Forest Hill (NSW)

Forest Hill lies within the top quartile of areas nationally for population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of recent, and medium to long-term trends

The Forest Hill (NSW) statistical area (Lv2), as of November 2025, has an estimated population of around 3,207. This figure represents a growth of 126 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,081. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 3,104 in June 2024 and an additional 110 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 92 persons per square kilometer. Forest Hill (NSW) has seen a growth rate of 4.1% since the 2021 Census, exceeding both its SA3 area's 3.9% and the SA4 region's growth rates. Natural growth contributed approximately 56% to overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch's projections for Forest Hill (NSW) are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. These projections forecast significant population increases in regional areas, including Forest Hill (NSW), which is expected to grow by 1,027 persons by 2041, reflecting an increase of 31.2% over the 17-year period.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Forest Hill when compared nationally

Based on AreaSearch analysis, Forest Hill had approximately 31 dwelling approvals per year. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 155 homes were approved, with a further 8 approved in FY-26. Each new dwelling brought an average of 2.3 new residents annually over the past five financial years.

The average construction cost value for new homes was $451,000, indicating a focus on premium market segment properties. This year, there were $714,000 in commercial approvals, suggesting minimal commercial development activity. Compared to Rest of NSW, Forest Hill had 111.0% more new home approvals per capita as of recent data. The area's new development consisted of 82.0% standalone homes and 18.0% medium and high-density housing, maintaining its traditional low density character.

There were approximately 154 people per dwelling approval in Forest Hill, indicating a low density market. According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, the area is projected to gain 1,002 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should meet demand comfortably, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting population growth beyond current projections.

Forest Hill has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified four projects likely influencing the region: Brunslea Park Estate, Riverina Redevelopment Program, Wagga Wagga Airport Infrastructure Upgrades, and Regional Express (Rex) Pilot Academy. The following details these key projects in order of relevance.

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

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Employment performance in Forest Hill ranks among the strongest 15% of areas evaluated nationally

Forest Hill has a balanced workforce comprising white and blue-collar jobs. Essential services sectors are well represented.

The unemployment rate was 1.6% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 4.6%. As of September 2025, 1,916 residents were employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.2%, below Rest of NSW's 3.8%. Workforce participation was 70.8%, compared to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Dominant employment sectors include public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and retail trade.

Public administration & safety had employment levels at 5.1 times the regional average. Conversely, education & training showed lower representation at 4.5% versus the regional average of 9.6%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited, as indicated by Census data comparing working population to resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 4.6%, while labour force increased by 5.2%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.6 percentage points. Rest of NSW saw employment decline by 0.5% and unemployment rise by 0.4 percentage points during this period. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows NSW employment contracted by 0.03%, with an unemployment rate of 3.9%. National unemployment was 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but growth rates vary significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Forest Hill's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 5.4% over five years and 11.8% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation and does not account for localised population projections.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 shows Forest Hill's median income among taxpayers is $57,154, with an average of $67,222. This aligns with national averages and compares to Rest of NSW's median of $52,390 and average of $65,215. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year 2023, current estimates for Forest Hill would be approximately $62,218 (median) and $73,178 (average) as of September 2025. According to the 2021 Census, personal income in Forest Hill ranks at the 71st percentile ($932 weekly), while household income sits at the 52nd percentile. Distribution data indicates that 42.5% of individuals earn between $1,500 and $2,999, consistent with broader trends across the metropolitan region showing 29.9% in the same category. After housing expenses, 86.0% of income remains for other expenses.

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

Forest Hill's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 89.9% houses and 10.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro NSW's 88.4% houses and 11.7% other dwellings. Home ownership in Forest Hill was at 18.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 46.0% and rented ones at 35.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,300, below Non-Metro NSW's average of $1,430. Median weekly rent in Forest Hill was $310, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $280. Nationally, Forest Hill's mortgage repayments were significantly lower than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially below the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 77.7% of all households, including 39.6% couples with children, 22.6% couples without children, and 14.9% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 22.3%, with lone person households at 19.3% and group households comprising 1.8%. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5.

Educational outcomes in Forest Hill fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

The area's university qualification rate is 15.0%, significantly lower than NSW's average of 32.2%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 11.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.2%) and graduate diplomas (1.5%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 45.9% of residents aged 15+ holding them - advanced diplomas at 11.4% and certificates at 34.5%.

Educational participation is high, with 38.3% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 12.8% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 2.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Forest Hill has 32 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 13 different routes that together offer 307 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of transport in Forest Hill is rated as excellent, with residents located an average of 158 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 43 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 9 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Forest Hill exhibits above-average health outcomes with a lower prevalence of common health conditions among its general population compared to national averages. However, certain older and at-risk cohorts have higher-than-average prevalence rates.

Approximately 54% (~1,716 people) of Forest Hill's population has private health cover, slightly higher than the average for comparable SA2 areas (51.5%). The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 10.9 and 9.3% of residents respectively, while 71.4% report being completely free from medical ailments compared to 64.5% in the rest of NSW. Forest Hill has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 6.8% (218 people) than the rest of NSW (19.6%). Despite this, health outcomes among seniors require more attention than those of the broader population.

Forest Hill ranks below the Australian average when compared to other local markets across a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Forest Hill's cultural diversity was below average, with 86.4% citizens, 88.2% born in Australia, and 89.9% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 49.1%. The most significant overrepresentation was in Other religions, which made up 1.0%, compared to 1.5% regionally.

Top ancestry groups were Australian (32.0%), English (27.6%), and Scottish (7.0%). Notably, Australian Aboriginal (6.2%) was overrepresented compared to the regional average of 4.5%. Welsh (0.7%) and South African (0.6%) populations also exceeded their respective regional averages of 0.3% and 0.2%.

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

Forest Hill has a median age of 25 years, which is lower than the Rest of NSW average of 43 and the Australian median of 38. Compared to Rest of NSW, Forest Hill has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (26.2%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (4.2%). This percentage for the 15-24 age group is higher than the national average of 12.5%. From 2021 to present, the proportion of Forest Hill's population aged 25-34 has increased from 15.6% to 17.2%, while the proportion of those aged 15-24 has decreased from 27.5% to 26.2%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Forest Hill's age profile will change significantly. The 25-34 age cohort is projected to grow by 291 people (53%), from 551 to 843 residents.