Chifley (NSW)

Chifley has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

As of November 2025, the population of the suburb of Chifley (NSW) is estimated to be around 3,683. This reflects an increase of 193 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,490. The latest resident population estimate by AreaSearch, based on examination of the ABS ERP data release from June 2024, is 3,616, with an additional 21 validated new addresses since the Census date contributing to this increase. This results in a population density ratio of 3,474 persons per square kilometer, placing Chifley in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, from 2015 to 2025, Chifley has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.6%, outpacing the SA3 area. Population growth for the suburb was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 83.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting 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 the ABS data. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, the suburb is expected to increase by 147 persons to 2041, reflecting an increase of 3.3% in total over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Chifley recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers shows Chifley had around 12 dwellings receiving development approval each year over the past five financial years. This totals an estimated 63 homes. In FY-26 so far, 7 approvals have been recorded. Over these five years, an average of 1.5 new residents per new home was calculated.

The market shows good balance between supply and demand, supporting stable conditions. New homes are being built at an average value of $639,000, somewhat higher than regional norms, reflecting quality-focused development. This financial year has seen $56,000 in commercial approvals registered, demonstrating the area's residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Chifley has slightly more development, 34.0% above the regional average per person over the past five years. However, this activity is under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. Recent construction comprises 20.0% standalone homes and 80.0% townhouses or apartments, a notable shift from the existing housing composition of 59.0% houses.

This trend reflects decreasing availability of developable sites and changing lifestyles. Chifley has around 191 people per dwelling approval, showing characteristics of a low density area. Future projections estimate Chifley adding 121 residents by 2041 based on current development patterns. New housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Chifley 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 four projects likely to impact the region: Prince Henry at Little Bay, Illume Apartments, Malabar Ocean Pool Accessible Amenities Building, and Seniors Housing - Combles Parade & Hamel Road. The following details those most relevant.

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Employment performance in Chifley has been below expectations when compared to most other areas nationally

Chifley has an educated workforce with professional services well-represented. The unemployment rate was 7.4% in the past year, with estimated employment growth of 3.9%.

As of June 2025, 1,857 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 3.2% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation is similar to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Leading industries include construction, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Construction employment is particularly high at 1.5 times the regional level.

However, professional & technical services employ only 8.3% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 11.5%. The area offers limited local employment opportunities. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 3.9% while labour force grew by 3.0%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.6% with a labour force increase of 2.9%. National employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest national employment will expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Chifley's employment mix indicates local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, assuming constant population projections for illustrative purposes.

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 ended June 30, 2022 shows median income in Chifley was $53,357 and average income was $74,752. This compares to Greater Sydney's median income of $56,994 and average income of $80,856 for the same period. Based on Wage Price Index growth rate of 12.61% from financial year ended June 30, 2022 to September 2025, estimated median income is approximately $60,085 and average income is $84,178 as of September 2025. According to the Census conducted in August 2021, household incomes rank at the 83rd percentile ($2,311 weekly) while personal incomes rank at the 57th percentile. Income distribution shows 25.0% of the population (920 individuals) earn over $4000 per week, differing from broader area where majority fall within $1,500 - 2,999 range. High proportion of high earners (39.0% above $3,000/week) indicates strong economic capacity in the suburb. Housing costs consume 16.5% of income but strong earnings place disposable income at the 82nd percentile. Area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Chifley's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 58.6% houses and 41.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 26.9% houses and 73.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Chifley stood at 34.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 34.7% and rented ones at 31.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,210, higher than Sydney metro's average of $3,033. The median weekly rent in Chifley was $400, compared to Sydney metro's $550. Nationally, Chifley's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 77.9% of all households, including 45.6% couples with children, 18.3% couples without children, and 13.0% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 22.1%, with lone person households at 20.5% and group households comprising 1.6% of the total. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.4.

Chifley shows below-average educational performance compared to national benchmarks, though pockets of achievement exist

The area's university qualification rate is 28.0%, substantially below the SA4 region average of 54.6%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 18.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.2%) and graduate diplomas (1.8%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 34.3% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (12.8%) and certificates (21.5%).

Educational participation is high, with 32.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.1% in primary education, 9.8% in secondary education, and 5.3% pursuing tertiary education. The area has two schools serving 690 students: Chifley Public School and Matraville Sports High School. These schools demonstrate typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 961) with balanced educational opportunities. Educational provision follows conventional lines, split between one primary and one secondary institution. The area functions as an education hub with 18.7 school places per 100 residents – significantly above the regional average of 11.1 – attracting students from surrounding communities.

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

Chifley has 28 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 19 different routes that together facilitate 2,579 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically living just 119 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 368 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 92 weekly trips per individual stop.

Chifley's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Chifley. The prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups is very low.

Approximately 56% of the total population (~2,079 people) has private health cover, compared to 70.6% across Greater Sydney. The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 6.9 and 6.4% of residents respectively. 74.1% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 76.0% across Greater Sydney. As of 2021, 16.5% of residents are aged 65 and over (607 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

Chifley 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

Chifley's population, as of the 2016 census, was 29.6% born overseas and 24.5% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Chifley with 66.3%. Judaism was overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, comprising 2.8% of Chifley's population.

Ancestry-wise, Australian (20.3%), English (20.1%), and Other (11.9%) were the top three groups. French ancestry was notably higher at 2.0%, Hungarian remained at 0.6%, and Spanish was slightly higher at 1.0% compared to regional averages.

Chifley hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Chifley is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. The 45-54 age group constitutes 15.4% of the population in Chifley, compared to Greater Sydney. Conversely, the 25-34 age group represents only 6.6%. According to data from the 2021 Census, the 15-24 age group has increased from 13.1% to 15.7%, while the 25-34 cohort has decreased from 7.9% to 6.6%. Population forecasts for 2041 suggest substantial demographic changes in Chifley. Notably, the 45-54 age group is expected to grow by 15%, reaching 652 people from 567. Conversely, the 65-74 and 0-4 age groups are projected to experience population declines.