Balmain East

Balmain East is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

As of November 2025, the estimated population of Balmain East is around 1,855, a decrease of 45 people since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 1,900. This change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of the resident population at 1,857, based on their examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and address validation since the Census date. The population density ratio is 5,455 persons per square kilometer, placing Balmain East in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 72.0% of overall population gains during recent periods. For future projections until 2041, AreaSearch is using 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 released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 for areas not covered by this data.

Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for the years 2032 to 2041. Based on these projections, Balmain East is expected to increase by 156 persons by 2041, reflecting a total increase of 13.8% over the 17-year period.

The level of residential development activity in Balmain East is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, derived from statistical area data, indicates that Balmain East has had virtually no dwelling approvals in recent years. This totals an estimated 4 homes over the past five financial years. As of FY-26, 0 approvals have been recorded. The population decline in the area has resulted in adequate housing supply relative to demand, creating a well-balanced market with good buyer choice. New properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $1,278,000, indicating a developer focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

Balmain East 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 three projects that could impact the area: Western Harbour Tunnel, Central Barangaroo, Barangaroo Precinct, and White Bay Power Station Redevelopment. The following details these key projects in order of relevance.

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Employment conditions in Balmain East demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Balmain East has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate is 2.7%, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 4.0%. As of June 2025, 1,208 residents are employed, and the unemployment rate is 1.5% below Greater Sydney's rate. Workforce participation in Balmain East is 62.6%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical (1.9 times the regional average), finance & insurance, and health care & social assistance sectors.

Manufacturing employs just 2.2% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 5.7%. Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census working population data. Over the year to June 2025, employment increased by 4.0%, while labour force grew by 4.2%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.2 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest Balmain East's employment should increase by 7.7% over five years and 15.1% over ten years, based on industry-specific projections applied to the local employment mix.

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

AreaSearch's aggregation of latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Balmain East had a median income among taxpayers of $85,000 and an average income of $158,383. These figures place the suburb in the top percentile nationally, compared to Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Balmain East would be approximately $95,719 (median) and $178,355 (average) as of September 2025. The 2021 Census data ranks household, family, and personal incomes in Balmain East between the 97th and 98th percentiles nationally. Incomes above $4,000 per week dominate with 41.2% of residents (764 people), contrasting with Sydney's leading bracket of $1,500 - $2,999 at 30.9%. Notably, 51.6% of Balmain East residents earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 16.5% of income, yet strong earnings place disposable income at the 96th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Balmain East displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Balmain East, as per the latest Census, 15.8% of dwellings were houses while 84.2% were other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. In contrast, Sydney metropolitan area had no houses or other dwellings recorded at that time. Home ownership in Balmain East stood at 34.6%, with mortgaged properties making up 24.5% and rented dwellings accounting for 40.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $4,333, aligning with Sydney metro's average. Median weekly rent was $617 in Balmain East, unlike Sydney metro where such data was not available at the time of reporting. Nationally, Balmain East's median monthly mortgage repayments were significantly higher than Australia's average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375 per week.

Balmain East features high concentrations of lone person households, with a median household size of 2.2 people

Family households constitute 64.0% of all households, including 24.5% couples with children, 32.3% couples without children, and 6.5% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 36.0%, with lone person households at 33.0% and group households at 3.6%. The median household size is 2.2 people.

Balmain East shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Balmain East is significantly higher than broader benchmarks. As of 2016, 62.7% of residents aged 15 years and over hold university qualifications, compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 37.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (21.4%) and graduate diplomas (4.1%). Vocational pathways account for 17.1% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 8.2% and certificates at 8.9%.

Educational participation is high, with 26.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education as of 2016. This includes 8.2% in primary education, 8.2% in secondary education, and 6.3% pursuing tertiary education. Nicholson Street Public School serves the area, with an enrollment of 93 students as of 2017. The school's Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) is 1156, indicating high levels of educational advantage nationally. It focuses exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas.

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

Balmain East has 10 active public transport stops offering a mix of ferry and bus services. These stops are served by 5 different routes that together facilitate 2,426 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated excellent with residents generally located 137 meters from the nearest stop.

Across all routes, service frequency averages 346 trips per day, equating to approximately 242 weekly trips per individual stop.

Balmain East's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Balmain East. Both young and old age cohorts have low prevalence of common health conditions.

The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 89% of the total population, which comprises 1,654 people. This figure is significantly higher than the national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are asthma and mental health issues, impacting 8.1 and 7.3% of residents respectively. Meanwhile, 73.4% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, a figure notably higher than the 0% reported across Greater Sydney. As of 2021, 21.2% of Balmain East's residents are aged 65 and over, totaling 393 people. Health outcomes among seniors in this area are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Balmain East was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Balmain East has cultural diversity above average, with 11.2% speaking a language other than English at home and 29.5% born overseas. Christianity is the main religion, comprising 42.2%. Judaism is overrepresented at 0.6%, compared to none in Greater Sydney.

Top ancestry groups are English (30.3%), Australian (19.0%), and Irish (12.6%). Welsh (0.9%) French (1.0%) and Russian (0.5%) ethnicities are notably overrepresented.

Balmain East hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Balmain East is 46 years, which is notably higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and also exceeds the Australian median of 38 years. Compared to the Greater Sydney average, the 55-64 age cohort is significantly over-represented at 15.0% in Balmain East, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 10.9%. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census conducted on 28 August 2021, the 15-24 age group has increased from 9.2% to 11.1%, while the 75-84 cohort has grown from 6.2% to 7.6%. Conversely, the 45-54 age group has decreased from 17.0% to 15.8%. Population forecasts for Balmain East indicate significant demographic changes by 2041. The 65-74 age cohort is projected to expand by 61 people (29%), from 211 to 273. The aging population trend is evident, with those aged 65 and above comprising 67% of the projected growth. Conversely, the 35-44 and 0-4 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.