Double Bay

Double Bay 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 Double Bay is around 4,896 people. This figure reflects an increase of 187 individuals since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 4,709 people in the suburb. The latest estimate by AreaSearch, based on resident population data from June 2024 ABS ERP release and additional validated addresses, is 4,883 people. This results in a population density ratio of approximately 6,120 persons per square kilometer, placing Double Bay within the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's 4.0% growth since the Census indicates competitive growth fundamentals compared to its SA3 area (5.5%). Overseas migration contributed around 86.0% of overall population gains in recent periods for Double Bay.

For future projections, AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a 2022 base year for covered areas and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a 2021 base year for uncovered areas. Applying these growth rates by age group, the suburb is expected to increase its population by approximately 318 persons to reach 5,214 people by 2041, reflecting a total gain of around 6.2% over the 17-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Double Bay, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, allocated from statistical area data, indicates that Double Bay has experienced around 14 dwellings receiving development approval annually. Between FY-21 and FY-25, approximately 74 homes were approved, with an additional 4 approved so far in FY-26. The population decline over recent years suggests that new supply has likely been keeping up with demand, offering good choice to buyers.

New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $2,110,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. This financial year, $11.2 million in commercial approvals have been registered, demonstrating moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to Greater Sydney, Double Bay has similar development levels per person, preserving market equilibrium consistent with surrounding areas. However, development activity has moderated in recent periods and is under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and suggesting potential planning limitations. New building activity shows 7.0% detached houses and 93.0% attached dwellings, demonstrating a trend toward denser development that provides accessible entry options and appeals to downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers.

With around 489 people per dwelling approval, Double Bay shows a developed market. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Double Bay is expected to grow by 305 residents through to 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Double Bay 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 31 projects that could impact this region. Notable ones include Eastern Suburbs Railway Line, Belle de Vie, Blume, and Double Bay Centre Planning & Urban Design Strategy. The following list details the most relevant projects.

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

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The exceptional employment performance in Double Bay places it among Australia's strongest labour markets

Double Bay has a highly educated workforce. The technology sector is particularly well-represented.

The unemployment rate was 2.1% as of June 2025. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.9%. This was based on AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. In comparison, Greater Sydney had an unemployment rate of 4.2% and employment growth of 2.6%.

In Double Bay, professional & technical services employed 20.7% of residents, which is double the regional level. Finance & insurance accounted for 13.5%, while health care & social assistance was at 12.8%. Construction, however, employed only 4.1% of local workers, lower than Greater Sydney's 8.6%. As of the Census, there were 0.7 workers per resident in Double Bay, indicating a higher level of local employment opportunities. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.9% while labour force grew by 2.6%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6%, labour force growth of 2.9%, and an increase in unemployment of 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project a 6.6% expansion over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Double Bay's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.8% over five years and 15.2% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

AreaSearch's data for financial year 2022 shows Double Bay has high incomes nationally. The median income is $86,785 and the average is $285,919. This contrasts with Greater Sydney's median of $56,994 and average of $80,856. By September 2025, estimates suggest median income will be approximately $97,729 and average income $321,973, based on a 12.61% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022. Census 2021 data ranks Double Bay's incomes highly, between the 97th and 99th percentiles nationally for household, family, and personal incomes. Income distribution shows 39.1% of locals (1,914 people) earn $4000 or more per week, contrasting with Greater Sydney where 30.9% fall into the $1500-$2999 bracket. A substantial proportion, 50.9%, earn above $3000 per week, indicating strong economic capacity in the suburb. Housing accounts for 15.0% of income, and residents rank within the 97th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

Double Bay features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

The dwelling structure in Double Bay, as per the latest Census, consisted of 13.4% houses and 86.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 18.3% houses and 81.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Double Bay was at 35.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 20.2% and rented ones at 44.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $3,000, below Sydney metro's average of $3,600. The median weekly rent figure was $720, compared to Sydney metro's $670. Nationally, Double Bay's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Double Bay features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households account for 57.2% of all households, including 19.0% couples with children, 29.3% couples without children, and 7.5% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 42.8%, with lone person households at 34.1% and group households comprising 8.6%. The median household size is 2.1 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.3.

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

Educational attainment in Double Bay is notably higher than broader averages. Among residents aged 15+, 63.3% hold university qualifications compared to 30.4% nationally and 32.2% in NSW. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 42.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (17.6%) and graduate diplomas (3.4%). Vocational pathways account for 15.6%, with advanced diplomas at 8.9% and certificates at 6.7%.

In total, 22.0% of the population is actively pursuing formal education: 7.3% in tertiary, 5.6% in primary, and 4.7% in secondary education. Double Bay Public School serves the area with an enrollment of 239 students. The school's ICSEA score is 1147, indicating significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement. There is one school focusing exclusively on primary education; secondary options are available nearby due to limited local capacity (4.9 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 15.8).

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

The analysis shows 18 active public transport stops in Double Bay. These include both ferry and bus services. There are 18 different routes operating, serving a total of 2,392 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility of these services is rated as excellent, with residents typically located just 122 meters from the nearest stop. On average, there are 341 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 132 weekly trips per individual stop.

Double Bay's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health outcomes data shows excellent results across Double Bay, with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 139% of the total population (6,809 people), compared to 89.7% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, impacting 6.4 and 6.3% of residents respectively, while 74.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 77.6% across Greater Sydney.

The area has 22.5% of residents aged 65 and over (1,101 people), which is higher than the 16.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

Double Bay 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

Double Bay's population shows higher linguistic diversity than most local areas, with 17.3% speaking a language other than English at home and 36.8% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Double Bay, accounting for 42.2%. Notably, Judaism is overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, with 14.9% of Double Bay's population identifying as Jewish.

In terms of ancestry, the top groups are English (23.2%), Australian (17.6%), and Other (13.3%). Some ethnic groups show significant differences: Hungarian (2.1%, compared to regional 1.2%), Polish (2.1% vs regional 1.9%), and South African (1.9% vs regional 2.4%) are notably overrepresented in Double Bay.

Double Bay's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Double Bay is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and close to the national average of 38 years. The 25-34 age cohort is over-represented in Double Bay at 21.8%, compared to Greater Sydney's 20.6% and the national average of 14.5%. Conversely, the 5-14 age group is under-represented at 7.1% locally, while it stands at 9.3% for Greater Sydney and 18.5% nationally. Post-Census data from 2021 shows that the 75-84 age group has grown from 7.7% to 9.1%, while the 65-74 cohort has declined from 11.3% to 10.0%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic changes for Double Bay. The 85+ age group is expected to grow by 90% (from 166 to 316 people), with residents aged 65 and older representing 62% of the anticipated growth. However, the 25-34 and 5-14 age cohorts are projected to experience population declines.