Warriewood

Population growth drivers in Warriewood are above average based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Based on ABS population updates and AreaSearch validation, the suburb of Warriewood's population was estimated at around 9,429 as of May 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,050 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 8,379 people in the suburb. The increase is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of 9,362 residents following examination of ABS ERP data released in June 2025 and an additional 241 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 2,261 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Warriewood's growth of 12.5% since the 2021 Census exceeded both its SA3 area (2.5%) and SA4 region, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Overseas migration contributed approximately 96.0% of overall population gains during recent periods for Warriewood.

AreaSearch is using ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a base year of 2022 for each SA2 area, and NSW State Government's SA2-level projections released in 2022 with a base year of 2021 for areas not covered by this data. Growth rates by age group from these aggregations are applied to all areas for years 2032 to 2041. Considering projected demographic shifts, the suburb is expected to increase by 135 persons to 2041 based on aggregated SA2-level projections, reflecting a gain of 0.7% in total over the 16-year period.

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

AreaSearch analysis of ABS building approval numbers shows Warriewood had around 51 dwelling approvals per year over the past five financial years, totalling approximately 257 homes. In FY-26 so far, 19 approvals have been recorded. This equates to about 2.9 people moving to the area per new home constructed annually between FY-21 and FY-25. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost of $806,000, indicating a focus on premium developments.

In this financial year, $4.3 million in commercial approvals have been registered. Compared to Greater Sydney, Warriewood has 101.0% more new home approvals per person. Recent construction comprises 42.0% standalone homes and 58.0% townhouses or apartments. The area has approximately 299 people per dwelling approval, suggesting room for growth. Population forecasts indicate Warriewood will gain 68 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.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 23 projects likely to impact the area. Notable ones are Warriewood Valley Release Area, Dove Lane Residences, Arri Estate, and Pittwater Plaza Redevelopment. The following details projects of particular relevance.

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 conditions in Warriewood demonstrate strong performance, ranking among the top 35% of areas assessed nationally

Warriewood's workforce is highly educated with strong professional services representation. The unemployment rate in Warriewood was 2.9% as of December 2025. Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 0.7%.

As of December 2025, there were 5,214 residents employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.2% below Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation in Warriewood was 71.3%, slightly higher than Greater Sydney's 68.8%. According to Census responses, 44.9% of residents worked from home, potentially influenced by Covid-19 lockdowns. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training sectors.

Notably, construction employment levels are at 1.2 times the regional average, while transport, postal & warehousing employs just 3.2% of local workers compared to Greater Sydney's 5.3%. The ratio of 0.8 workers per resident indicates ample local employment opportunities. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment increased by 0.7%, labour force grew by 1.4%, resulting in a 0.7 percentage point rise in unemployment. In contrast, Greater Sydney experienced higher employment growth of 2.2% and marginal unemployment increase. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project overall employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Warriewood's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by approximately 6.8% over five years and 13.8% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only and do not account for localised population projections.

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

Warriewood suburb has a median taxpayer income of $60,938 and an average income of $95,522 based on the latest postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2023. Nationally, these figures are high compared to Greater Sydney's median income of $60,817 and average income of $83,023. By March 2026, estimated incomes would be approximately $67,227 (median) and $105,380 (average), accounting for a 10.32% growth in wages since financial year 2023. Census data from 2021 ranks Warriewood's household, family, and personal incomes highly, between the 83rd to 92nd percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that 28.3% of locals (2,668 people) fall into the $1,500 - $2,999 weekly income bracket, mirroring the regional trend where 30.9% occupy this category. Notably, 43.3% earn more than $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power in the community. High housing costs consume 18.6% of income, but despite this, disposable income ranks at the 90th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

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

In Warriewood, as per the latest Census evaluation, 52.5% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 47.5% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other dwelling types. This is compared to Sydney metropolitan area's 55.9% houses and 44.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Warriewood stood at 33.1%, with mortgaged dwellings at 48.1% and rented ones at 18.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $3,077, higher than Sydney metro's average of $2,427. The median weekly rent figure for Warriewood was $750, compared to Sydney metro's $470. Nationally, Warriewood's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 82.0% of all households, including 44.3% couples with children, 24.5% couples without children, and 12.2% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 18.0%, with lone person households at 17.2% and group households comprising 1.1%. The median household size is 2.9 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.7.

Educational achievement in Warriewood places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

Warriewood trail residents aged 15+ have 34.7% university degrees, compared to 41.5% in the SA4 region. The gap suggests potential for educational development and skill enhancement. Bachelor degrees lead at 24.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.8%) and graduate diplomas (2.5%). Vocational credentials are prominent, with 35.9% of residents holding them, including advanced diplomas (14.5%) and certificates (21.4%).

Educational participation is high at 34.2%, comprising primary education (12.3%), secondary education (10.1%), and tertiary education (4.6%).

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

Warriewood has 63 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 78 different routes that together facilitate 5,389 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as excellent, with residents typically located just 136 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outwards daily due to Warriewood being primarily residential. Cars remain the dominant mode of transportation, used by 87% of residents, while only 4% walk. The average vehicle ownership per dwelling is 1.6, higher than the regional average.

According to the 2021 Census, a significant 44.9% of residents work from home, which may be partly due to COVID-19 conditions. On average, there are 769 transport trips made daily across all routes, equating to approximately 85 weekly trips per individual stop.

Warriewood's residents are extremely healthy with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis shows Warriewood performing strongly in health metrics based on AreaSearch's assessment. Mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence were low, particularly among younger cohorts. Private health cover was exceptionally high at approximately 65% of the total population (6,090 people), compared to 59.9% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.7%.

The most common conditions were mental health issues affecting 6.8% and arthritis impacting 6.7% of residents. 73.7% declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, slightly lower than the 74.6% in Greater Sydney. Warriewood has 18.7% of residents aged 65 and over (1,763 people), higher than Greater Sydney's 15.5%, but ranks lower nationally compared to broader population figures.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Warriewood was found to be slightly above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Warriewood's cultural diversity was found to be above average, with 14.0% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 26.1% born overseas. Christianity was the main religion in Warriewood, comprising 55.8% of its people. Notably, Judaism comprised 0.3% of Warriewood's population, compared to 0.8% across Greater Sydney.

In terms of ancestry, English was the top group at 30.0%, substantially higher than the regional average of 19.0%. Australian ancestry followed at 24.9%, also substantially higher than the regional average of 17.8%. However, Other ancestry was notably lower at 8.7% compared to the regional average of 16.0%. There were notable divergences in certain ethnic groups: Croatian was overrepresented at 1.5% (vs 0.7% regionally), Serbian at 1.2% (vs 0.5%), and South Australian at 0.9% (vs 0.5%).

Warriewood's median age exceeds the national pattern

Warriewood's median age is 41 years, significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 and slightly older than Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Sydney, Warriewood has a notably over-represented cohort aged 45-54 (15.4% locally) and an under-represented cohort aged 25-34 (7.2%). Post the 2021 Census, the 15-24 age group increased from 11.6% to 15.1%, while the 5-14 cohort declined from 15.6% to 14.1% and the 35-44 group decreased from 14.3% to 13.0%. By 2041, Warriewood's age profile is projected to change significantly. The 85+ cohort is expected to grow by 120%, adding 373 residents to reach 685. Residents aged 65 and older will represent all population growth. Conversely, declines are projected for the 25-34 and 55-64 cohorts.