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 4.1% and the SA4 region's growth rate, marking it as a growth leader in the region. 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 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Wahroonga (West) - Waitara is projected to expand by 2,705 persons based on latest population numbers, with an increase of 20.9% in total 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 approximately 23 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25115 homes were approved, and as of FY26173 have been approved. On average, 7.7 people move to the area per year for each dwelling built over these five years.

This high demand outpaces supply, putting upward pressure on prices and increasing competition among buyers. New homes are being constructed at an average value of $762,000, indicating that developers target the premium market segment with higher-end properties. In FY26, $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 places 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 to high-density housing, expanding the range of medium-density options across various price brackets from traditional family housing to more affordable compact alternatives. Interestingly, developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests (27.0% at Census), indicating continued strong demand for family homes. With approximately 849 people per dwelling approval, Wahroonga West-Waitara reflects a highly mature market. Population forecasts indicate that the area 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 ten projects potentially impacting the region. Notable ones are Hornsby Park, The Residences at Wahroonga Estate, Twin Towers Hornsby, and Westfield Hornsby Mixed-Use Redevelopment. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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 June 2025, its unemployment rate is 6.7%.

In comparison to Greater Sydney's unemployment rate of 4.2% and participation rate of 60.0%, Wahroonga West - Waitara's unemployment rate is higher by 2.5 percentage points while the participation rate remains similar. Major employment sectors include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance. The area specializes in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share of 1.6 times the regional level, but has lower representation in construction at 3.9% compared to the regional average of 8.6%. Over the year ending June 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.3%, and employment declined by 1.8%, leading to a 1.4 percentage point rise in unemployment rate.

In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.6% during this period. By September 2025, NSW's unemployment rate is 4.3%, with employment contracting by 0.41%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.5%, and employment grew by 0.26%. Job and Skills Australia forecasts 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, though these estimates are illustrative and do not account for localized population projections.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022 shows Wahroonga (West) - Waitara had a median income among taxpayers of $59,594 and an average of $86,850. These figures are significantly higher than the national averages and compare to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.6% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes for March 2025 would be approximately $65,911 (median) and $96,056 (average). Census 2021 income data ranks household, family and personal incomes in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara between the 75th and 77th percentiles nationally. Income analysis reveals that the largest segment comprises 32.8% earning $1,500-$2,999 weekly (4,127 residents), similar to the metropolitan region where 30.9% occupy this bracket. A substantial proportion of high earners, at 32.5%, indicates strong economic capacity in the suburb. High housing costs consume 18.4% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 72nd percentile and 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, the dwelling structure as per the latest Census showed 27.1% houses and 72.9% other dwellings such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This differed from Sydney metro's breakdown of 61.4% houses and 38.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara stood at 23.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 33.4% and rented ones at 43.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,380, lower than Sydney metro's average of $2,500. The median weekly rent in the area was $490, slightly higher than Sydney metro's figure of $480. Nationally, Wahroonga (West) - Waitara's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and 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 comprise 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 account for 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, 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 a significant advantage with 58.1% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications compared to the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%. 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 and above, with advanced diplomas making up 10.5% and certificates 8.9%. Educational participation is high, with 30.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 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 with an ICSEA score of 1138. Educational provision is conventional, split between two primary and two secondary institutions. Note: for schools marked '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

Analysis of public transport in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara shows that there are 40 active transport stops operating, offering a mix of train and bus services. These stops are served by 46 individual routes, which together facilitate 4,231 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is deemed excellent, with residents typically situated just 155 meters from the nearest transport stop.

The service frequency averages at 604 trips per day across all routes, translating 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 in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara, with younger cohorts experiencing very low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 64% of the total population (8,027 people) has private health cover, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.8%, and the national average of 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.

77.0% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to Greater Sydney's 74.0%. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 19.6% (2,470 people), compared to 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 (2016 Census). Born overseas, 59.4% of the population resides here (2016 Census). Christianity is the main religion, making up 37.4% of people in Wahroonga West-Waitara.

Hinduism has an overrepresentation with 15.4%, substantially higher than Greater Sydney's average of 7.3%. The top three ancestry groups are Chinese (20.6%), Other (16.5%), and English (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%.

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

The median age in Wahroonga (West) - Waitara is 39 years, slightly 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 year-olds are under-represented at 11.6%. This concentration in the 35-44 age group is higher than the national average of 14.2%. Post-2021 Census data shows residents have aged by an average of 1 year, with the median age rising from 38 to 39 years. Notably, the 75-84 age group grew from 5.8% to 7.2%, and the 15-24 cohort increased from 7.8% to 9.1%. Conversely, the 25-34 cohort declined from 13.3% to 11.6%, and the 35-44 group decreased 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.