St Clair
Statistical Area - sa2

St Clair has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

St Clair's population was around 20,389 as of August 2025. This reflected an increase of 447 people from the 2021 Census figure of 19,942, inferred from ABS estimated resident population data in June 2024 and additional validated addresses since then. The population density was 2,831 persons per square kilometer, placing St Clair in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch's assessment. The area's 2.2% growth since the census compared favourably with the SA3 area at 4.3%. Natural growth contributed approximately 61.4% of overall population gains recently. Population projections for St Clair are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024, using 2022 as the base year, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections for areas not covered by this data, with growth rates applied to all areas until 2041.

Future trends indicate an overall population decline of 171 persons by 2041, but specific age cohorts are expected to grow, notably the 75 to 84 age group by 729 people.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in St Clair, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

St Clair has seen approximately 46 new homes approved each year. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, around 234 homes were approved, with an additional 25 approved so far in FY26. Despite a falling population during this period, the new supply of homes appears to have kept pace with demand, offering buyers good choice.

The average expected construction cost value for new dwellings is $312,000, which is below regional levels, indicating more affordable housing options for buyers. This financial year has seen around $2.3 million in commercial approvals registered, suggesting limited focus on commercial development in the area. Compared to Greater Sydney, St Clair records significantly lower building activity, with 51.0% fewer approvals per person than the regional average. This scarcity of new homes typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. Nationally, the area's building activity is also below average, which could reflect its maturity or possible planning constraints. In terms of housing types, St Clair shows a notable shift from its current housing stock (98.0% houses) to new approvals, with 79.0% detached houses and 21.0% medium and high-density housing.

This preserves the area's suburban nature while also introducing more diverse housing options. With around 478 people per dwelling approval, St Clair indicates a developed market. Population projections showing stability or decline suggest that St Clair should see reduced housing demand pressures in the future, which could benefit potential buyers.

St Clair 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 has identified six projects likely affecting the region. Major initiatives include the M12 Motorway, Mamre Road Upgrade - M4 to Erskine Park Road (Stage 1), Orchard Hills Switching Substation, and ESR Erskine Park Logistics Estate. Projects of highest relevance are detailed below.

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

AreaSearch assessment positions St Clair ahead of most Australian regions for employment performance

St Clair has a skilled workforce with manufacturing and industrial sectors well-represented. Its unemployment rate is 3.0%.

As of June 2025, 11,149 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.2% lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%. Workforce participation is similar to Greater Sydney's at 62.8%. Leading employment industries include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade. The area has a strong specialization in transport, postal & warehousing with an employment share of 1.9 times the regional level.

Conversely, professional & technical services have lower representation at 4.3% compared to the regional average of 11.5%. Residents may face limited local employment opportunities as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, St Clair's labour force decreased by 2.3%, with employment decreasing by 2.4%, leaving unemployment relatively unchanged. Meanwhile, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%. State-level data to Sep-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.41%, losing 19,270 jobs, with a state unemployment rate of 4.3%. This compares favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5% but lags behind national employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project overall growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with varying rates across industries. Applying these projections to St Clair's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.1% over five years and 12.7% over ten years.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows St Clair's median income among taxpayers is $56,872. The average income is $63,145. This is slightly below the national average. In Greater Sydney, the median income is $56,994 and the average is $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, current estimates for St Clair would be approximately $62,900 (median) and $69,838 (average) as of March 2025. According to the 2021 Census, incomes in St Clair cluster around the 64th percentile nationally. The predominant income cohort spans 38.6% of locals (7,870 people), falling within the $1,500 - 2,999 category, similar to regional levels where 30.9% occupy this bracket. High housing costs consume 16.0% of income. Despite this, disposable income ranks at the 70th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

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

St Clair's dwelling structure, assessed in the latest Census, consisted of 98.5% houses and 1.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Sydney metro's 81.7% houses and 18.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in St Clair was at 31.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 47.1% and rented ones at 21.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,167, above Sydney metro's average of $2,000. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $440, compared to Sydney metro's $390. Nationally, St Clair's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

St Clair features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 84.1% of all households, including 43.3% couples with children, 25.1% couples without children, and 14.8% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 15.9%, with lone person households at 14.2% and group households comprising 1.7%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.8.

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

The area's university qualification rate stands at 17.1%, significantly lower than Greater Sydney's average of 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common, at 12.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.3%) and graduate diplomas (1.1%). Vocational credentials are prevalent among residents aged 15+, with 37.6% holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (10.1%) and certificates (27.5%). Educational participation is high, with 29.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes primary education (10.9%), secondary education (8.4%), and tertiary education (4.0%). Six schools operate within St Clair, educating approximately 2,652 students. The area's ICSEA score is 981, indicating typical Australian school conditions with balanced educational opportunities. Education provision is balanced, with five primary schools and one secondary school serving distinct age groups.

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

St Clair has 86 active public transport stops, all serving buses. These stops are covered by 32 different routes that together offer 1,002 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated good, with residents typically located 204 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 143 daily trips across all routes, which equates to about 11 weekly trips per individual stop.

St Clair's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with prevalence of common health conditions quite low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Health data indicates relatively positive outcomes for St Clair residents.

The prevalence of common health conditions is quite low among the general population, although it is higher than the national average among older and at-risk cohorts. Approximately 51% of the total population (~10,439 people) has private health cover, slightly lagging behind the average SA2 area. The most common medical conditions in the area are asthma and arthritis, impacting 8.0 and 7.4% of residents respectively. Meanwhile, 70.7% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 69.7% across Greater Sydney. The area has 15.5% of residents aged 65 and over (3,152 people), which is higher than the 14.3% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges and require more attention than those of the broader population.

St Clair 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

St Clair has a higher cultural diversity compared to most local markets, with 28.3% of its population born overseas and 25.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in St Clair, making up 63.6% of people, compared to 60.9% across Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups are Australian (23.2%), English (20.4%), and Other (13.8%).

Notably, Maltese, Samoan, and Filipino ethnicities have different representations: Maltese at 3.2% in St Clair vs 2.6% regionally, Samoan at 1.8% vs 2.1%, and Filipino at 4.2% vs 4.5%.

St Clair's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

St Clair's median age is nearly 37 years old, close to Greater Sydney's average of 37 years. This is slightly lower than Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, St Clair has a higher proportion of residents aged 65-74 (10.2%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (12.6%). Between the 2021 Census and the present day, the population aged 15-24 has grown from 12.6% to 14.3%, while the 75-84 age group has increased from 2.8% to 4.3%. Conversely, the 55-64 age group has declined from 13.6% to 11.6%, and the 25-34 age group has dropped from 14.3% to 12.6%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests St Clair's age profile will change significantly. The 75-84 cohort is projected to grow by 73%, adding 638 residents to reach 1,513. Residents aged 65 and above are expected to drive 90% of population growth, indicating demographic aging trends. Meanwhile, the 55-64 and 15-24 age cohorts are projected to experience population declines.