Wahroonga (West) - Waitara
Statistical Area - sa2

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 12,583 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 706 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 164 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 5,963 persons per square kilometer. Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's growth of 5.9% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area's growth of 4.1%. Population growth for the area 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 utilises 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, an increase of 2,705 persons is projected, marking a total increase of 20.9% over the 17-year period.

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 recorded approximately 23 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25115 homes were approved, with a further 173 approved in FY-26 so far. On average, 7.7 people moved to the area for each dwelling built over these five years.

This significant demand outpaces supply, putting upward pressure on prices and increasing buyer competition. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $762,000, indicating a focus on the premium market segment with higher-end properties. In FY-26, $32.7 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, demonstrating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Sydney, Wahroonga West-Waitara has around three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 20th percentile nationally, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing dwellings.

New building activity shows 55.0% detached houses and 45.0% medium and high-density housing, indicating an expanding range of medium-density options across various price brackets. Interestingly, developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests (27.0% at Census), reflecting continued 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 it will gain 2,635 residents by 2041. At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to match population growth, potentially heightening buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Wahroonga (West) - Waitara has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 13 projects likely to impact the area. Notable ones include Eastwood Gardens (Waitara), Hornsby Park, The Residences at Wahroonga Estate, and Twin Towers Hornsby. 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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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. Its unemployment rate is 6.7%.

As of June 2025, there are 6,279 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.5% above Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation is similar to Greater Sydney's at 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical (1.6 times the regional level), health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance sectors. Construction shows lower representation at 3.9% compared to the regional average of 8.6%.

Over the year to June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3%, employment declined by 1.8%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 1.4 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia (May 2025) project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Wahroonga West - Waitara's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.7% over five years and 15.4% over ten years.

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

As per AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released on June 30, 2022, Wahroonga (West) - Waitara had a median income among taxpayers of $59,594 and an average of $86,850. Nationally, these figures are extremely high, compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since June 30, 2022, current estimates would be approximately $67,109 (median) and $97,802 (average) as of September 2025. According to Census 2021 income data, household, family, and personal incomes in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara all rank highly nationally, between the 75th and 77th percentiles. Income analysis shows that the largest segment comprises 32.8% of residents earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly, which mirrors the metropolitan region where 30.9% occupy this bracket. A substantial proportion of high earners (32.5%) are above $3,000 per week, indicating strong economic capacity throughout the suburb. High housing costs consume 18.4% of income, but strong earnings still 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

In Wahroonga (West) - Waitara, as per the latest Census, 27.1% of dwellings were houses while 72.9% were other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This contrasts with Sydney metropolitan area's figures of 61.4% houses and 38.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara stood at 23.0%, lower than the Sydney metro average, with mortgaged dwellings at 33.4% and rented ones at 43.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,380, below the Sydney metro average of $2,500. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $490, compared to Sydney metro's $480. Nationally, Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's median monthly mortgage repayment is significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents are 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% of the total. The median household size is 2.5 people, which is 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 shows that 58.1% of residents aged 15 and above hold university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% statewide. 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, with advanced diplomas at 10.5% and certificates at 8.9%. Educational participation is high, with 30.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: 11.5% in primary, 5.7% in secondary, and 5.6% in tertiary education.

The area's four schools have a combined enrollment of 2,373 students, demonstrating significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement (ICSEA: 1138). Educational provision is conventional, with two primary and two secondary institutions. Note: for schools showing 'n/a' in 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

Transport analysis indicates 40 active stops in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara area. These are served by a mix of trains and buses, totaling 46 routes. The routes facilitate 4,231 weekly passenger trips.

Residential accessibility to transport is rated excellent, with residents located an average of 155 meters from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 604 trips per day across all routes, equating to 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 across Wahroonga (West) - Waitara, with younger cohorts experiencing very low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 64% of the total population of 8,027 people, compared to 60.8% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are mental health issues affecting 5.5% of residents and arthritis impacting 5.3%, while 77.0% report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.0% across Greater Sydney.

The area has 19.6% of residents aged 65 and over, totaling 2,470 people, which is higher than the 17.1% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors require more attention than those for the broader population, despite being above average.

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 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census 2016). Born overseas make up 59.4% of the population in Wahroonga West-Waitara (ABS, Census 2016). Christianity is the predominant religion in Wahroonga West-Waitara, comprising 37.4% of people (ABS, Census 2016).

Hinduism is notably overrepresented at 15.4%, compared to the Greater Sydney average of 7.3% (ABS, Census 2016). The top three ancestry groups in Wahroonga West-Waitara are Chinese at 20.6%, Other at 16.5%, and English at 14.5%. Notably, Korean is overrepresented at 3.6% compared to the regional average of 2.0%, Indian at 10.9% vs 4.7%, and Russian at 0.7% vs 0.6% (ABS, Census 2016).

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. The 35-44 age cohort is over-represented at 20.3% locally compared to Greater Sydney's average, 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%. According to data from the 2021 Census, residents have aged by an average of 1 year, with the median age rising from 38 years to 39 years. The 75-84 age group has grown from 5.8% to 7.2% of the population, while the 15-24 age cohort 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 age group 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, leading the demographic shift. 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.