Mona Vale

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

Mona Vale's population is estimated at around 10,690 as of Feb 2026. This reflects a decrease from the 2021 Census figure of 10,877 people, a change inferred from AreaSearch validated data and ABS ERP release in June 2024. The population density is 2,329 persons per square kilometer, above national averages. Over the past decade, Mona Vale had a compound annual growth rate of 0.7%, outpacing its SA3 area. Overseas migration primarily drove population growth. AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year.

For areas not covered, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections are used, released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. By 2041, Mona Vale is projected to increase by 692 persons, reflecting a gain of 9.9% over 17 years, just below the median national growth rate.

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

Mona Vale has received approximately 21 dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling around 107 homes. In FY-26 so far, four approvals have been recorded. The average number of new residents per new home has been around 1.9 annually between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating a balanced supply and demand in the market. However, this figure has increased to 12.2 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing demand and tightening supply. The average construction value of new homes is $931,000, reflecting a focus on premium properties by developers.

Commercial approvals totalling $2.6 million have been registered in this financial year, demonstrating Mona Vale's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Sydney, Mona Vale shows around 67% of the construction activity per person and ranks among the 11th percentile nationally, indicating limited buyer options while strengthening demand for established properties. New building activity comprises approximately 30.0% standalone homes and 70.0% medium and high-density housing, marking a shift from existing housing patterns (currently 54.0% houses). This trend may be due to diminishing developable land availability and evolving lifestyle preferences. Mona Vale has around 1376 people per approval and is projected to gain approximately 1,059 residents by 2041. If current construction levels persist, housing supply could lag population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and supporting price growth.

Population forecasts indicate Mona Vale will gain 1,059 residents through to 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). Should current construction levels persist, housing supply could lag population growth, likely intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

Mona Vale has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly affect an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 24 projects that could impact the region. Notable ones include Warriewood Valley Release Area, Pittwater Plaza Redevelopment, Mona Vale Place Plan, and Dove Lane Residences. The following list details those likely to be most relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

Employment performance in Mona Vale exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Mona Vale has a well-educated workforce with professional services being strongly represented. Its unemployment rate is 3.0%, as per AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of September 2025, 5969 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 1.2% lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%.

Workforce participation stands at 67.6%, slightly below Greater Sydney's 70.0%. Census responses indicate that 43.2% of residents work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Key industries for employment among Mona Vale residents are construction, health care & social assistance, and professional & technical services. The area shows a strong specialization in construction with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level.

Conversely, transport, postal & warehousing is under-represented at 3.1% compared to Greater Sydney's 5.3%. Local employment opportunities exist but many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. In the year ending September 2025, Mona Vale experienced a 0.6% decrease in labour force and a 1.3% decline in employment, leading to an unemployment rate increase of 0.6 percentage points. Meanwhile, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.1% and labour force growth of 2.4%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Mona Vale's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

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

Mona Vale's median taxpayer income was $59,569, with an average of $95,706 in financial year 2023. This is notably high compared to Greater Sydney's median income of $60,817 and average income of $83,003. By September 2025, estimates project the median income to be approximately $64,847 and the average to be around $104,186, based on a Wage Price Index growth rate of 8.86%. In Mona Vale, household, family, and personal incomes ranked highly nationally, between the 80th and 83rd percentiles according to 2021 Census figures. The income bracket of $1,500 - 2,999 dominated in Mona Vale, with 27.8% of residents (2,971 people) falling within this range, closely mirroring regional levels at 30.9%. A significant proportion, 38.8%, earned over $3,000 per week, indicating affluence and supporting premium retail and service offerings. Despite high housing costs consuming 15.8% of income, disposable income remained at the 82nd percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 9th decile.

Mona Vale displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Mona Vale's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 53.7% houses and 46.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Mona Vale stood at 46.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 31.0% and rented ones at 22.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,033, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in Mona Vale was $650, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Mona Vale's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $1,863 and rents substantially above the national figure of $375.

Mona Vale has a typical household mix, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 74.1% of all households, including 34.0% couples with children, 30.5% couples without children, and 9.2% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 25.9%, with lone person households at 23.7% and group households making up 2.0%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which is smaller than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

Mona Vale's residents aged 15+ have a university degree rate of 33.8%, lower than the SA4 region's 41.5%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 24.3%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.1%) and graduate diplomas (2.4%). Vocational credentials are held by 35.5% of residents, with advanced diplomas at 14.1% and certificates at 21.4%. Educational participation is high at 28.5%, including primary (9.4%), secondary (8.8%), and tertiary education (4.6%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 28.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.4% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 4.6% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Mona Vale has 101 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 88 different routes, together facilitating 6,160 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically residing just 177 meters from the nearest stop. As a predominantly residential zone, most commuting in Mona Vale is outward-bound. Cars remain the primary mode of transportation, used by 83% of residents, while walking accounts for 8%. The average vehicle ownership per dwelling stands at 1.5, exceeding the regional norm.

According to the 2021 Census, a significant 43.2% of Mona Vale residents work from home, which may be partly attributed to COVID-19 conditions. On average, there are 880 trips daily across all routes, translating to roughly 60 weekly trips per individual stop. The accompanying map illustrates the 100 nearest stops in relation to the location's centrepoint.

Mona Vale's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Mona Vale shows excellent health outcomes based on AreaSearch's analysis of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Younger cohorts have a very low prevalence of common health conditions. Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 65% of Mona Vale's total population (6,912 people), compared to Greater Sydney's 59.9% and the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (8.4%) and asthma (6.4%). 71.4% of residents report no medical ailments, slightly lower than Greater Sydney's 74.6%. Mona Vale has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 26.0% (2,779 people) compared to Greater Sydney's 15.4%. While health outcomes among seniors are strong, they rank lower nationally than the broader population.

In terms of cultural diversity, Mona Vale records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Mona Vale, as per the 2016 Census, had a cultural diversity index above average with 10.5% of residents speaking languages other than English at home and 25.5% born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion in Mona Vale, comprising 54.7%. Notably, Judaism was overrepresented at 0.3%, compared to Greater Sydney's 0.8%.

Regarding ancestry, English (32.1%) and Australian (24.6%) were significantly higher than regional averages of 19.0% and 17.8% respectively. Irish ancestry stood at 9.2%. Other ethnic groups showed notable differences: Serbian was overrepresented at 1.0%, Croatian at 1.4%, and Hungarian at 0.4%.

Mona Vale hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Mona Vale as of 2021 was 46 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and also above Australia's median age of 38 years. In Mona Vale, the cohort aged 65-74 made up 12.6% of the population, significantly higher than the Greater Sydney average, while those aged 25-34 constituted only 8.6%. Between the 2021 Census and the previous census, the proportion of residents aged 15 to 24 increased from 11.3% to 13.9%, and those aged 75 to 84 grew from 8.4% to 9.7%. Conversely, the percentage of people aged 35 to 44 decreased from 10.9% to 9.1%, and the group aged 5 to 14 dropped from 12.1% to 10.4%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate substantial demographic shifts in Mona Vale. The number of people aged 75 to 84 is projected to increase by 460 individuals (a 44% rise) from 1,036 to 1,497. This aging population trend is evident as those aged 65 and above are expected to account for 89% of the total population growth. Meanwhile, the cohorts aged 45-54 and 0-4 are anticipated to experience population declines.