Wahroonga (West) - Waitara

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's population is around 12,585 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 708 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,877 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 12,513 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 165 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 5,964 persons per square kilometer. Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's growth rate of 6.0% since the 2021 census exceeded both the SA3 area (4.3%) and the SA4 region. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, AreaSearch uses 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. By 2041, the area is projected to expand by 2,705 persons, reflecting an increase of 20.9% over the 17 years.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Wahroonga (West) - Waitara recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Wahroonga West-Waitara has seen approximately 23 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25115 homes were approved, and by FY26173 have been approved so far. This translates to an average of 7.7 people moving to the area per dwelling built over these five years.

Demand significantly outstrips supply, which typically influences prices upwards and intensifies competition among buyers. The average expected construction cost value for new homes is $463,000, slightly above the regional average, suggesting a focus on quality developments. In FY26 alone, $32.7 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating robust commercial development momentum. Comparatively, Wahroonga West-Waitara has around three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per person compared to Greater Sydney and ranks among the 20th percentile nationally for residential density, leading to relatively constrained buyer choice.

This activity is also lower than the national average, reflecting market maturity and possible development constraints. New building activity shows a mix of housing types: 55.0% detached houses and 45.0% medium and high-density housing. This expanding range of medium-density options caters to various price brackets, from traditional family housing to more affordable compact alternatives. Interestingly, developers are constructing more traditional houses than the current mix suggests (27.0% at Census), indicating strong demand for family homes despite density pressures. Wahroonga West-Waitara reflects a highly mature market with around 849 people per dwelling approval. Population forecasts indicate that by 2041, the area will gain approximately 2,633 residents. At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to keep pace with population growth, potentially exacerbating buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 13 projects likely impacting the area. Notable ones include Eastwood Gardens (Waitara), Hornsby Park, The Residences at Wahroonga Estate, and Twin Towers Hornsby. Below is a list detailing those most relevant.

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AreaSearch assessment indicates Wahroonga (West) - Waitara faces employment challenges relative to the majority of Australian markets

Wahroonga West - Waitara has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. As of September 2025, its unemployment rate is 6.8%.

In this period, 6,235 residents are employed while the area's unemployment rate is 2.7% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation is similar to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Residents' employment is concentrated in professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance sectors. The area specializes in professional & technical jobs with an employment share 1.6 times the regional level, but construction shows lower representation at 3.9% compared to the regional average of 8.6%. Over the year ending September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.6%, while employment declined by 1.1%, raising the unemployment rate by 1.6 percentage points.

Meanwhile, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.1% and labour force growth of 2.4%. As of 25-November NSW, employment contracted by 0.03%, with a state unemployment rate of 3.9%, favourably comparing to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's projections from May-25 indicate national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but industry-specific growth rates vary significantly. Applying these projections to Wahroonga West - Waitara's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.7% over five years and 15.4% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not consider localized population projections.

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

AreaSearch released postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022. Wahroonga (West) - Waitara SA2 had a median income of $59,594 and an average of $86,850 among taxpayers. Nationally, these figures are high compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022, current estimates for September 2025 would be approximately $67,109 (median) and $97,802 (average). Census 2021 data shows incomes in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara rank highly nationally, between the 75th and 77th percentiles. Income analysis reveals that 32.8% of residents earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, mirroring the metropolitan region's 30.9%. A substantial proportion, 32.5%, earn above $3,000 weekly, indicating strong economic capacity. High housing costs consume 18.4% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 72nd percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Dwelling structure in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara, as per the latest Census, consisted of 27.1% houses and 72.9% other dwellings. In comparison, Sydney metro had 61.4% houses and 38.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara was at 23.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 33.4% and rented ones at 43.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,380, below Sydney metro's $2,500. Median weekly rent in the area was $490, compared to Sydney metro's $480. Nationally, Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 72.2% of all households, including 38.7% couples with children, 22.5% couples without children, and 9.7% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 27.8%, with lone person households at 25.5% and group households comprising 2.2%. The median household size is 2.5 people, smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Educational attainment in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara is notably high, with 58.1% of residents aged 15 years and above holding university qualifications, compared to the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%. This indicates a significant educational advantage for the area. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 34.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 19.9% and graduate diplomas at 3.6%. Vocational pathways account for 19.4% of qualifications among those aged 15 years and above, with advanced diplomas making up 10.5% and certificates 8.9%.

Educational participation is notably high, with 30.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.5% in primary education, 5.7% in secondary education, and 5.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Wahroonga West-Waitara has 40 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 46 different routes, facilitating 4,231 weekly passenger trips in total. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 155 meters to the nearest stop.

The service frequency is 604 trips per day across all routes, resulting in approximately 105 weekly trips per individual stop.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data shows excellent results for Wahroonga (West) - Waitara area, with younger cohorts experiencing low prevalence of common health conditions. Private health cover rate is notably high at approximately 64% of the total population of 8029 people, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.8%. Nationally, this figure stands at 55.3%.

Mental health issues and arthritis are the most prevalent medical conditions in the area, affecting 5.5% and 5.3% of residents respectively. A total of 77.0% of residents report being completely free from medical ailments, compared to Greater Sydney's 74.0%. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 19.6%, or 2470 people, than Greater Sydney's 17.1%. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Wahroonga West-Waitara is among the most culturally diverse areas in Australia, with 57.7% of its population speaking a language other than English at home as of the 2016 Census. Additionally, 59.4% of the population was born overseas during this period. The dominant religion in Wahroonga West-Waitara is Christianity, comprising 37.4% of the population.

However, Hinduism is notably overrepresented, making up 15.4% of the population compared to the Greater Sydney average of 7.3%. Regarding ancestry, the top three represented groups are Chinese (20.6%), Other (16.5%), and English (14.5%). Notably, Chinese representation is higher than the regional average of 11.6%, while English is lower at 14.5% compared to the regional average of 21.7%. There are also notable divergences in other ethnic groups: Korean is overrepresented at 3.6% versus the regional average of 2.0%, Indian at 10.9% versus 4.7%, and Russian at 0.7% versus 0.6%.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

The median age in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, the 35-44 cohort is over-represented at 20.3% locally, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 11.6%. This concentration in the 35-44 age group is well above the national average of 14.2%. Post-2021 Census data shows that residents have aged by an average of 1 year, with the median age rising from 38 to 39 years. The 75-84 age group has grown from 5.8% to 7.2%, and the 15-24 cohort has increased from 7.8% to 9.1%. Conversely, the 25-34 age group has declined from 13.3% to 11.6%, and the 35-44 group has dropped from 21.9% to 20.3%. By 2041, Wahroonga (West) - Waitara is expected to see significant shifts in its age composition. The 75-84 age group will grow by 92%, reaching 1,741 people from 904. Senior residents aged 65 and above will drive 60% of population growth, highlighting demographic aging trends. Conversely, both the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are expected to see reduced numbers.