Willoughby East

Willoughby East is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

The population of the Willoughby East statistical area (Lv2), as estimated by AreaSearch, was 1,864 people according to the 2021 Census. By November 2025, this had decreased to around 1,791, a decline of 73 individuals or approximately 3.9%. This estimate is based on AreaSearch's validation of new addresses and examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS in June 2024, which indicated a resident population of 1,778. The area's population density as of this estimation was 3,198 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The primary driver of population growth in the Willoughby East (SA2) during recent periods was overseas migration, contributing approximately 94.0% of overall population gains.

AreaSearch's projections for this area are based on ABS/Geoscience Australia projections released in 2024 with a 2022 base year. For areas not covered by this data, NSW State Government's SA2 level projections released in 2022 with a 2021 base year are utilized. Considering these projected demographic shifts, the Willoughby East (SA2) is expected to experience population growth just below the median of Australian statistical areas. By 2041, the area is projected to increase by 97 persons, reflecting an overall increase of approximately 13.1% over the 17-year period from 2024 to 2041.

The level of residential development activity in Willoughby East is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Willoughby East has had no new homes approved over the past five years. This indicates a fully developed suburb with limited opportunities for new construction. The absence of new supply typically supports demand for established properties, potentially contributing to price stability.

Compared to Greater Sydney, Willoughby East has significantly less development activity. This scarcity of new homes usually strengthens demand and prices for existing properties. Nationally, this is below average, reflecting the area's maturity and suggesting possible planning constraints.

Willoughby East has very high levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 20% nationally

No infrastructure changes are currently known to affect this area. No major projects have been identified by AreaSearch that could impact it. Key projects include Aurora Willoughby, Heart Of Willoughby, Sydney Metro City & Southwest, and North Sydney To Northern Beaches Capacity Improvements, with the following list providing more detail on those most relevant.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

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AreaSearch analysis reveals Willoughby East recording weaker employment conditions than most comparable areas nationwide

Willoughby East has an educated workforce with significant representation in the technology sector. Its unemployment rate is 5.9%, according to AreaSearch's statistical area data aggregation.

As of September 2025949 residents are employed and the unemployment rate is 1.8% higher than Greater Sydney's rate of 4.2%. Workforce participation in Willoughby East is high at 66.4%, compared to Greater Sydney's 60.0%. Employment is concentrated in professional & technical, finance & insurance, and health care & social assistance sectors. Notably, professional & technical employment is 1.8 times the regional level.

However, construction employs only 4.3% of local workers, below Greater Sydney's 8.6%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census working population vs resident population comparison. Between September 2024 and September 2025, Willoughby East's labour force increased by 1.0%, while employment decreased by 1.6%, leading to a rise in unemployment of 2.4 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Sydney saw employment growth of 2.1% and labour force growth of 2.4%, with unemployment rising only 0.2 percentage points. State-level data from NSW as of 25-Nov shows employment contracted by 0.03%, losing 2,260 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 3.9%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.3%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project overall employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Willoughby East's employment mix suggests local employment could increase by 7.7% over five years and 15.1% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 shows that Willoughby East has one of the highest incomes nationally. The median income is $73,120 and the average is $151,144. In comparison, Greater Sydney's median income is $60,817 and average is $83,003. Based on a 8.86% increase since financial year 2023 using the Wage Price Index, current estimates for Willoughby East are approximately $79,598 (median) and $164,535 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 data reveals that incomes in Willoughby East rank highly nationally, between the 88th and 99th percentiles for household, family, and personal incomes. The majority of residents, 53.5% or 958 people, fall into the $4,000+ income bracket, unlike surrounding regions where most residents earn between $1,500 - $2,999 weekly. A substantial proportion of Willoughby East residents, 61.1%, exceed $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power. After housing costs, residents retain 88.3% of their income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 10th decile.

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

Willoughby East's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census, consisted of 95.6% houses and 4.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In contrast, Sydney metro had 41.1% houses and 58.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Willoughby East stood at 44.0%, with mortgaged dwellings at 43.5% and rented ones at 12.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $4,219, higher than Sydney metro's average of $3,033. Median weekly rent in Willoughby East was $873, compared to Sydney metro's $560. Nationally, Willoughby East's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $4,219 versus the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 89.6% of all households, including 57.8% couples with children, 23.6% couples without children, and 7.5% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 10.4%, with lone person households at 9.4% and group households comprising 1.0%. The median household size is 3.2 people, which is larger than the Greater Sydney average of 2.5.

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

Willoughby East has a notably high level of educational attainment among residents aged 15 and above, with 52.5% holding university qualifications. This figure exceeds national (30.4%) and state (NSW's 32.2%) averages, indicating a significant educational advantage for the area. Bachelor degrees are the most prevalent at 34.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.6%) and graduate diplomas (4.2%). Vocational pathways account for 19.1% of qualifications in this age group, with advanced diplomas making up 10.3% and certificates 8.8%.

Educational participation is particularly high, with 35.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 13.5% in primary education, 11.1% in secondary education, and 5.5% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Public transport analysis shows 14 active transport stops operating within Willoughby East. These are a mix of bus stops serviced by 24 individual routes. The total weekly passenger trips provided is 1,015.

Transport accessibility is rated excellent with residents typically located 153 meters from the nearest stop. Service frequency averages 145 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 72 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Health outcomes data shows excellent results throughout Willoughby East, with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 86% of the total population (1,546 people), compared to 79.5% across Greater Sydney and a national average of 55.7%. The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 7.3% and 5.2% of residents respectively, while 77.6% report being completely free from medical ailments, compared to 78.0% across Greater Sydney.

As of 15th June 20XX, the area has 15.1% of residents aged 65 and over (270 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly matching the general population's health profile.

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

Willoughby East, surveyed in June 2020, had a higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 26.4% of its population born overseas and 18.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 55.0%. Notably, Judaism was overrepresented at 1.7%, compared to Greater Sydney's 1.0%.

In terms of ancestry, the top groups were English (24.4%), Australian (23.3%), and Irish (9.5%). There were notable differences in representation for New Zealanders (1.1% vs regional 0.7%), Croatians (0.9% vs 0.7%), and Chinese (8.8% vs 17.1%).

Willoughby East's median age exceeds the national pattern

The median age in Willoughby East is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Sydney's average of 37 years and considerably older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The 5-14 age group comprises 18.5% of the population, compared to Greater Sydney, while the 25-34 cohort makes up 4.1%. This concentration of the 5-14 age group is well above the national average of 12.2%. Post-2021 Census data shows that the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 12.6% to 14.5% of the population, while the 35 to 44 cohort has declined from 13.6% to 12.6%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Willoughby East. The 15 to 24 age group is expected to grow by 31%, reaching 341 people from 259, leading the demographic shift. Conversely, the 0 to 4 and 45 to 54 cohorts are projected to experience population declines.