Punchbowl
Statistical Area - sa2

Punchbowl has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Punchbowl's population, as of August 2025, is approximately 22,402. This figure represents a 4% increase from the 21,544 people recorded in the 2021 Census. The growth is attributed to an estimated resident population of 22,402 by June 2024 and 162 additional validated addresses since the census date. This results in a population density of 4,267 persons per square kilometer, placing Punchbowl among the top 10% of locations assessed nationwide. The area's growth rate is close to that of its SA3 region, indicating strong fundamentals. Overseas migration accounted for approximately 66.4% of overall population gains in recent periods.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a 2022 base year for each SA2 area, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a 2021 base year for areas not covered by the former data. Based on these projections, Punchbowl is expected to increase its population by approximately 9% over the next 17 years, reaching around 24,466 people by 2041.

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

Punchbowl averaged approximately 74 new dwelling approvals annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25372 homes were approved, with an additional 23 approved in FY26 so far. Each year, on average, 0.4 new residents arrived per new home over these five years.

This pace of construction has kept up with or exceeded demand, providing more options for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections. The average expected construction cost value of new properties was $368,000, below the regional average, suggesting more affordable housing options. In FY26, $36.5 million in commercial approvals have been registered, indicating robust local business investment. Compared to Greater Sydney, Punchbowl has slightly more development activity, with 22.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period. This maintains good buyer choice while supporting existing property values.

However, this activity is lower than the national average, reflecting market maturity and possible development constraints. The new building activity in Punchbowl shows a split of approximately 49.0% detached dwellings and 51.0% townhouses or apartments. This skew towards compact living offers affordable entry pathways and attracts downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. The market indicates maturity with around 374 people per approval. Looking ahead, Punchbowl is projected to grow by 2,038 residents by the year 2041. Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Punchbowl 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 identified 30 projects likely affecting the area. Notable ones include Sydney Metro City and Southwest - Punchbowl Station Upgrade, Club Punchbowl Redevelopment, 1552 Canterbury Road Punchbowl Apartments, and Punchbowl Public School Upgrade. The following list details those most relevant.

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

Employment drivers in Punchbowl are experiencing difficulties, placing it among the bottom 20% of areas assessed across Australia

Punchbowl's workforce is skilled with diverse industry representation. The unemployment rate was 8.6% in June 2025, showing a 2.4% employment growth over the previous year.

As of that date, 9,168 residents were employed while the unemployment rate stood at 4.4%, which is 0.2 percentage points higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation was significantly lower in Punchbowl at 42.8% compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. The leading employment industries among residents were health care & social assistance, retail trade, and transport, postal & warehousing. The area had a notable concentration in transport, postal & warehousing with employment levels at 1.9 times the regional average.

However, professional & technical services had limited presence with only 6.0% of employment compared to the regional average of 11.5%. Over the year to June 2025, employment increased by 2.4% while labour force grew by 2.5%, resulting in a slight rise in unemployment by 0.1 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%, with a larger increase in unemployment by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data for NSW as of Sep-25 showed employment had contracted by 0.41% (losing 19,270 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. This compared favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%, but lagged behind the national employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 projected a 6.6% expansion over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Punchbowl's employment mix suggested local growth of approximately 6.3% over five years and 13.1% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes and do not account for localised population projections.

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

Punchbowl's median income among taxpayers was $41,004 and average income stood at $52,001 in financial year 2022. This compares to Greater Sydney's figures of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $45,350 (median) and $57,513 (average) as of March 2025. According to 2021 Census figures, individual incomes were at the 4th percentile ($504 weekly), while household income was at the 27th percentile. The predominant income cohort in Punchbowl spans 30.8% of locals (6,899 people) with incomes in the $1,500 - 2,999 category. This pattern is similar to the surrounding region where 30.9% occupy this range. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 78.5% of income remaining, ranking at the 21st percentile.

Punchbowl displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

At the most recent Census evaluation in Punchbowl, 58.3% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 41.8% consisting of semi-detached homes, apartments, and other types of dwellings. In comparison, Sydney metropolitan area had 48.7% houses and 51.3% other dwellings. Home ownership in Punchbowl was similar to that of Sydney metro, at 28.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 31.1% and rented ones at 40.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,026, below Sydney metro's average of $2,167. Weekly rent median stood at $380 in Punchbowl, compared to Sydney metro's $390. Nationally, Punchbowl's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

Punchbowl features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 76.4% of all households, including 43.3% couples with children, 16.1% couples without children, and 15.0% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 23.6%, with lone person households at 19.6% and group households comprising 4.1%. The median household size is 3.2 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.9.

Educational outcomes in Punchbowl fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area has lower university qualification rates at 23.9%, significantly below the Greater Sydney average of 38.0%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 16.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.1%) and graduate diplomas (1.2%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 26.5% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (10.7%) and certificates (15.8%).

Educational participation is high at 36.2%, including primary education (11.3%), secondary education (9.6%), and tertiary education (7.2%). Punchbowl's four schools have a combined enrollment of 2,325 students, operating under typical Australian school conditions with balanced educational opportunities. The educational mix includes two 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

Punchbowl has 112 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 19 different routes that together facilitate 6,533 weekly passenger trips. The average distance from a resident's location to the nearest transport stop is 145 meters.

On average, there are 933 daily trips across all routes, equating to about 58 weekly trips per individual stop.

Punchbowl's residents are extremely healthy with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Punchbowl, with younger cohorts seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is extremely low at approximately 46% of the total population (10,349 people), compared to 49.6% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are diabetes and arthritis, impacting 6.0 and 5.7% of residents respectively, while 77.0% declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 77.7% across Greater Sydney.

The area has 14.5% of residents aged 65 and over (3,246 people), which is lower than the 15.8% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, requiring more attention than the broader population.

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

Punchbowl has a population where 51.1% were born overseas, with 75.1% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Punchbowl, practiced by 41.6%. However, Islam is notably overrepresented at 41.1%, exceeding Greater Sydney's average of 24.7%.

The top three ancestry groups are 'Other' (29.2%), Lebanese (24.1%), and Australian (11.3%). Other ethnic groups with notable divergences include Vietnamese at 6.2% compared to the regional average of 3.7%, Greek at 4.2% versus 8.7%, and Samoan at 0.8% against 0.4%.

Punchbowl's young demographic places it in the bottom 15% of areas nationwide

Punchbowl's median age is 33, which is younger than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's national median age of 38. Compared to Greater Sydney, Punchbowl has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (16.1%) but fewer residents aged 35-44 (12.6%). Between the 2021 Census and present day, the population share of those aged 15-24 has increased from 14.7% to 16.1%, while the share of those aged 5-14 has decreased from 14.3% to 13.0%. By 2041, Punchbowl's population is projected to see significant demographic shifts. The 75-84 age group is expected to grow by 65%, adding 662 residents to reach a total of 1,680. This growth contributes to the overall aging trend, with residents aged 65 and older representing 60% of the projected population increase. Meanwhile, the 25-34 and 0-4 age groups are anticipated to experience population declines.