Forestville (NSW)

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

Forestville's population, as of November 2025, is estimated at around 8,693 people. This figure represents an increase of 34 individuals since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 8,659. The current estimate is derived from AreaSearch's validation of new addresses and their analysis of the ABS's latest ERP data release in June 2024, indicating a resident population of 8,688 with an additional 3 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 1,881 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Forestville's growth rate of 0.4% since the census is within 2.8 percentage points of the SA4 region's growth rate of 3.2%, indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population gains in recent periods.

For projections, AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia data released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for each SA2 area, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 for areas not covered by the former. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas from 2032 to 2041. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, Forestville is expected to increase by 366 persons to 2041, reflecting a total increase of 3.9% over the 17 years.

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 approximately 10 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling around 54 homes. In FY26 so far, there have been 4 recorded approvals. The average new resident arrival per new home in Forestville is about 0.3 persons per year between FY21 and FY25. This suggests supply meets or exceeds demand, offering more buyer choices and potential for population growth beyond projections.

Average dwelling construction cost is around $866,000, indicating a focus on premium properties. Commercial approvals in Forestville this financial year amount to $90,000, reflecting its residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Forestville has significantly less development activity, 57.0% below the regional average per person. This limited new construction often reinforces demand and pricing for existing homes, although building activity has increased recently. The area's established character is also evident when compared to the national average.

Recent construction consists of 92.0% detached houses and 8.0% attached dwellings, maintaining Forestville's traditional suburban focus on family homes. With around 558 people per dwelling approval, Forestville represents a highly mature market. According to AreaSearch quarterly estimates, Forestville is projected to gain 339 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favourable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 20 projects likely impacting the region. Notable ones include Forestway Shopping Centre Redevelopment, Forestville RSL Club Redevelopment, Angel Place Seniors Living, and Forest High School Science and Technology Centre. 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 conditions in Forestville demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Forestville has a highly educated workforce with professional services well represented. As of June 2025, its unemployment rate was 2.3%.

Over the past year, it showed relative employment stability. The area's unemployment rate was 1.9% lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, and workforce participation was at par with Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Key employment sectors among residents include professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and education & training. Notably, professional & technical jobs were concentrated at 1.3 times the regional average.

However, transport, postal & warehousing was 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 comparison of working population and resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the labour force increased by 0.1%, while employment declined by 0.3%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 0.4 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.6% and labour force growth of 2.9%, with an unemployment rate rise of 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 project national employment to expand by 6.6% over five years and 14.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Forestville's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by approximately 7.2% over five years and 14.4% over ten years, assuming constant population projections for illustrative purposes.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

Forestville had a median taxpayer income of $58,481 and an average income of $98,558 in financial year 2022, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This places Forestville among the top percentile nationally, contrasting with Greater Sydney's median income of $56,994 and average income of $80,856 during the same period. By September 2025, current estimates based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% would be approximately $65,855 (median) and $110,986 (average). In 2021 Census figures, household incomes in Forestville ranked at the 90th percentile with a weekly income of $2,507. Income analysis showed that 32.1% of locals (2,790 people) fell into the $4000+ category, differing from the surrounding region where the $1,500 - 2,999 category predominated at 30.9%. The locality demonstrated affluence with 43.4% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. High housing costs consumed 16.8% of income, but strong earnings still placed disposable income at the 89th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 9th decile.

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

The dwelling structure in Forestville, as per the latest Census, consisted of 80.4% houses and 19.6% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Sydney metro had 57.6% houses and 42.4% other dwellings. Home ownership in Forestville was at 41.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 38.3% and rented ones at 20.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $3,250, higher than Sydney metro's average of $3,000. The median weekly rent figure was $650, compared to Sydney metro's $592. Nationally, Forestville's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national average of $375.

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

Family households constitute 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 comprise the remaining 21.9%, with lone person households at 21.0% and group households making up 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 residents aged 15 and above exhibit a notable educational advantage with 43.2% holding university qualifications, surpassing Australia's 30.4% and NSW's 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are the most prevalent at 28.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (11.0%) and graduate diplomas (3.6%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 25.8% of residents holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (11.2%) and certificates (14.6%). Educational participation is high, with 33.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, comprising 11.7% in primary, 11.1% in secondary, and 5.6% in tertiary education.

Forestville's five schools have a combined enrollment of 941 students as of the latest data. The area demonstrates significant socio-educational advantages with an ICSEA score of 1136. Educational mix includes four primary schools and one K-12 school, providing 10.8 school places per 100 residents, below the regional average of 16.2. Some students may attend schools in adjacent areas due to limited local capacity.

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

Forestville has 35 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 53 different routes that collectively facilitate 2,917 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of public transport in Forestville is rated as good, with residents typically living within 298 meters of the nearest stop.

On average, there are 416 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 83 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Forestville's health metrics show robust performance across all age groups. Both younger and older residents have low prevalence of common health conditions. Private health cover stands at approximately 66% of the total population (5,718 people), higher than Greater Sydney's 71.5%, but lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (7.1%) and asthma (6.2%). A majority, 73.2%, report no medical ailments, slightly below Greater Sydney's 74.7%. Forestville has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 19.7% (1,712 people), compared to Greater Sydney's 17.8%. Senior health outcomes align with the general population's profile.

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's population showed high cultural diversity, with 33.2% born overseas and 25.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, comprising 54.1%. Judaism was overrepresented compared to Greater Sydney, at 0.8% vs 0.3%.

The top three ancestral groups were English (25.4%), Australian (21.8%), and Other (13.6%). Notably, French ancestry was higher than regional averages, at 1.9% vs 1.1%, Serbian stood at 0.6% (matching regional levels), and Croatian was at 1.0% vs 0.7%.

Forestville hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Forestville is 43 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and exceeds the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that individuals aged 5-14 years make up 15.5% of the population, while those aged 25-34 years constitute only 5.8%. Between 2021 and present, the proportion of individuals aged 15-24 has increased from 12.2% to 15.3%, while the proportion of those aged 75-84 has decreased from 8.1% to 7.3%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate that the age group of 65-74 years is expected to increase by 296 people (43%), growing from 695 to 992 individuals. Notably, the combined population aged 65 and above will account for 90% of total population growth, reflecting Forestville's aging demographic trend. Conversely, the age groups of 55-64 years and 45-54 years are projected to experience population declines.