Forestville (NSW)

An assessment of population growth drivers in Forestville reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

As of May 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of Forestville (NSW) is around 8,795. This figure reflects a growth of 136 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 8,659. The increase was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of 8,755 residents following examination of ABS data released in June 2025, along with an additional 24 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,903 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average seen across other areas assessed by AreaSearch. Forestville's growth rate of 1.6% since the census is competitive, being within 2.1 percentage points of the SA3 area's growth rate of 3.7%. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth in recent periods for Forestville.

For projections until 2041, AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 for areas not covered by the former data. Based on these aggregations, Forestville is expected to increase by 320 persons by 2041, reflecting an overall growth rate of 3.2% over the 16-year period.

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

Forestville has seen around 13 dwelling approvals per year on average over the past five financial years, totalling approximately 65 homes from FY-21 to FY-25. As of FY-26, 11 approvals have been recorded. The area has experienced an average of 0.8 new residents per new home built annually between FY-21 and FY-25. In Forestville, the average construction value of new homes is $866,000, indicating a focus on premium properties.

This financial year, $90,000 in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's residential nature. Comparatively, Forestville has about half the rate of new dwelling approvals per person when measured against Greater Sydney. Nationally, it ranks around the 46th percentile for areas assessed, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing homes. However, building activity has accelerated in recent years.

Recent construction comprises 88.0% detached houses and 12.0% attached dwellings, maintaining Forestville's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes. With around 354 people per dwelling approval, Forestville indicates a developed market. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Forestville is projected to gain 280 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

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

The performance of an area can greatly influenced by changes in local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. AreaSearch has identified a total of 19 such projects that could impact the area significantly. Notable among these are the Forestway Shopping Centre Redevelopment, Forestville RSL Club Redevelopment, Angel Place Seniors Living project, and the construction of the Forest High School Science and Technology Centre. The following list details those projects likely to have the most relevance.

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

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Employment performance in Forestville exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Forestville has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 2.9%, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of December 2025, 4,460 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 1.3% lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%.

Workforce participation in Forestville is somewhat below standard at 64.7%, compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%. Census responses indicate that 54.3% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. The dominant employment sectors are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Forestville has a notable concentration in professional & technical jobs, with levels at 1.3 times the regional average.

Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing is under-represented, with only 2.7% of Forestville's workforce compared to Greater Sydney's 5.3%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census data. Between December 2024 and December 2025, Forestville's labour force decreased by 0.1%, while employment declined by 0.8%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 0.7 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.2% and labour force growth of 2.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project overall employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Forestville's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not account for local population projections.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

The suburb of Forestville has a median taxpayer income of $58,481 and an average income of $98,558 according to the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. This places it in the top percentile nationally, contrasting with Greater Sydney's median income of $60,817 and average income of $83,003. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $64,516 (median) and $108,729 (average) as of March 2026. According to the 2021 Census figures, household incomes rank exceptionally high at the 90th percentile ($2,507 weekly). Income analysis reveals that the predominant cohort spans 32.1% of locals (2,823 people) in the $4000+ category, differing from the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 category predominates at 30.9%. The locality demonstrates significant affluence with 43.4% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. High housing costs consume 16.8% of income, however strong earnings still place disposable income at the 89th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

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

Forestville's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 80.4% houses and 19.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Forestville stood at 41.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 38.3% and rented ones at 20.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,250, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Forestville was $650, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Forestville's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 78.1% of all households, including 46.2% couples with children, 21.4% couples without children, and 9.6% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 21.9%, with lone person households at 21.0% and group households comprising 1.1%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Forestville demonstrates exceptional educational outcomes, ranking among the top 5% of areas nationally based on AreaSearch's comprehensive analysis of qualification and performance metrics

Forestville's educational attainment is notably high. Among residents aged 15+, 43.2% possess university qualifications, exceeding national (30.4%) and NSW (32.2%) averages. Bachelor degrees are most common at 28.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (11.0%) and graduate diplomas (3.6%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 25.8% of residents holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (11.2%) and certificates (14.6%).

Educational participation is high, with 33.4% currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (11.7%), secondary education (11.1%), and tertiary education (5.6%).

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

Forestville has 41 active public transport stops, all serving buses. These stops are covered by 53 different routes that together facilitate 3,802 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated good, with residents on average located 298 meters from their nearest stop. Predominantly residential, Forestville sees most residents commuting outward. Cars remain the primary mode of transport at 85%, while bus use stands at 7%. Each dwelling owns an average of 1.4 vehicles, exceeding the regional norm.

According to the 2021 Census, 54.3% of residents work from home, a figure possibly influenced by COVID-19 conditions. Across all routes, service frequency averages 543 trips per day, translating to roughly 92 weekly trips per stop.

Forestville's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Forestville. AreaSearch's assessment indicates low prevalence of common health conditions across both young and old age cohorts. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 66% of the total population (5,785 people), compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney and 55.7% nationally.

The most common medical conditions are arthritis and asthma, impacting 7.1 and 6.2% of residents respectively. A total of 73.2% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% across Greater Sydney. Forestville has 19.5% of residents aged 65 and over (1,715 people), higher than the 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

Forestville 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

Forestville, surveyed in June 2021, exhibited higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 33.2% of its population born overseas and 25.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity dominated Forestville's religious landscape, accounting for 54.1%. However, Judaism was notably overrepresented, comprising 0.8%, compared to the Greater Sydney average of 0.8%.

Regarding ancestry, the top three groups were English (25.4%), Australian (21.8%), and Other (13.6%). Some ethnic groups showed significant disparities: French at 1.9% (vs regional 0.5%), Serbian at 0.6% (vs 0.5%), and Croatian at 1.0% (vs 0.7%).

Forestville hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in Forestville is 43 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and also exceeds the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that individuals aged 5-14 years make up 15.1% of the population, while those aged 25-34 years constitute only 6.1%. Between 2021 and present, the proportion of individuals aged 15-24 has increased from 12.2% to 15.9%, while the percentage of those aged 0-4 has decreased from 4.9% to 3.9%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Forestville's age structure. The number of individuals aged 65-74 is projected to increase by 280 people (40%), from 694 to 975. Notably, the combined age groups of 65 and above will account for 92% of total population growth, reflecting Forestville's aging demographic profile. Conversely, the populations aged 45-54 and 15-24 are expected to decline.