St Ives (NSW)

Population growth drivers in St Ives are slightly above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium term trends

The population of the suburb of St Ives (NSW) is estimated to be around 19,647 as of May 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,263 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 18,384 people. The change was inferred from the resident population of 19,580 estimated by AreaSearch following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2025 and an additional 121 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 1,373 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The suburb's growth rate of 6.9% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area (4.4%) and the SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data, AreaSearch utilises NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with 2021 as the base year. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Looking ahead, population projections indicate a growth of 1,497 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting an increase of 7.3% in total over the 16-year period.

Recent residential development output has been above average within St Ives when compared nationally

Based on AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers, allocated from statistical area data, St Ives recorded approximately 89 residential properties granted approval annually. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 447 homes were approved, with a further 40 approved so far in FY-26. The average number of new residents per year arriving per new home over the past five financial years was 1.7, indicating balanced supply and demand during this period. However, recent data shows an intensification to 5.6 people per dwelling over the past two financial years, suggesting growing popularity and potential undersupply.

New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $975,000, targeting the premium market segment with higher-end properties. This year alone, $47.2 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, indicating robust local business investment. Compared to Greater Sydney, St Ives has somewhat elevated construction levels, recording 24.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period.

This maintains good buyer choice while supporting existing property values. New building activity shows 55.0% standalone homes and 45.0% townhouses or apartments, expanding medium-density options across various price brackets. St Ives reflects a transitioning market with around 244 people per approval. Population forecasts indicate St Ives will gain approximately 1,430 residents by 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.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 27 projects that could impact the area. Key projects include Hermitage St Ives, Fairview St Ives, Ellis Residences, and St Ives Shopping Village Redevelopment. 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.

St Ives has seen below average employment performance when compared to national benchmarks

St Ives has a highly educated workforce with notable representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate is 4.0%, with relative employment stability over the past year, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data. As of December 2025, 9,269 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.0%.

This is 0.2% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%, but workforce participation lags at 61.0%, compared to Greater Sydney's 68.8%. A high proportion, 60.1%, of residents work from home, according to Census responses, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered. Key industries for employment among residents are professional & technical, health care & social assistance, and finance & insurance. St Ives has a particular specialization in professional & technical jobs, with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level.

Conversely, construction employs only 5.4% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 8.6%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of Census working population versus resident population. During the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 0.2%, and labour force grew by 1.2%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 1.0 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment rise by 2.2% and the labour force grow by 2.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that while national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to St Ives' employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.5% over five years and 14.9% over ten years, though these are simple weighted extrapolations for illustrative purposes and do not account for localized population projections.

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

The suburb of St Ives had a median taxpayer income of $62,367 and an average income of $110,054 in the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for the financial year 2023. These figures are exceptionally high compared to national averages. In Greater Sydney, the median income was $60,817 with an average income of $83,003 during the same period. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 10.32% since financial year 2023, estimated incomes for March 2026 would be approximately $68,803 (median) and $121,412 (average). Census data shows that household, family, and personal incomes in St Ives rank highly nationally, between the 84th and 95th percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 37.0% of individuals earn more than $4,000 annually, differing from broader area patterns where earnings between $1,500 and $2,999 dominate at 30.9%. Economic strength is evident with 48.7% of households earning high weekly incomes exceeding $3,000, supporting elevated consumer spending. High housing costs consume 15.3% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 95th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

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

St Ives' dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 66.2% houses and 33.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Sydney metro's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in St Ives stood at 42.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 40.6% and rented ones at 16.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $3,467, above Sydney metro's average of $2,427. Median weekly rent in St Ives was $688, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, St Ives' mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 82.0% of all households, including 46.1% couples with children, 26.3% couples without children, and 9.1% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 18.0%, consisting of 17.0% lone person households and 1.0% group households. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

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

Educational attainment in St Ives is notably higher than broader benchmarks. As of 2016, 54.0% of residents aged 15+ held university qualifications, compared to the national average of 30.4% and the NSW average of 32.2%. This educational advantage is reflected in various qualification types: Bachelor degrees were most prevalent at 32.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (17.8%) and graduate diplomas (3.3%). Vocational pathways accounted for 20.1% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas making up 11.3% and certificates 8.8%.

Educational participation was high, with 31.7% of residents enrolled in formal education as of 2016. This included 11.8% in primary education, 9.2% in secondary education, and 5.8% pursuing tertiary education.

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

St Ives has 116 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 93 different routes that together facilitate 2,240 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located 185 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outwards daily due to St Ives being primarily residential. Cars remain the dominant mode of transport for these outward journeys at 85%, while only 7% use trains. On average, there are 1.5 vehicles per dwelling in St Ives, which is higher than the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, a high 60.1% of residents work from home, possibly due to COVID-19 conditions. The service frequency averages 320 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 19 weekly trips per individual stop. A map accompanies this data, showing the 100 nearest stops to St Ives' location centrepoint.

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

St Ives' health outcomes data shows exceptional results based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. The area has a very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 70% of the total population (13,807 people), compared to 59.9% in Greater Sydney and the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis and asthma, affecting 6.6% and 5.5% of residents respectively. 75.4% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 74.6% in Greater Sydney. St Ives has 23.0% of residents aged 65 and over (4,518 people), higher than the 15.5% in Greater Sydney. Health outcomes among seniors are broadly in line with national rankings.

St Ives 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 has a high level of cultural diversity, with 34.2% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 48.6% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in St Ives, making up 43.6% of its population. Notably, Judaism is overrepresented, comprising 8.5%, compared to the Greater Sydney average of 0.8%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups are English at 22.4%, Chinese at 16.4% (higher than the regional average of 8.4%), and Australian at 15.6%. There are also notable divergences in certain ethnic groups: South Australian is overrepresented at 3.9% compared to the regional average of 0.5%, Korean at 2.1% compared to 1.1%, and Russian at 0.6% compared to 0.4%.

St Ives hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in St Ives 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 those aged 5-14 years make up 16.0% of the population, while those aged 25-34 years constitute only 5.4%. Between 2021 and the present, the proportion of people aged 15 to 24 has increased from 11.2% to 13.8%, while the percentage of those aged 0 to 4 has decreased from 4.8% to 3.7%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate that the number of people aged 85 and above will rise significantly, from 903 to 1,751, an increase of 847 people (94%). The combined age groups of 65 and above are projected to account for 89% of total population growth. Conversely, the age cohorts of 25-34 years and 55-64 years are expected to experience population declines.