Fairfield West

Population growth drivers in Fairfield West are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

As of November 2025, the estimated population of Fairfield West is around 13,287 people. This reflects an increase of 306 individuals since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 12,981. The latest estimate comes from AreaSearch's validation of new addresses and examination of ABS ERP data released in June 2024, indicating a resident population of 13,257 plus an additional 28 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 4,113 persons per square kilometer, placing Fairfield West in the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's growth rate of 2.4% since the 2021 census exceeds that of its SA3 area at 2.2%, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Overseas migration contributed approximately 79.0% of overall population gains during recent periods, driving primary population growth for Fairfield West.

AreaSearch's projections for Fairfield West are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. Future population trends suggest that the suburb will experience an increase just below the median of statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch, with an expected growth of 653 persons to reach a total of around 13,940 people by 2041, reflecting a gain of approximately 6.1% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within Fairfield West when compared nationally

Fairfield West has seen approximately 53 new homes approved each year over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 268 homes. As of FY-26, 15 approvals have been recorded. On average, 1.7 new residents per year arrived with each new home between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating a balanced supply and demand creating stable market conditions. However, recent data shows this ratio has increased to 4.7 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, reflecting Fairfield West's growing popularity and potential supply constraints. New properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $321,000, below the regional average, suggesting more affordable housing options for buyers.

In FY-26, commercial approvals valued at $342,000 have been registered, demonstrating Fairfield West's residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Fairfield West records 11.0% less building activity per person and ranks among the 53rd percentile of areas assessed nationally. New development consists of 52.0% detached dwellings and 48.0% medium and high-density housing, with a growing mix of townhouses and apartments providing options across different price points. This represents a considerable change from the current housing mix, which is currently 88.0% houses, reflecting reduced availability of development sites and addressing shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements.

The location has approximately 304 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. Population forecasts indicate Fairfield West will gain 816 residents by 2041, based on the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. Given current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 21 projects that could affect this region. Notable projects include EVO Fairfield, The Vale - Fairfield Heights (Stage 3), Fairfield Heights Town Centre Public Domain Upgrades, and 368 Hamilton Road Mixed-Use Development. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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Employment drivers in Fairfield West are experiencing difficulties, placing it among the bottom 20% of areas assessed across Australia

Fairfield West has a diverse workforce with both white and blue collar jobs, prominent manufacturing and industrial sectors, an unemployment rate of 8.6%, and estimated employment growth of 6.5% in the past year (AreaSearch data). As of June 2025, 5,002 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 4.4%, higher than Greater Sydney's 4.2%.

Workforce participation is lower at 38.9% compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Key employment industries include manufacturing, retail trade, and health care & social assistance. Manufacturing dominates with an employment share of 2.2 times the regional level. However, professional & technical jobs are under-represented at 5.3%, compared to Greater Sydney's 11.5%.

Employment opportunities locally may be limited as indicated by Census data. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 6.5% and labour force by 5.1%, reducing the unemployment rate by 1.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney had employment growth of 2.6%, labour force growth of 2.9%, with a slight rise in unemployment (0.3 percentage points). Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest potential future demand within Fairfield West. Over five years, national employment is projected to expand by 6.6% and over ten years by 13.7%. Applying these projections to Fairfield West's employment mix indicates local employment should increase by 5.8% over five years and 12.4% over ten years (simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes).

Income figures position the area below 75% of locations analysed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year ending June 30, 2022 shows that income in Fairfield West is below the national average. The median income was $41,860 while the average income stood at $50,754. This contrasts with Greater Sydney's figures of a median income of $56,994 and an average income of $80,856 for the same period. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year ending June 30, 2022, current estimates would be approximately $47,139 (median) and $57,154 (average) as of September 2025. From the Census conducted in August 2021, individual incomes lag at the 2nd percentile with a weekly income of $476, while household income performs better at the 30th percentile. Distribution data shows that the earnings band of $1,500 - 2,999 captures 31.3% of the community (4,158 individuals), consistent with broader trends across the region showing 30.9% in the same category. Housing affordability pressures are severe, with only 79.4% of income remaining after housing costs, ranking at the 24th percentile.

Fairfield West is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Fairfield West's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 88.4% houses and 11.6% other dwellings. This compares to Sydney metro's 73.3% houses and 26.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Fairfield West was 34.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 29.0% and rented ones at 36.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, aligning with Sydney metro's average, while the median weekly rent was $440 compared to Sydney metro's $400. Nationally, Fairfield West's mortgage repayments exceeded the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially higher than the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 85.0% of all households, including 47.6% couples with children, 17.7% couples without children, and 18.0% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 15.0%, with lone person households at 13.2% and group households comprising 1.9% of the total. The median household size is 3.4 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 3.2.

Fairfield West faces educational challenges, with performance metrics placing it in the bottom quartile of areas assessed nationally

The area faces educational challenges, with university qualification rates at 14.2%, significantly below Greater Sydney's average of 38.0%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 11.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.0%) and graduate diplomas (0.6%). Vocational pathways account for 24.9% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 8.8% and certificates at 16.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 34.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 10.6% in primary, 10.5% in secondary, and 5.5% pursuing tertiary education. Fairfield West's three schools have a combined enrollment of 3,364 students. The area has varied educational conditions (ICSEA: 933) with educational provision following conventional lines, split between one primary and two secondary institutions. School capacity exceeds typical residential needs (25.3 places per 100 residents vs regional average of 17.4), indicating the area serves as an educational center for the broader region.

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

Fairfield West has 59 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 41 different routes that together facilitate 1,484 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average located 171 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 212 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 25 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Fairfield West is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population and nearer the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Fairfield West shows better-than-average health outcomes with fewer common health conditions among its general population compared to national averages for older and at-risk groups. Approximately 47% of Fairfield West's total population (~6,254 people) has private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (7.3%) and diabetes (6.0%). About 75.5% of residents claim to be free from medical ailments, similar to Greater Sydney's 75.6%. Fairfield West has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 16.3% (2,165 people) compared to Greater Sydney's 19.0%. However, health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population.

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

Fairfield West has one of the most culturally diverse populations in Australia, with 59.5% of its residents born overseas and 75.1% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Fairfield West, accounting for 63.0% of the population. Buddhism, while still significant at 15.7%, is lower than the Greater Sydney average of 21.7%.

Regarding ancestry, the top three groups are Other (39.5%), Vietnamese (16.4%), and Australian (8.8%). Some ethnic groups show notable differences in representation: Croatian is slightly higher at 1.6% compared to the regional average of 1.7%, Serbian is lower at 1.1% versus 1.8%, and Spanish remains unchanged at 1.0%.

Fairfield West's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Fairfield West's median age is 36 years, nearly matching Greater Sydney's average of 37 years, which is slightly below Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to Greater Sydney, Fairfield West has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (16.8%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (12.6%). Between the 2021 Census and now, the percentage of residents aged 15-24 has increased from 14.7% to 16.8%, while the percentage of residents aged 45-54 has decreased from 12.8% to 11.6%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests that Fairfield West's age profile will change significantly. The 75-84 age group is projected to grow by 55%, adding 439 residents and reaching a total of 1,237 residents. Residents aged 65 and above are expected to drive 70% of population growth, indicating demographic aging trends. Conversely, the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are projected to experience population declines.