Rathmines

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

As of Nov 2025, Rathmines' population is estimated at around 2,158 people. This reflects an increase of 82 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,076 people. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of the resident population at 2,156 following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024, along with an additional 14 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population results in a density ratio of 531 persons per square kilometer. Rathmines' growth rate of 3.9% since census is within 1.2 percentage points of the non-metro area's growth rate of 5.1%. Overseas migration contributed approximately 53.0% of overall population gains during recent periods, with all drivers including natural growth and interstate migration being positive factors.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Looking ahead, the suburb is expected to grow by 9 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a decrease of 3.2% in total over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Rathmines according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers indicates Rathmines has recorded approximately 13 residential property approvals annually over the past five financial years, totalling an estimated 69 homes. As of FY26, 10 approvals have been recorded. The average new residents per year per dwelling constructed between FY21 and FY25 is 0.8. New construction appears to match or exceed demand, offering buyers more options and potentially enabling population growth.

Average construction value for new properties is $679,000, suggesting a focus on the premium market with high-end developments. This financial year, $8.0 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating limited commercial development activity compared to residential. When compared to Rest of NSW and nationally, Rathmines shows approximately 75% of construction activity per person and ranks among the 71st percentile of areas assessed.

New development consists predominantly of detached dwellings (92.0%) with a smaller proportion of townhouses or apartments (8.0%), maintaining the area's low density nature. With around 181 people per dwelling approval, Rathmines exhibits characteristics of a low-density area. Given stable or declining population forecasts, housing pressure in Rathmines may be relatively low, presenting favourable conditions for buyers.

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

Three projects identified by AreaSearch are expected to impact the area: Wangi Shores Retirement Village Stage 3B Block K, Rathmines Park Transformation, and 1 Kent Place, Wangi Wangi - a three-storey apartment building with 13 residences. Additionally, the 114-120 Cary Street Mixed Use Development is also notable.

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

Rathmines has a skilled workforce with well-represented essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 2.5% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 2.0%.

As of June 2025, 1,027 residents are employed, and the unemployment rate is 1.2% lower than Rest of NSW's rate of 3.7%. Workforce participation is similar to Rest of NSW's 56.4%. Dominant employment sectors include health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction.

However, agriculture, forestry & fishing is under-represented at 0.9% compared to Rest of NSW's 5.3%. Employment opportunities locally may be limited based on Census data. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.0% while labour force grew by 2.3%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points. By comparison, Rest of NSW saw employment decline by 0.1%, labour force growth of 0.3%, with unemployment rising by 0.4 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from Sep-22 suggest potential future demand in Rathmines. National employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but growth rates vary significantly between sectors. Applying these projections to Rathmines's employment mix indicates local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Rathmines had a median taxpayer income of $47,028 and an average income of $65,425. These figures are close to national averages, which were $49,459 and $62,998 respectively for Rest of NSW. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.61% since financial year 2022, estimated median income in Rathmines as of September 2025 is approximately $52,958, with average income at around $73,675. Census data indicates household, family and personal incomes in Rathmines are modest, ranking between the 34th and 36th percentiles. The largest income segment comprises 30.0% earning $1,500 - $2,999 weekly (647 residents), similar to regional levels where this group also represents 29.9%. After housing expenses, 85.6% of income remains for other expenditures. Rathmines' SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

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

The dwelling structure in Rathmines, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 92.9% houses and 7.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Non-Metro NSW's 89.7% houses and 10.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Rathmines was at 45.3%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (41.0%) or rented (13.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $1,733, below the Non-Metro NSW average of $1,900. The median weekly rent figure was recorded at $400, compared to Non-Metro NSW's $380. Nationally, Rathmines's mortgage repayments are lower than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents exceed the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 79.0% of all households, including 29.4% couples with children, 34.2% couples without children, and 15.0% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 21.0%, with lone person households at 18.5% and group households comprising 2.3%. The median household size is 2.6 people, larger than the Rest of NSW average of 2.5.

Educational attainment in Rathmines aligns closely with national averages, showing typical qualification patterns and performance metrics

The area's university qualification rate is 20.3%, significantly lower than NSW's average of 32.2%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 14.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (3.7%) and graduate diplomas (2.2%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 45.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (11.4%) and certificates (33.8%). Educational participation is high at 27.6%, comprising primary education (10.0%), secondary education (7.6%), and tertiary education (3.6%).

Rathmines Public School serves the area with an enrollment of 328 students, offering balanced educational opportunities typical of Australian schools (ICSEA: 1000). The school focuses on primary education, with secondary options available nearby. School capacity exceeds local needs at 15.2 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 12.3, indicating the area functions as an educational hub for surrounding regions.

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

Rathmines has 20 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 32 different routes that together facilitate 241 weekly passenger trips. Rathmines' transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents on average located just 139 meters from the nearest transport stop.

The service frequency across all routes averages 34 trips per day, which equates to about 12 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Rathmines is well below average with prevalence of common health conditions notable across both younger and older age cohorts

Rathmines faces significant health challenges, with common conditions prevalent across both younger and older age groups.

Private health cover stands at approximately 53%, or around 1,139 people, higher than the average SA2 area. The most frequent medical issues are arthritis (affecting 11.2% of residents) and mental health problems (10.1%). Notably, 58.8% of Rathmines residents report no medical ailments, compared to 60.3% in Rest of NSW. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over, at 26.6% or 574 people, compared to the regional average of 21.9%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are challenging but perform better than the general population in terms of health metrics.

Rathmines is considerably less culturally diverse than average when assessed alongside AreaSearch's national rankings for language and cultural background related metrics

Rathmines, surveyed in June 2016, showed low cultural diversity with 88.2% of its residents born in Australia, 92.8% being citizens, and 95.5% speaking English only at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, practiced by 55.4%, compared to 54.0% regionally. The top three ancestral groups were English (32.8%), Australian (30.0%), and Scottish (9.9%).

Notably, Welsh (1.3%) and Lebanese (0.4%) populations were higher than the regional averages of 0.7% and 0.1%, respectively. However, Australian Aboriginal representation was lower at 2.9% compared to the regional average of 4.5%.

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

Rathmines has a median age of 47 years, which is significantly higher than the Rest of NSW average of 43 years and substantially exceeds the national average of 38 years. The age profile shows that those aged 65-74 years make up 15.9% of the population, a figure notably higher than the national average of 9.4%. Meanwhile, the 25-34 age group comprises only 8.8%, which is smaller compared to the Rest of NSW average. Between 2021 and present day, the 75-84 age group has grown from 6.8% to 8.2% of the population, while the 55-64 age group has declined from 14.9% to 13.4%. By 2041, Rathmines is projected to experience significant shifts in its age composition. Notably, the 25-34 age group is expected to grow by 19%, increasing from 189 to 226 people. Conversely, the 5-14 and 65-74 age groups are anticipated to see population declines.