St Ives Chase

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

As of February 2026, the estimated population of the suburb of St Ives Chase is around 3,334 people. This reflects an increase of 51 individuals since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,283 people. The change was inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of the resident population at 3,328 following examination of ABS's latest ERP data release in June 2024 and an additional six validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 958 persons per square kilometer, which is relatively in line with averages seen across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, St Ives Chase has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.1%, outpacing its SA3 area. Population growth for the suburb was primarily driven by overseas migration.

AreaSearch adopted ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year, and NSW State Government's SA2 level projections where applicable. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Based on aggregated SA2-level projections, St Ives Chase is expected to grow by 217 persons to reach a total of 3,551 people by the year 2041, reflecting an increase of approximately 10.5% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within St Ives Chase when compared nationally

Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, allocated from statistical area data, St Ives Chase has recorded around 5 residential properties granted approval per year. Over the past 5 financial years, between FY-21 and FY-25, approximately 28 homes were approved, with an additional 1 home approved so far in FY-26.

On average, this translates to about 4.3 new residents per year for every home built during these years. This demand outpaces supply, which typically exerts upward pressure on property prices and intensifies competition among buyers. The average construction value of new properties is $975,000, indicating a focus on the premium market with high-end developments. Compared to Greater Sydney, St Ives Chase records significantly lower building activity, approximately 56.0% below the regional average per person. This scarcity of new homes typically strengthens demand and prices for existing properties.

However, building activity has accelerated in recent years, though it remains below national averages, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints. Recent construction comprises predominantly detached dwellings (86.0%), with a smaller proportion of medium and high-density housing (14.0%). This maintains the area's traditional suburban character, focusing on family homes that appeal to those seeking space. The location has approximately 275 people per dwelling approval, indicating a low density market. Population forecasts indicate St Ives Chase will gain an additional 349 residents by 2041, according to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate. Should current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth in the area.

St Ives Chase has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified a single project likely affecting this region: Ku-ring-gai Transport Oriented Development, Newcastle-Sydney Rail Line Upgrades, Wollongong-Sydney Rail Line Upgrades, Sydney Metro City & Southwest Extension, and NSW Government Low and Mid-Rise Housing Reforms (Northern Beaches).

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AreaSearch analysis indicates St Ives Chase maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

St Ives Chase has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate is 3.5%, lower than Greater Sydney's 4.2%. As of September 2025, 1,642 residents are employed and the unemployment rate is 0.7% below the regional average.

Workforce participation stands at 66.4%, slightly below Greater Sydney's 70.0%. According to Census responses, 64.5% of residents work from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. The key industries for employment are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance. Professional & technical services have a particularly high concentration at 1.7 times the regional average, while construction shows lower representation at 4.7%.

Local employment opportunities appear limited based on Census data comparing working population to resident population. Between September 2024 and September 2025, labour force levels increased by 0.8% but employment decreased by 0.4%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate by 1.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment grow by 2.1%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia predict growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to St Ives Chase's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.4% over five years and 14.8% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released on 30 June 2023 for financial year 2023, St Ives Chase had a median income among taxpayers of $59,356 and an average income of $104,740. These figures are exceptionally high nationally compared to the Greater Sydney levels of $60,817 (median) and $83,023 (average). Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.86% since financial year 2023, current estimates for median income would be approximately $64,615 and average income would be around $114,020 as of September 2025. The 2021 Census data ranks household incomes in St Ives Chase at the 98th percentile with a weekly income of $3,306. Income analysis shows that 41.7% of residents (1,390 people) fall into the $4,000+ bracket, differing from regional levels where the $1,500 - $2,999 category is predominant at 30.9%. A substantial number of higher earners, 55.3%, exceed weekly income of $3,000, indicating strong purchasing power in the community. High housing costs consume 16.6% of income, but due to strong earnings, disposable income ranks at the 97th percentile. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

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

Dwelling structure in St Ives Chase, as evaluated at the latest Census held on 2nd August 2016, comprised 96.0% houses and 4.0% other dwellings. In comparison, Sydney metro had 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in St Ives Chase stood at 43.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 48.6% and rented ones at 7.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $4,223, higher than the Sydney metro average of $2,427. The median weekly rent figure in St Ives Chase was $950, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, St Ives Chase's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 90.7% of all households, including 57.6% couples with children, 25.7% couples without children, and 6.9% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 9.3%, with lone person households at 8.8% and group households comprising 1.0% of the total. The median household size is 3.2 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

St Ives Chase has a higher educational attainment than the national average, with 54.9% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications compared to Australia's 30.4%. This is also higher than New South Wales' 32.2%. The area's residents have a strong focus on higher education, with bachelor degrees being the most common at 33.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 18.1% and graduate diplomas at 3.4%. Vocational pathways are also pursued, with advanced diplomas accounting for 9.8% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, and certificates making up another 9.2%.

Educational participation is high in the area, with 34.4% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 13.5% in primary education, 10.3% in secondary education, and 5.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Transport analysis shows 20 active stops in St Ives Chase, served by buses. There are 12 routes offering 989 weekly passenger trips. Residents' average distance to nearest stop is 172 meters. Most residents commute outward, with car use at 88%, train at 7%. Average vehicle ownership per dwelling is 1.9. In 2021 Census data (possibly influenced by COVID-19), 64.5% of residents work from home.

Service frequency averages 141 trips daily across all routes, about 49 weekly trips per stop.

St Ives Chase's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

St Ives Chase shows excellent health outcomes, as assessed by AreaSearch using mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The area has a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. Approximately 68% of St Ives Chase residents have private health cover, compared to 59.9% in Greater Sydney and the national average of 55.7%.

Asthma and arthritis are the most prevalent medical conditions, affecting 6.1 and 5.0% of residents respectively. 76.5% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% in Greater Sydney. The area has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 20.3%, with 676 people falling into this category. This compares to 15.4% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are strong and align broadly with the general population nationally.

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

St Ives Chase has a notable cultural diversity, with 33.7% of its residents speaking a language other than English at home and 47.4% born overseas. Christianity is the dominant religion in St Ives Chase, accounting for 42.2% of the population. However, Judaism is significantly overrepresented, comprising 7.1%, which is substantially higher than the Greater Sydney average of 0.8%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English at 23.0%, Chinese at 18.2% (significantly higher than the regional average of 8.4%), and Australian at 16.7%. There are also notable divergences in other ethnic groups: South African is overrepresented at 4.0% compared to the regional average of 0.5%, Russian at 0.7% versus 0.4%, and Hungarian at 0.4% against a regional average of 0.3%.

St Ives Chase's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in St Ives Chase is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and Australia's national average of 38 years. The 5-14 age group constitutes 19.4% of the population in St Ives Chase, compared to Greater Sydney, indicating a strong representation. However, the 25-34 age cohort is less prevalent at 3.2%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 11.4% to 13.3%, while the 25 to 34 cohort has declined from 4.5% to 3.2%, and the 0 to 4 age group has decreased from 4.4% to 3.3%. Population forecasts for 2041 suggest substantial demographic changes in St Ives Chase. The 75 to 84 age group is projected to grow by 44%, adding 121 people, reaching a total of 398. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups are expected to account for 74% of the total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 5 to 14 and 0 to 4 age cohorts are anticipated to experience population declines.