Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay's population is 11,881 as of Aug 2025. This reflects a decrease since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,924 people. The change was inferred from ABS estimated resident population of 11,858 in June 2024 and an additional 81 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,311 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for areas not covered by this data, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Looking at population projections moving forward, the area is expected to increase by 1,102 persons to 2041 based on latest population numbers, recording a gain of 9.1% 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 averaged approximately 42 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25. A total of 213 homes were approved during this period, with an additional 12 approved in FY-26 as of now. Despite a decrease in population, housing supply has remained adequate relative to demand, resulting in a well-balanced market with good buyer choice.

The average expected construction cost value for new dwellings is $3,324,000, indicating that developers are targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties. This financial year has seen $443.4 million in commercial approvals, reflecting high levels of local commercial activity. Comparatively, Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has slightly more development than the Greater Sydney average on a per person basis over the past five years. However, development activity has moderated in recent periods, which is below the national average. This suggests that the area is well-established and may have potential planning limitations. The new development consists of 31.0% detached dwellings and 69.0% townhouses or apartments, marking a significant shift from existing housing patterns (currently 46.0% houses).

This trend indicates diminishing developable land availability and responds to evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs. With approximately 527 people per dwelling approval, Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay demonstrates a developed market. Future projections anticipate an increase of 1,078 residents by 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.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 41 projects likely impacting the area. Notable projects include Kew Hillcrest Rose Bay, Kincoppal-Rose Bay School Expansion, Atlas Rose Bay, and Everose Rose Bay - Luxury Apartments. The following list details those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis places Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay well above average for employment performance across multiple indicators

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented. The unemployment rate in the area is 2.5%, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.3%. As of June 2025, 6,554 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.7% below Greater Sydney's rate. Workforce participation is slightly below standard at 58.0%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance sectors.

The area shows a notable concentration in professional & technical jobs, with employment levels at 1.6 times the regional average. Transport, postal & warehousing has limited presence, with only 1.7% employment compared to the regional average of 5.3%. The predominantly residential area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities. Over a 12-month period, employment increased by 2.3%, while the labour force grew by 2.4%, keeping the unemployment rate relatively stable. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment rise by 2.6% and unemployment increase by 0.3 percentage points. State-level data to Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. National projections from Jobs and Skills Australia forecast national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.6% over five years and 14.9% over ten years.

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

Rose Bay-Vaucluse-Watsons Bay has an exceptionally high income level nationally according to latest ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers is $78,430 and the average income stands at $210,505. These figures compare to Greater Sydney's 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 $86,744 (median) and $232,819 (average) as of March 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 (5,405 people), diverging from the broader area where the $1,500 - 2,999 category predominates at 30.9%. A significant 56.0% earn above $3,000 weekly. 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

Rose Bay-Vaucluse-Watsons Bay dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 46.1% houses and 53.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Sydney metro's 18.3% houses and 81.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in the area was 44.4%, with mortgaged dwellings at 28.2% and rented ones at 27.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $4,195, above Sydney metro's average of $3,600. Median weekly rent was $713, compared to Sydney metro's $670. Nationally, these figures are significantly higher than the Australian averages of $1,863 for mortgage repayments and $375 for rents.

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

Family households comprise 73.4% of all households, including 36.8% couples with children, 27.8% couples without children, and 8.4% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 26.6%, with lone person households at 24.1% and group households comprising 2.3%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.3.

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 is significantly higher than broader benchmarks. 55.0% of residents aged 15+ hold university qualifications compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 36.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.9%) and graduate diplomas (3.3%). Vocational pathways account for 17.6% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 9.8% and certificates at 7.8%.

Educational participation is 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. There are 7 schools operating within the area, educating approximately 2,741 students. The schools demonstrate exceptional educational performance, with an ICSEA score of 1156, placing them among the most advantaged nationally. The educational mix includes 4 primary, 1 secondary, and 2 K-12 schools. School capacity exceeds typical residential needs, with 23.1 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 15.9, indicating that the area serves as an educational center for the broader region. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

Rose Bay, Vaucluse, and Watsons Bay have 104 active public transport stops. These include ferry and bus services. There are 41 individual routes serving these stops, providing a total of 4,117 weekly passenger trips.

The average distance from residents to the nearest transport stop is 126 meters. Across all routes, there are an average of 588 trips per day, equating to approximately 39 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay shows excellent health outcomes with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all ages. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 94% (11,156 people), compared to 89.7% in Greater Sydney and the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (6.1%) and asthma (5.3%), while 76.1% of residents report being completely clear of ailments, compared to 77.6% in Greater Sydney.

The area has 23.6% of residents aged 65 and over (2,800 people), higher than the 16.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are strong, broadly aligning with the general population's health profile.

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay 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

Rose Bay-Vaucluse-Watsons Bay, as of the 2016 Census, had a higher level of cultural diversity than most local areas with 18.3% of its population speaking languages other than English at home and 37.6% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Rose Bay-Vaucluse-Watsons Bay, making up 42.9% of people. However, there was a significant overrepresentation of Judaism compared to Greater Sydney, with 23.2% of the population identifying as Jewish, versus the regional average of 16.0%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (22.3%), Australian (16.9%), and Other (14.7%). Notably, South African ancestry was overrepresented at 3.8%, compared to 2.4% regionally; Polish ancestry was also higher at 2.3% versus 1.9%; Russian ancestry stood at 1.8% compared to the regional average of 1.6%.

Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay is 44, higher than Greater Sydney's figure of 37 and the national norm of 38. The 75-84 age group makes up 9.1% of the population compared to Greater Sydney, while the 25-34 cohort represents 8.8%. According to the 2021 Census, the 75-84 age group has grown from 7.2% to 9.1%, and the 15-24 cohort has increased from 13.3% to 14.8%. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort has declined from 15.1% to 13.7%. Demographic modeling indicates significant changes in Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay's age profile by 2041. The 85+ group is projected to grow by 105%, reaching 945 people from 460, with those aged 65 and above comprising 80% of the projected growth. Meanwhile, the 0-4 and 5-14 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.