South Hurstville

South Hurstville has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

As of May 2026, the population of South Hurstville is estimated at around 6,130, reflecting a 909 person increase (17.4%) since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 5,221. This change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimation of resident population at 6,112 following examination of ABS' latest ERP data release in June 2025 and an additional 121 validated new addresses since the Census date. South Hurstville's population density is estimated at 6,009 persons per square kilometer, placing it within the top 10% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's 17.4% growth rate between 2021 and May 2026 exceeded both its SA4 region (6.5%) and state averages, indicating significant population growth driven primarily by overseas migration contributing approximately 95.0% of overall population gains during recent periods. AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area 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. Applying these growth rates to South Hurstville projects an above median population increase, with the suburb expected to grow by 971 persons to reach approximately 7,101 by 2041, reflecting a total increase of 15.6% over the 16-year period.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch is utilising the NSW State Government's SA2 level projections, as released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are also applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Considering the projected demographic shifts, an above median population growth of statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch is projected, with the area expected to increase by 971 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting with an increase of 15.6% in total over the 16 years.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees South Hurstville recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers allocated from statistical area data, South Hurstville has experienced around 37 dwellings receiving development approval each year. Over the past five financial years, between FY21 and FY25, approximately 189 homes were approved, with a further nine approved so far in FY26. On average, over these five years, 1.4 new residents per dwelling constructed have been recorded. However, this figure has increased to 9.8 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting increasing demand and tightening supply.

The average construction value of development projects is $644,000, indicating a focus on premium market properties. This year, $124,000 in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting a predominantly residential focus. Compared to Greater Sydney, South Hurstville has 84.0% more building activity per person. Currently, new development consists of 29.0% standalone homes and 71.0% townhouses or apartments, a shift from the current housing mix of 50.0% houses. This trend reflects reduced availability of development sites and addresses shifting lifestyle demands and affordability requirements. With around 335 people per dwelling approval, South Hurstville shows a developing market.

According to AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate, South Hurstville is expected to grow by 953 residents through to 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.

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

Area infrastructure changes significantly influence local performance. AreaSearch identified 12 projects impacting the area, with key ones including Horizon Hurstville, Lotus Residence Hurstville, Allen & George South Hurstville, and Sydney Metro - Future Sydenham to Hurstville Extension. The following list details those most relevant.

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The labour market in South Hurstville shows considerable strength compared to most other Australian regions

South Hurstville has a highly educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate is 2.9%. Over the past year, there was an estimated employment growth of 8.1%, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data.

As of December 2025, 3637 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 1.3% lower than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation stands at 71.4%, slightly higher than Greater Sydney's 68.8%. Notably, 40.9% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. The dominant employment sectors are health care & social assistance, retail trade, and professional & technical services.

South Hurstville shows significant specialization in transport, postal & warehousing (1.6 times the regional level), but underrepresentation in professional & technical services (9.4% vs Greater Sydney's 11.5%). Despite being predominantly residential, it offers limited local employment opportunities. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment levels increased by 8.1%, labour force grew by 8.5%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.4 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced employment growth of 2.2% and labour force growth of 2.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to South Hurstville's employment mix suggests local employment should grow by 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income levels sit below national averages according to AreaSearch assessment

The suburb of South Hurstville had a median taxpayer income of $46,976 and an average of $69,374 according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2023. This was slightly above the national average, contrasting with Greater Sydney's median income of $60,817 and average income of $83,003. By March 2026, based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32%, estimated incomes would be approximately $51,824 (median) and $76,533 (average). According to the 2021 Census, household income ranked at the 57th percentile ($1,867 weekly), while personal income was at the 32nd percentile. The earnings profile showed that 33.2% of locals (2,035 people) fell into the $1,500 - 2,999 category, similar to the metropolitan region where 30.9% occupied this range. High housing costs consumed 18.2% of income, but strong earnings placed disposable income at the 55th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 6th decile.

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

South Hurstville's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 49.5% houses and 50.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in South Hurstville stood at 35.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 34.3% and rented ones at 30.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,383, lower than Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in South Hurstville was $500, higher than Sydney metro's figure of $470. Nationally, South Hurstville's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

South Hurstville has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 74.6% of all households, including 39.2% couples with children, 19.7% couples without children, and 13.8% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 25.4%, with lone person households at 22.5% and group households making up 3.1%. The median household size is 2.8 people, larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

University qualification levels in South Hurstville are at 34.0%, slightly below the Greater Sydney average of 38.0%. Bachelor degrees are the most common, with 22.5% of residents holding one. Postgraduate qualifications follow at 9.9%, and graduate diplomas make up 1.6%.

Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 26.8% of residents aged 15+ having them. Advanced diplomas account for 11.9%, and certificates for 14.9%. Educational participation is high in South Hurstville, with 29.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.0% in primary education, 8.0% in secondary education, and 6.1% pursuing tertiary education.

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

South Hurstville has 31 active public transport stops, all serving buses. These stops are covered by 13 different routes, together offering 1,116 weekly passenger trips. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 109 meters to the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward from this primarily residential area. Cars remain the primary mode of transport at 76%, followed by trains at 14% and walking at 5%. On average, there are 1.2 vehicles per dwelling.

According to the 2021 Census, 40.9% of residents work from home, which may be influenced by COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency averages 159 trips per day across all routes, translating to approximately 36 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

South Hurstville shows strong health metrics based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Both young and old age cohorts have low prevalence of common health conditions.

Private health cover is high at approximately 54% of the total population (around 3,332 people), compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney. The most common medical conditions are arthritis and diabetes, affecting 5.7% and 4.7% of residents respectively. Seventy-seven point three percent of residents claim to be completely free from medical ailments, compared to 74.6% in Greater Sydney. South Hurstville has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 17.7% (around 1,085 people), compared to 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, ranking broadly in line with the general population nationally.

South Hurstville is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

South Hurstville, as of the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2016, had a population that was 48.9% born overseas. A total of 61.9% spoke languages other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, with 47.0%.

Buddhism was notably higher in South Hurstville at 5.5%, compared to Greater Sydney's 4.1%. In terms of ancestry, Chinese was the highest at 29.9%, significantly higher than Greater Sydney's 8.4%. Other ancestry made up 11.2%, while English was lower at 11.0% compared to the regional average of 19.0%. Greek (6.9%), Lebanese (5.7%), and Croatian (1.7%) were also notably overrepresented in South Hurstville compared to Greater Sydney's figures of 1.9%, 2.6%, and 0.7% respectively.

South Hurstville's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in South Hurstville is 39 years, which is higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 and close to Australia's national average of 38. The 55-64 age group is notably over-represented at 11.4% locally compared to the Greater Sydney average, while the 5-14 year-olds are under-represented at 10.3%. Post-2021 Census data shows that South Hurstville has become younger with a median age drop from 40 years to 39 years between censuses. The 25-34 age group grew from 13.0% to 16.4%, and the 35-44 cohort increased from 13.9% to 15.8%. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort declined from 13.8% to 11.9%, and the 5-14 group dropped from 12.2% to 10.3%. By 2041, South Hurstville is expected to see significant shifts in its age composition. The 75-84 age group will grow by 67%, reaching 604 people from 361. Senior residents aged 65 and above will drive 61% of population growth, indicating demographic aging trends. In contrast, the 35-44 cohort shows minimal growth of just 1%.