Darlington (Sydney - NSW)

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

Darlington's population is estimated at around 2,983 as of May 2026. This reflects an increase of 386 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,597 people in the suburb of Darlington (Sydney - NSW). The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and an additional validated new address since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 7,850 persons per square kilometer, placing Darlington in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's growth rate of 14.9% since the 2021 census exceeded both the state (7.1%) and Greater Sydney. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration contributing approximately 94.0% 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. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Considering projected demographic shifts, a significant population increase is forecast for the suburb, expected to grow by 1,007 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an overall increase of 33.8% over the 16 years.

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

Darlington has seen minimal dwelling approvals in recent years. Between 2012-13 and 2016-17, an estimated total of 4 homes were approved. As of July 2016, no approvals have been recorded for the current financial year, FY-26.

This limited activity aligns with Darlington's population decline, indicating relative adequacy in development compared to other areas. The average expected construction cost value of new properties is $625,000, suggesting developers target the premium market segment. Compared to Greater Sydney, Darlington shows significantly reduced construction activity, which generally supports stronger demand and values for established homes. This limited supply also falls below national averages, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints.

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

Eleven projects have been identified by AreaSearch as likely to impact the area. Key projects include the University of Sydney Campus Transformation, University of Sydney Biomedical Accelerator (SBA), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Redevelopment, and Ross Street Teaching and Learning Hub. The following list details those considered most relevant.

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

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The employment landscape in Darlington shows performance that lags behind national averages across key labour market indicators

Darlington has an educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate was 5.1% as of a recent period. Over the past year, employment remained relatively stable.

As of December 2025, 1,902 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 5.3%, slightly higher than Greater Sydney's 4.2%. Workforce participation was at par with Greater Sydney's 68.8%. According to Census data, 59.1% of residents worked from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Key industries for employment were professional & technical, education & training, and health care & social assistance.

Darlington had a high specialization in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share 1.7 times the regional average, but lower representation in construction at 5.2% compared to the regional average of 8.6%. The area hosted more jobs than residents, with 1.6 workers per resident as of the Census, acting as an employment hub attracting workers from nearby areas. Over a 12-month period ending recently, labour force decreased by 0.1%, and employment declined by 0.4%, increasing unemployment by 0.2 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.2% and labour force growth of 2.3%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia, released in May-25, projected national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Darlington's employment mix suggests local employment could increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.5% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

The economic profile demonstrates above-average performance, with income metrics exceeding national benchmarks based on AreaSearch comparative assessment

The suburb of Darlington had a median taxpayer income of $50,267 and an average income of $65,974 in the financial year 2023, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This is lower than national averages, with Greater Sydney's median income being $60,817 and average income $83,003. By March 2026, estimated incomes would be approximately $55,455 (median) and $72,783 (average), based on a 10.32% increase in wages since financial year 2023. The 2021 Census showed household incomes ranked at the 87th percentile ($2,392 weekly), while personal income ranked lower at the 44th percentile. Income distribution data indicated that 30.7% of individuals (915 people) earned between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, consistent with broader area trends. Economic strength was evident with 41.4% of households earning over $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consumed 23.0% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 77th percentile. The suburb's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 8th decile.

Darlington displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Darlington's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 3.8% houses and 96.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In contrast, Sydney metro had 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Darlington was 18.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 21.2% and rented ones at 60.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,200, exceeding Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Darlington was $650, higher than Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Darlington's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Darlington features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 46.8% of all households, including 11.3% couples with children, 28.8% couples without children, and 5.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 53.2%, with lone person households at 29.3% and group households comprising 23.6%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Darlington performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

Darlington's educational attainment is notably higher than national averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 57.5% have university qualifications, compared to 30.4% in Australia and 32.2% in New South Wales (NSW). The area's strong educational advantage is evident in its high proportion of bachelor degree holders at 37.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 16.5% and graduate diplomas at 3.1%. Technical qualifications make up 12.8% of educational achievements, with advanced diplomas accounting for 6.2% and certificates for 6.6%.

Educational participation is high in Darlington, with 48.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 39.6% in tertiary education, 2.4% in primary education, and 2.0% pursuing secondary education.

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

Darlington has eight active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 14 different routes that collectively facilitate 4630 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these stops is rated as good, with residents typically located 226 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to Darlington's primarily residential nature. Cars remain the dominant mode of transport at 35%, followed by trains at 24% and walking at 22%. The average vehicle ownership per dwelling is 0.5, which is below the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, a high proportion of residents, specifically 59.1%, work from home, potentially influenced by COVID-19 conditions. On average, there are 661 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 578 weekly trips per individual stop.

Darlington'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 Darlington. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were very low across all age groups.

Private health cover was approximately 53% of the total population, compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney. The most common medical conditions were mental health issues (11.8%) and asthma (7.7%). Seventy-five point nine percent of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Working-age residents had low chronic condition prevalence. Five point three percent of residents were aged 65 and over (158 people), lower than the 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors were particularly strong, ranking higher than the general population nationally.

Darlington is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Darlington's cultural diversity is notable, with 32.4% speaking a language other than English at home and 43.8% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Darlington, comprising 19.8%. However, Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, making up 1.2% of Darlington's population.

Ancestry-wise, English (20.4%), Australian (17.2%), and Chinese (13.7%) are the top groups, with Chinese being significantly higher than the regional average of 8.4%. Other notable ethnic group representations include French at 1.0% (vs regional 0.5%), Russian at 0.5% (vs regional 0.4%), and New Zealand at 1.0% (vs regional 0.5%).

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

Darlington's median age of 24 years is notably lower than Greater Sydney's 37 and significantly below the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Darlington has a higher percentage of residents aged 15-24 (42.9%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (1.4%). This concentration of 15-24 year-olds is well above the national figure of 12.7%. Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, younger residents caused the median age to decrease by 3.1 years to 24. During this period, the 15-24 age group grew from 34.3% to 42.9%, while the 35-44 cohort declined from 10.9% to 8.8% and the 45-54 group dropped from 7.9% to 6.0%. By 2041, Darlington's age composition is expected to change significantly. The 15-24 age group is projected to grow by 27%, adding 350 people to reach a total of 1,630 from the 2021 figure of 1,279.