Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, the population of Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay is around 12,018 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 94 people (0.8%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,924 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 11,857 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 94 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 2,338 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which was essentially the sole driver of population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilizes the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. As we examine future population trends, a population increase just below the median of Australian statistical areas is expected, with the area expected to grow by 1,102 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, reflecting an increase of 7.8% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has experienced around 42 dwellings receiving development approval per year, totalling 213 homes over the past 5 financial years. So far in FY-26, 22 approvals have been recorded. With population declining over recent years, development activity has been adequate in relative terms, a positive for buyers, while new properties are constructed at an average value of $1,502,000, demonstrating a developer focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. Additionally, $443.4 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, demonstrating high levels of local commercial activity.

When measured against Greater Sydney, Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has slightly more development (20.0% above regional average per person over the 5 year period), balancing buyer choice with support for current property values, though development activity has moderated in recent periods. This activity is also below average nationally, reflecting the area's maturity and pointing to possible planning constraints. New development consists of 31.0% detached houses and 69.0% medium and high-density housing. This focus on higher-density living creates more affordable entry points and suits downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. This marks a significant departure from existing housing patterns (currently 46.0% houses), suggesting diminishing developable land availability and responding to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs. At around 527 people per approval, Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay indicates a mature market.

Population forecasts indicate Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay will gain 941 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 42 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Kincoppal-Rose Bay School Campus Masterplan, Wilberforce Avenue Car Park Redevelopment, 88-96 Newcastle Street Rose Bay, and Parsley Bay Pump Station, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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 in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay shows considerable strength compared to most other Australian regions

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.5%, and 3.1% estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 6,404 residents are in work, while the unemployment rate is 1.7% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation is somewhat below standard (65.7% compared to Greater Sydney's 70.2%). Based on Census responses, a high 57.7% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

Employment among residents is concentrated in professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance. The area demonstrates a particularly notable concentration in professional & technical, with employment levels at 1.6 times the regional average. Meanwhile, transport, postal & warehousing has a limited presence with 1.7% employment compared to 5.3% regionally. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited employment opportunities locally, as indicated by the count of the Census working population versus the resident population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 3.1% and the labour force increased by 3.2%, keeping the unemployment rate relatively stable. This contrasts with Greater Sydney, where employment rose by 2.2%, the labour force grew by 2.3%, and unemployment rose marginally. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.6% over five years and 14.9% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

As per AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released for FY-23, the Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay SA2's median income among taxpayers is $80,453, with an average of $207,015. This is among the top percentile nationally, and compares to Greater Sydney's median of $60,817 and average of $83,003. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $87,581 (median) and $225,357 (average) as of September 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, between the 97th and 99th percentiles nationally. The earnings profile shows the $4000+ bracket dominates with 45.5% of residents (5,468 people), diverging from the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 category predominates at 30.9%. The area demonstrates considerable affluence with 56.0% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. Housing accounts for 13.5% of income while strong earnings rank residents within the 99th percentile for disposable income and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure within Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 46.1% houses and 53.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay was well beyond that of Sydney metro, at 44.4%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (28.2%) or rented (27.4%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Sydney metro average at $4,195, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $713, compared to Sydney metro's $2,427 and $470. Nationally, Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially above the national figure of $375.

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 73.4% of all households, comprising 36.8% couples with children, 27.8% couples without children, and 8.4% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 26.6%, with lone person households at 24.1% and group households comprising 2.3% of the total. The median household size of 2.6 people is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Educational achievement in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Educational attainment in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 55.0% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in NSW. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 36.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.9%) and graduate diplomas (3.3%). Vocational pathways account for 17.6% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (9.8%) and certificates (7.8%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 32.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 10.7% in secondary education, 9.8% in primary education, and 7.2% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 135 active transport stops operating within Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, comprising a mix of ferry and buses. These stops are serviced by 41 individual routes, collectively providing 6,651 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 126 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 76%, with 9% walking. Vehicle ownership averages 1.3 per dwelling. A high 57.7% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 950 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 49 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map shows the 100 nearest stops to the location centrepoint.

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. There is a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups, and the rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 92% of the total population (11,116 people). This compares to 59.9% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 6.1 and 5.3% of residents, respectively, while 76.1% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. The area has 24.4% of residents aged 65 and over (2,934 people), which is higher than the 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay is more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 18.3% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 37.6% born overseas. The main religion in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay is Christianity, which makes up 42.9% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation is in Judaism, which comprises 23.2% of the population, substantially higher than the Greater Sydney average of 0.8%.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay are English, comprising 22.3% of the population, Australian, comprising 16.9% of the population, and Other, comprising 14.7% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: South Australian is notably overrepresented at 3.8% of Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay (vs 0.5% regionally), Polish at 2.3% (vs 0.6%) and Russian at 1.8% (vs 0.4%).

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

With a median age of 44, Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay notably exceeds the Greater Sydney figure of 37 and substantially exceeds the national norm of 38. The 75 - 84 age group shows strong representation at 9.3% compared to Greater Sydney, whereas the 25 - 34 cohort is less prevalent at 8.6%. Following the 2021 Census, the 75 to 84 age group has grown from 7.2% to 9.3% of the population, while the 15 to 24 cohort increased from 13.3% to 15.0%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 cohort has declined from 15.1% to 13.2%. Demographic modeling suggests the age profile of Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay will evolve significantly by 2041. Leading the demographic shift, the 85+ group will grow by 85% (433 people), reaching 945 from 511. The aging population dynamic is clear, with those 65+ comprising 80% of projected growth. Meanwhile, the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.