inferred from ABS estimated resident population data of 15,604 in June 2024 and validated new addresses totalling 253 since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,733 persons per square kilometre, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 66.7% of overall population gains recently.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections from 2022 using 2021 as the base year are utilised. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future population projections indicate a lower quartile growth trend nationally, with Preston expected to increase by 93 persons to 2041 based on current numbers, reflecting a reduction of 2.3% over the 17-year period.

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

Prestons has averaged approximately 31 new dwelling approvals annually. Development approval data is provided by the ABS on a financial year basis, with 156 homes approved over the past five financial years from FY21 to FY25, and four approvals so far in FY26. Despite population decline, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a well-balanced market with good buyer choice. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost of $345,000, below regional norms, offering more affordable housing options for purchasers.

In FY26, $1.0 million worth of commercial approvals have been registered, indicating minimal commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Sydney, Prestons has significantly less development activity, 74.0% below the regional average per person. This scarcity typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties, although development activity has increased recently. Prestons is also under the national average for development activity, suggesting its established nature and potential planning limitations. New development consists of 86.0% detached dwellings and 14.0% townhouses or apartments, sustaining the area's suburban identity with a concentration of family homes suited to buyers seeking space.

The location has approximately 321 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. With stable or declining population forecasts, Prestons may experience less housing pressure in the future, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Prestons has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 31 projects likely impacting the area. Notable projects include Prestons Grove Estate, Prestons Industrial Estate, M5 Motorway Westbound Upgrade, and 44 Manildra Street Residential Development Site. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Prestons ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Prestons has a skilled workforce with essential services sectors well represented. The unemployment rate in Prestons is 2.6%, with an estimated employment growth of 5.1% over the past year as of June 2025.

In this month, 9,163 residents were employed at a rate of 1.6% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation in Prestons is similar to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment among residents is concentrated in health care & social assistance, retail trade, and transport, postal & warehousing, with notable concentration in the latter at 1.9 times the regional average. Professional & technical services have limited presence with 6.4% employment compared to 11.5% regionally.

The ratio of 0.8 workers per resident indicates a level of local employment opportunities above the norm. Over the 12 months to June 2025, employment increased by 5.1% while labour force increased by 5.0%, causing the unemployment rate to fall by 0.2 percentage points in Prestons. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment rise by 2.6%, labour force grow by 2.9%, and unemployment rise by 0.3 percentage points during this period. State-level data from Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. National unemployment was at 4.5%, with national employment growth of 0.26% during this period. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 suggest potential future demand within Prestons. Applying these industry-specific projections to Prestons's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.3%% over five years and 13.2% over ten years, though these are simple weighting extrapolations for illustrative purposes and do not account for localised population projections.

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

Preston's median income among taxpayers was $48,609 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $57,150 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Sydney's median and average incomes of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. By March 2025, estimates based on a 10.6% Wage Price Index growth suggest Preston's median income could be approximately $53,762 and the average around $63,208. Census data indicates that household incomes rank at the 84th percentile ($2,309 weekly), while personal incomes rank lower at the 40th percentile. The earnings profile shows that 37.4% of residents (5,982 people) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income bracket, reflecting broader area patterns where 30.9% occupy this range. Notably, 32.9% earn above $3,000 weekly, suggesting prosperous pockets driving local economic activity. High housing costs consume 16.8% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 82nd percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

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

The dwelling structure in Prestons, as assessed at the latest Census, consisted of 92.5% houses and 7.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasted with Sydney metro's figures of 63.3% houses and 36.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Prestons stood at 24.2%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (57.1%) or rented (18.7%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in Prestons was $2,200, exceeding Sydney metro's average of $2,167. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent figure for Prestons was $520, compared to Sydney metro's $400. Nationally, Prestons' mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 90.1% of all households, including 59.9% couples with children, 15.5% couples without children, and 13.9% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 9.9%, with lone person households at 8.8% and group households comprising 1.2% of the total. The median household size is 3.6 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 3.0.

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

The area faces educational challenges, with university qualification rates at 24.8%, substantially below the Greater Sydney average of 38.0%. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees lead at 18.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.4%) and graduate diplomas (1.3%). Trade and technical skills feature prominently, with 30.6% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (11.7%) and certificates (18.9%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 36.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.8% in primary education, 11.7% in secondary education, and 7.2% pursuing tertiary education. Prestons's 5 schools have combined enrollment reaching 5,700 students while Prestons demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1051). The educational mix includes 3 primary, 2 K-12 schools. The area functions as an education hub with 35.6 school places per 100 residents – significantly above the regional average of 16.7 – attracting students from surrounding communities.

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

Prestons has 85 active public transport stops operating within its boundaries. All of these stops service buses only. They are served by a total of 67 different routes, which together facilitate 2,955 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility to public transport in Prestons is rated as excellent, with residents on average located just 152 meters from the nearest transport stop. On an average day across all routes, there are 422 trips, leading to approximately 34 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Health outcomes data shows excellent results in Prestons, particularly among younger cohorts who have a very low prevalence of common health conditions. As of approximately February 2021, about 48% (~7,726 people) of the total population had private health cover, compared to 50.4% across Greater Sydney and the national average of 55.3%. In Prestons, diabetes and asthma were found to be the most common medical conditions, affecting 5.9% and 5.7% of residents respectively, as of February 2021.

Around 78.0% declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 76.4% across Greater Sydney during the same period. As of February 2021, approximately 12.1% of Prestons' residents were aged 65 and over (1,930 people).

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

Preston has a high level of cultural diversity, with 44.9% of its population born overseas and 58.5% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Preston, comprising 49.0% of the population. However, Islam is notably overrepresented, making up 23.1% compared to the Greater Sydney average of 17.4%.

The top three ancestry groups are Other (31.5%), Australian (12.2%), and English (8.9%). Some ethnic groups have notable differences in representation: Serbian at 1.9% (vs regional 2.4%), Spanish at 1.2% (vs regional 0.8%), and Lebanese at 5.4% (vs regional 5.2%).

Prestons hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

Preston's median age is 34 years, which is lower than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Preston has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (18.6%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (11.1%). This concentration of 15-24 year-olds is above the national average of 12.5%. Between the 2021 Census and present, the proportion of Preston's population aged 15 to 24 has increased from 16.7% to 18.6%, while the proportion of those aged 65 to 74 has risen from 5.5% to 6.9%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 5 to 14 has decreased from 16.6% to 14.4%, and the proportion of those aged 35 to 44 has dropped from 13.8% to 12.7%. Population forecasts for 2041 suggest significant demographic changes in Preston, with the strongest projected growth in the 75 to 84 age cohort (136%), adding 807 residents to reach a total of 1,399. Residents aged 65 and above are expected to drive 89% of population growth, highlighting trends towards demographic aging. Conversely, population declines are projected for the 0 to 4 and 25 to 34 age cohorts.