Cliftleigh

Cliftleigh lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Based on analysis of ABS population updates for the broader area, and new addresses validated by AreaSearch, as of Feb 2026 the suburb of Cliftleigh's population is estimated at around 2725. This reflects an increase of 416 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2309 people. The change is inferred from the resident population of 2659, estimated by AreaSearch following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024, and an additional 156 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 642 persons per square kilometer. Cliftleigh's 18% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the Rest of NSW (5.9%), along with the state, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by interstate migration that contributed approximately 68% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Anticipating future population dynamics, a significant population increase in the top quartile of Australian non-metropolitan areas is forecast for the suburb of Cliftleigh, with an expected growth of 1198 persons by 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an increase of 41.5% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Cliftleigh among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers in Cliftleigh shows around 22 residential properties granted approval per year. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, approximately 111 homes were approved, with a further 10 approved so far in FY-26. This results in an average of 4.3 people moving to the area for each dwelling built annually during this period.

The demand significantly outpaces supply, which typically influences prices upwards and increases competition among buyers. New homes are being constructed at an average value of $351,000. In FY-26, $129,000 in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting the area's residential nature. Comparatively, Cliftleigh has 13.0% less new development per person relative to Rest of NSW but ranks among the 92nd percentile nationally based on building activity.

However, there has been an acceleration in building activity in recent years. The new development consists of 75.0% detached dwellings and 25.0% medium and high-density housing, preserving the area's low density nature while introducing more diverse housing options to attract space-seeking buyers. This shift indicates decreasing availability of developable sites and reflects changing lifestyles. Cliftleigh is expected to grow by approximately 1,132 residents through to 2041, according to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate. Construction is maintaining a reasonable pace with projected growth, although increasing population may lead to growing competition among buyers.

Cliftleigh has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 10% nationally

Five projects are identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting the area: The Loxford Estate, Avery's Rise, Heddon Greta South Road and Drainage Improvements, and Heddon Greta-Cliftleigh Corridor Structure Plan. These are key projects to consider for their likely influence on the area.

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AreaSearch analysis reveals Cliftleigh significantly outperforming the majority of regions assessed nationwide

Cliftleigh has a balanced workforce comprising white and blue collar jobs, with essential services sectors well represented. Its unemployment rate is 2.6%. Over the past year, employment has remained relatively stable.

As of December 2025, 1,276 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.3% below Regional NSW's rate of 3.9%. Workforce participation in Cliftleigh stands at 68.4%, surpassing Regional NSW's 61.3%. According to Census responses, 16.5% of residents work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts may have influenced this figure. The dominant employment sectors are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and construction.

Cliftleigh has a particularly strong specialization in administrative & support services, with an employment share 2.1 times the regional level. Conversely, agriculture, forestry & fishing employs only 1.5% of local workers, below Regional NSW's 5.3%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the ratio of Census working population to resident population. Over the 12 months to December 2025, labour force levels decreased by 0.6%, while employment fell by 0.5%, causing unemployment to drop by 0.1 percentage points. This contrasts with Regional NSW, where employment contracted by 1.2%, the labour force fell by 0.8%, and unemployment rose by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that while overall employment is expected to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates vary significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Cliftleigh's employment mix indicates potential local employment increases of 6.3% over five years and 13.5% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes 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 for financial year ending June 2023 shows that median income in Cliftleigh suburb is $68,662 and average income is $80,492. This contrasts with Regional NSW's median income of $52,390 and average income of $65,215 for the same period. Based on Wage Price Index growth rate of 8.86% from financial year ending June 2023 to September 2025, estimated median income in Cliftleigh would be approximately $74,745 and average income would be around $87,624 by September 2025. According to the 2021 Census, incomes in Cliftleigh cluster around the 68th percentile nationally. The earnings profile shows that 45.5% of locals (1,239 people) earn between $1,500 and $2,999 per week, similar to metropolitan regions where 29.9% fall into this bracket. High housing costs consume 19.3% of income in Cliftleigh, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 61st percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

Cliftleigh is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Cliftleigh's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, was 94.0% houses and 6.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Regional NSW's 82.6% houses and 17.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Cliftleigh stood at 12.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 40.6% and rented ones at 47.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,950, higher than Regional NSW's average of $1,733. Median weekly rent in Cliftleigh was $435, compared to Regional NSW's $330. Nationally, Cliftleigh's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,950 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households constitute 82.2% of all households, including 37.6% couples with children, 26.7% couples without children, and 17.3% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 17.8%, with lone person households at 14.7% and group households comprising 3.1%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Regional NSW average of 2.4.

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

The area's university qualification rate is 14.6%, significantly lower than the NSW average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 10.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.0%) and graduate diplomas (1.7%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 47.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (9.8%) and certificates (37.4%). Educational participation is high at 33.2%, with 12.5% in primary education, 6.7% in secondary education, and 3.7% pursuing tertiary education.

Educational participation is notably high, with 33.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 12.5% in primary education, 6.7% in secondary education, and 3.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Cliftleigh has 13 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 25 different routes that collectively provide 279 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as moderate, with residents typically located 468 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to the area's residential nature, and cars remain the primary mode of transport at 98%. On average, there are 1.7 vehicles per dwelling, which is higher than the regional average. According to the 2021 Census, 16.5% of residents work from home, a figure that may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions.

The service frequency averages 39 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 21 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Cliftleigh is a key challenge with a range of health conditions having marked impacts on both younger and older age cohorts

Cliftleigh faces significant health challenges, as indicated by AreaSearch's assessment. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence are high across various health conditions that affect both younger and older age groups.

Private health cover is exceptionally high in Cliftleigh at approximately 59% of the total population (1,599 people), compared to 51.9% across Regional NSW. The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues and asthma, affecting 13.2 and 12.2% of residents respectively. However, 65.9% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, slightly higher than the 63.3% reported in Regional NSW. Working-age individuals face notable health challenges due to elevated chronic condition rates. Cliftleigh has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 4.6% (125 people), compared to 23.4% in Regional NSW. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Cliftleigh is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Cliftleigh had a low cultural diversity, with 90.9% born in Australia, 93.9% being citizens, and 92.7% speaking English only at home as of the latest data. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 42.4%. Judaism, however, was slightly overrepresented at 0.1%, compared to Regional NSW's 0.1%.

The top three ancestry groups were Australian (35.6%), English (28.8%), and Australian Aboriginal (8.4%). Notably, Filipino (2.7%) and Korean (0.2%) were overrepresented compared to regional averages of 0.6% and 0.1%, respectively.

Cliftleigh hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Cliftleigh's median age is 26 years, which is notably younger than Regional NSW's average of 43 and significantly lower than Australia's national average of 38. Compared to Regional NSW, Cliftleigh has a higher proportion of residents aged 25-34 (29.4%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (3.3%). This concentration of young adults is substantially higher than the national average of 14.4%. Post-2021 Census data indicates that younger residents have decreased Cliftleigh's median age by 1.2 years to 26. Key demographic shifts show that the 25-34 age group has increased from 26.8% to 29.4%, while the 35-44 cohort has risen from 13.2% to 15.2%. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort has decreased from 6.9% to 5.3%, and the 55-64 group has dropped from 5.0% to 3.7%. Demographic projections suggest that Cliftleigh's age profile will significantly change by 2041, with the strongest projected growth in the 25-34 cohort at 50%, adding 399 residents to reach a total of 1,201.