Riverstone

Riverstone lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Riverstone's population, as of November 2025, is approximately 21,209. This figure represents a growth of 7,365 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 13,844. The increase is inferred from ABS estimates: Riverstone's resident population was 18,860 in June 2024, with an additional 1,792 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 659 persons per square kilometer. Riverstone's growth rate of 53.2% since the 2021 census exceeds both the state (6.7%) and metropolitan area averages, positioning it as a growth leader in the region. Interstate migration contributed approximately 71.5% to 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 by this data, AreaSearch employs NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Future projections anticipate exceptional growth, placing Riverstone among the top 10 percent of statistical areas nationally. By 2041, the area is expected to increase by 34,283 persons, reflecting a total increase of 150.6% over the 17-year period, based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.

The level of residential development activity in Riverstone was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Riverstone has recorded approximately 465 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, a total of 2,326 homes were approved, with an additional 188 approved in FY-26 so far. Each year, on average, 3.3 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built during these five financial years.

This indicates substantial supply lagging behind demand, leading to heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures. The average value of new homes being built is $272,000, which is below regional norms, offering more affordable housing options. In FY-26, there have been $6.6 million in commercial approvals, reflecting the area's residential character. Compared to Greater Sydney, Riverstone has slightly more development, at 47.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period. This preserves reasonable buyer options while sustaining existing property demand.

However, building activity has slowed in recent years. Nationally, this activity is well above average, indicating strong developer confidence in the area. New development consists of 63.0% detached houses and 37.0% townhouses or apartments. This growing mix provides options across different price points, from family homes to more affordable compact living. This represents a notable shift from the area's existing housing composition, which is currently 96.0% houses. This shift may indicate decreasing availability of developable sites and reflects changing lifestyles and the need for more diverse, affordable housing options. With around 45 people per dwelling approval, Riverstone shows characteristics of a growth area. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Riverstone is projected to add 31,934 residents by 2041. At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to match population growth, potentially heightening buyer competition and supporting price increases.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 91 projects likely affecting the region. Notable initiatives include Riverstone Town Centre Rezoning, Riverstone Community Resource Hub and Aquatic Facility, New High School for Schofields and Tallawong, and Schofields Precinct Development. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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

Riverstone's workforce is highly educated with strong professional services representation. The unemployment rate was 3.2% as of September 2025.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 6.3%. As of that date, 11,023 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.0% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation in Riverstone was 66.6%, exceeding Greater Sydney's 60.0%. The dominant employment sectors among residents include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade.

Construction is particularly specialized, employing 1.4 times the regional level. However, professional & technical services employ only 8.0% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 11.5%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited, as indicated by the difference between Census working population and resident population counts. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 6.3%, while labour force grew by 5.6%, resulting in a 0.6 percentage point decrease in unemployment. In comparison, Greater Sydney recorded employment growth of 2.1% with unemployment rising slightly. State-level data from November 25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, losing 2,260 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project overall employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Riverstone's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.6% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for localized population projections.

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

The median income among taxpayers in Riverstone SA2 was $65,869 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $77,780 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Sydney's median and average incomes of $56,994 and $80,856 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61%, estimated median and average incomes for Riverstone SA2 as of September 2025 would be approximately $74,175 and $87,588. Census data shows that household, family, and personal incomes in Riverstone rank highly nationally, between the 75th and 81st percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 40.5% of locals (8,589 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly income category, which aligns with the metropolitan region where this cohort represents 30.9%. A substantial presence of higher earners is noted, with 30.8% exceeding $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power within the community. High housing costs consume 20.3% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 75th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

As per the latest Census evaluation in Riverstone, 96.5% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 3.5% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other dwelling types. In comparison, Sydney metropolitan area had 84.9% houses and 15.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Riverstone stood at 16.9%, with mortgaged dwellings at 48.5% and rented ones at 34.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,600, below the Sydney metro average of $2,700. The median weekly rent in Riverstone was $490, compared to $540 in Sydney metro. Nationally, Riverstone's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Riverstone features high concentrations of family households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 83.5% of all households, including 47.1% couples with children, 21.4% couples without children, and 13.4% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 16.5%, with lone person households at 13.9% and group households making up 2.7%. The median household size is 3.0 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 3.3.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 32.5%, significantly lower than the SA3 area average of 44.8%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 21.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (9.0%) and graduate diplomas (2.0%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 32.9% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (10.1%) and certificates (22.8%). Educational participation is high at 31.6%, comprising primary education (11.5%), secondary education (7.4%), and tertiary education (4.7%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 31.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.5% in primary education, 7.4% in secondary education, and 4.7% 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 shows there are 108 active transport stops in Riverstone, including both train and bus stops. These are serviced by 47 distinct routes, offering a total of 4,626 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is considered good, with residents generally being 226 meters away from the nearest transport stop.

On average, there are 660 trips per day across all routes, which translates to about 42 weekly trips per stop.

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

Riverstone's health outcomes show remarkable results, with younger age groups having notably low prevalence rates for common health conditions.

Approximately 59% of Riverstone's total population (12,470 people) have private health cover. The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 7.5% and 6.9% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 76.1%, reported being free from any medical ailments compared to Greater Sydney's 80.0%. Riverstone has a higher proportion of residents aged 65 and over at 7.4% (1,577 people), indicating a potential need for increased healthcare attention for this demographic.

Riverstone 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

Riverstone has a high cultural diversity, with 34.2% of its population born overseas and 33.8% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the main religion in Riverstone, comprising 51.6% of the population. Hinduism makes up 11.3%, which is lower than the Greater Sydney average of 20.2%.

The top three ancestry groups are Australian (21.6%), English (18.8%), and Other (17.0%). Notably, Filipino (4.5%) and Maltese (2.9%) are overrepresented compared to regional averages of 6.2% and 1.7%, respectively. However, Indian ancestry is underrepresented at 6.9%, compared to the regional average of 16.9%.

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

Riverstone's median age is 32 years, which is younger than Greater Sydney's average of 37 and significantly lower than Australia's national average of 38. Compared to Greater Sydney, Riverstone has a higher proportion of residents aged 35-44 (20.2%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (4.3%). This concentration of 35-44 year-olds is notably higher than the national average of 14.2%. According to post-2021 Census data, the proportion of residents aged 35 to 44 has grown from 17.0% to 20.2%, while those aged 5 to 14 increased from 14.3% to 16.4%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 25 to 34 has declined from 19.3% to 16.1%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Riverstone's age profile will change significantly, with the strongest projected growth in the 45 to 54 cohort at 298%, adding 7,203 residents to reach a total of 9,623.