Rhodes

Population growth drivers in Rhodes are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

Rhodes's population is 13,785 as of November 2025. This shows an increase of 2,332 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 11,453. The growth is inferred from ABS estimated resident population figures: 12,518 in June 2024 and an additional 653 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 13,648 persons per square kilometer, placing Rhodes in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's 20.4% growth from 2021 to November 2025 exceeds both its SA3 area (5.9%) and SA4 region, indicating significant growth. Overseas migration contributed approximately 79.3% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are used, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Future population trends forecast a significant increase in Rhodes' top quartile statistical area, with an expected growth of 3,699 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 17.6% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Rhodes among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Rhodes has received approximately 214 dwelling approvals per year over the past five financial years, totalling 1071 homes. No dwelling approvals have been recorded so far in FY26. On average, 0.2 people moved to the area each year for every dwelling built between FY21 and FY25, indicating that supply has met or exceeded demand. The average construction value of new properties was $522,000.

In FY26, commercial approvals totalled $28.8 million, demonstrating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Sydney, Rhodes had 178.0% more construction activity per person as of FY25. New developments consisted of 1.0% detached houses and 99.0% townhouses or apartments, reflecting a preference for compact living that caters to affordability and attracts downsizers, investors, and first-time purchasers. With approximately 3075 people per dwelling approval, Rhodes indicates a highly mature market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, Rhodes is projected to grow by 2432 residents by 2041. Given current development patterns, new housing supply should meet demand, providing favourable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Looking ahead, Rhodes is expected to grow by 2,432 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). 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.

Rhodes has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 14 projects that may impact this region. Notable ones are Marquet and Mary, Rhodes Bay, Harmony - Rhodes Central East, and Rhodes East Mixed-Use Development. The following details the most relevant projects:.

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.

The labour market strength in Rhodes positions it well ahead of most Australian regions

Rhodes has a highly educated workforce with significant representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 2.3% as of an unspecified date.

Over the past year ending June 2025, employment grew by an estimated 3.9%. As of June 2025, 8,590 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.9%, which is below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation in Rhodes was 69.5%, higher than Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical (1.6 times the regional level), finance & insurance, and health care & social assistance sectors.

Education & training shows lower representation at 5.9% compared to the regional average of 8.9%. The worker-to-resident ratio was 0.8 as at the Census. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 3.9%, labour force increased by 4.3%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.4 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%, with a 0.3 percentage point rise in unemployment. State-level data for NSW as at Nov-25 shows employment contracted by 0.03% (losing 2,260 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. National unemployment was 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that over five years, employment should increase by 7.4%, and over ten years, it should increase by 14.7% in Rhodes, based on a simple weighting extrapolation of industry-specific projections.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

Rhodes SA2 has a high national income level, according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers is $55,745 and the average income stands at $75,667. These figures compare to Greater Sydney's of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Rhodes SA2 would be approximately $62,774 (median) and $85,209 (average) as of September 2025. Census data shows household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Rhodes, between the 77th and 86th percentiles nationally. Income distribution reveals that 36.2% of the population (4,990 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, consistent with broader trends across regional levels showing 30.9% in the same category. A substantial proportion of high earners (31.3% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity throughout Rhodes. High housing costs consume 23.1% of income, yet strong earnings place disposable income at the 65th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Rhodes features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

In Rhodes, as per the latest Census evaluation, dwelling structures comprised 3.2% houses and 96.8% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 37.8% houses and 62.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Rhodes was at 10.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 28.4% and rented ones at 60.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,500, below Sydney metro's average of $3,000. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $560, matching Sydney metro's figure. Nationally, Rhodes's median monthly mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Rhodes features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 64.9% of all households, including 21.2% couples with children, 35.6% couples without children, and 6.2% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 35.1%, with lone person households at 25.7% and group households comprising 9.3% of the total. The median household size is 2.2 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.5.

Rhodes performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

Rhodes has a notably high educational attainment among its residents aged 15 and above, with 67.7% holding university qualifications. This figure exceeds the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%. The area's educational advantage is evident in the distribution of qualifications: bachelor degrees lead at 39.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 25.9%, and graduate diplomas at 2.5%. Vocational pathways account for 15.3% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas making up 9.5% and certificates 5.8%.

Educational participation is high in Rhodes, with 27.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.1% in tertiary education, 4.5% in primary education, and 2.1% pursuing secondary education.

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

Rhodes has 28 active public transport stops, offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 14 different routes, collectively facilitating 7,455 weekly passenger trips. The transport system is rated excellent for accessibility, with residents located an average of 128 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 1,065 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 266 weekly trips per individual stop.

Rhodes's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Rhodes' health outcomes show exceptional results across all age groups, with very low prevalence of common health conditions. As of approximately mid-2021, about 57% (~7,871 people) had private health cover, compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%.

The most prevalent medical conditions were asthma (3.6%) and mental health issues (3.3%), with 88.0% of residents reporting no medical ailments, compared to 76.3% in Greater Sydney. As of mid-2021, about 7.8% (~1,069 people) were aged 65 and over, lower than Greater Sydney's 18.4%. Senior health outcomes align with the general population's profile.

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

Rhodes has a high level of cultural diversity, with 77.9% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 75.4% born overseas. Christianity is the main religion in Rhodes, comprising 26.7% of the population. However, Buddhism is overrepresented in Rhodes at 7.0%, compared to 3.2% across Greater Sydney.

The top three ancestry groups in Rhodes are Chinese (39.7%), Other (16.2%), and Korean (10.6%). These percentages are substantially higher than the regional averages of 12.7%, 14.5%, and 2.7% respectively. Additionally, Indian (6.8%), Vietnamese (1.8%), and Filipino (2.4%) ethnic groups are notably overrepresented in Rhodes compared to their respective regional averages of 2.6%, 1.1%, and 1.3%.

Rhodes hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Rhodes has a median age of 33, which is younger than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and Australia's national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Rhodes has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (33.4%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (5.3%). This concentration of 25-34 year-olds is significantly higher than the national figure of 14.5%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, residents have aged by an average of 1.3 years, with the median age rising from 32 to 33. Notably, the proportion of residents aged 15-24 has increased from 10.0% to 12.2%, while those aged 45-54 have risen from 6.5% to 8.3%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 25-34 has decreased from 37.7% to 33.4%, and those aged 0-4 have dropped from 7.0% to 5.6%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests that Rhodes's age profile will change significantly. The 25-34 age cohort is projected to increase by 731 people (16%), rising from 4,598 to 5,330. However, population declines are projected for the 0-4 and 35-44 age cohorts.