Dulwich Hill

Dulwich Hill 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, Dulwich Hill's population is estimated at around 15,070. This reflects an increase of 1,024 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 14,046. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 14,798 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024 and an additional 127 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 7,108 persons per square kilometer, placing Dulwich Hill in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's 7.3% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the state average of 6.7%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 73.0% of overall population gains during recent periods, driving primary growth for Dulwich Hill.

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 where applicable, 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. According to aggregated SA2-level projections, Dulwich Hill is expected to grow by 324 persons to 2041, reflecting a decline of 0.9% in total over the 17-year period.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers in Dulwich Hill shows around 25 residential properties granted approval annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 129 homes. So far in FY-26118 approvals have been recorded. Between FY-21 and FY-25, on average, 1.2 people moved to the area for each dwelling built. However, between FY-24 and FY-25, this figure increased to 29.7 people per dwelling, suggesting increasing demand and tightening supply. The average expected construction cost value of new homes is $443,000, in line with regional trends.

This financial year has seen $2.9 million in commercial development approvals, indicating the area's residential character. Recent construction comprises 15.0% detached houses and 85.0% attached dwellings, promoting higher-density living which creates more affordable entry points for downsizers, investors, and first-home buyers. Dulwich Hill reflects a highly mature market with around 1938 people per dwelling approval.

Population projections indicate stability or decline, suggesting reduced housing demand pressures in the future, benefiting potential buyers.

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

The performance of a region is significantly influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified 26 such projects that are expected to impact the area. Notable among these are the JF Laxton Reserve Upgrade, Cooks to Cove GreenWay, Sydney Metro Sydenham to Bankstown Conversion, and Marrickville Station Metro Upgrade. The following list details those likely to have the most relevance.

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

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Dulwich Hill has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

Dulwich Hill has a highly educated workforce, with the technology sector prominent. Its unemployment rate was 5.1% as of June 2025, compared to Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 3.8%. Residents in work numbered 9,385, with a participation rate of 67.5%, above Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Dominant employment sectors include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training, with the latter showing notable concentration at 1.4 times the regional average. Conversely, construction has lower representation at 5.6% versus the regional average of 8.6%.

The area offers limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 3.8% while labour force grew by 4.2%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.4 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Sydney's employment growth of 2.6%, labour force growth of 2.9%, and unemployment rise of 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with varying growth rates between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Dulwich Hill's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.0% over five years and 14.2% over ten years.

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 2022 shows that income in Dulwich Hill is extremely high nationally. The median assessed income is $66,520 while the average income stands at $86,971. This contrasts with Greater Sydney's figures of a median income of $56,994 and an average income of $80,856. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $74,908 (median) and $97,938 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows individual earnings stand out at the 88th percentile nationally with a weekly earning of $1,157. The data shows that the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 32.9% of residents (4,958 people), consistent with broader trends across the surrounding region showing 30.9% in the same category. The locality demonstrates considerable affluence with 32.2% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. High housing costs consume 18.1% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 68th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Dwelling structure in Dulwich Hill, as per the latest Census, consisted of 28.9% houses and 71.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). Home ownership in Dulwich Hill was 25.5%, with mortgaged dwellings at 27.7% and rented ones at 46.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,500, aligning with the Sydney metro average. Median weekly rent was $470, higher than the national averages of $1,863 for mortgage repayments and $375 for rents.

Dulwich Hill features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a median household size of 2.2 people

Family households account for 59.1% of all households, including 23.4% couples with children, 24.7% couples without children, and 9.8% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 40.9%, with lone person households at 34.4% and group households comprising 6.5%. The median household size is 2.2 people.

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

Dulwich Hill's educational attainment is notably higher than national averages. Among residents aged 15+, 49.4% hold university qualifications, compared to Australia's 30.4% and NSW's 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 31.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.4%) and graduate diplomas (4.6%). Vocational pathways account for 22.7%, with advanced diplomas at 10.8% and certificates at 11.9%.

Educational participation is high, with 27.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 7.6% in primary, 7.5% in tertiary, and 6.5% in secondary education. Dulwich Hill's four schools have a combined enrollment of 1,894 students, with above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1082). The educational mix includes two primary, one secondary, and one K-12 school.

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

Dulwich Hill has 36 operational public transport stops offering a mix of light rail and bus services. These stops are served by 27 distinct routes, facilitating 7,943 weekly passenger trips in total. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average situated just 140 meters from the nearest stop.

Across all routes, service frequency averages 1,134 daily trips, equating to roughly 220 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Dulwich Hill is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions quite low across both younger and older age cohorts

Dulwich Hill shows superior health outcomes with low prevalence of common conditions across all ages. Private health cover is high at approximately 61% (9,228 people), exceeding the national average of 55.3%.

Mental health issues and asthma are the most prevalent conditions, affecting 10.9 and 8.3% respectively. 69.0% report no medical ailments, compared to 0% in Greater Sydney. The area has 13.6% seniors (2,049 people), with health outcomes broadly inline with the general population's profile.

Dulwich Hill 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

Dulwich Hill, surveyed between July 2016 and June 2021, had a higher cultural diversity than most local areas. It had 33.7% of its population born overseas and 29.2% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, with 40.9%.

Judaism, however, was overrepresented at 0.4%, compared to None% in Greater Sydney. The top three ancestry groups were English (20.5%), Australian (17.4%), and Other (13.4%). Notably, Hungarian represented 0.5%, Greek 5.0%, and Lebanese 2.6%, all higher than regional averages of None%.

Dulwich Hill's population aligns closely with national norms in age terms

The median age in Dulwich Hill was close to Greater Sydney's average of 37 years at the time of the census. It was also equivalent to Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Dulwich Hill had a higher percentage of residents aged 25-34 (19.2%) but fewer residents aged 5-14 (8.2%). Between the 2021 Census and the present day, the population aged 15-24 has increased from 9.8% to 11.1%, while the 35-44 age group has risen from 17.2% to 18.3%. Conversely, the 5-14 age group has declined from 9.4% to 8.2%. By 2041, Dulwich Hill's age composition is expected to change significantly. The 75-84 age group is projected to grow by 41%, reaching 974 people from the previous count of 693. This growth will be led by those aged 65 and above, who are expected to comprise 87% of the population growth. Meanwhile, population declines are projected for the 55-64 and 15-24 age cohorts.