Sandy Bay
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Sandy Bay's population is around 12,636 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 310 people from the reported population of 12,326 in the 2021 Census, indicating a growth rate of 2.5%. The increase was inferred from the estimated resident population of 12,605 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 29 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 1,818 persons per square kilometer, which is above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Sandy Bay's growth rate of 2.5% since the 2021 census exceeded the SA3 area's growth rate of 2%. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration.

AreaSearch adopted ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and to estimate post-2032 growth by age group, Tasmania State Government's Regional/LGA projections were used, released in 2022 with a base year of 2021. Considering projected demographic shifts, Sandy Bay is expected to increase by 1,641 persons to 2041 based on latest population numbers, indicating an overall increase of 12.7% over the 17-year period.

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

Sandy Bay has recorded approximately 15 residential properties granted approval per year. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis. There were 79 approvals across the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, and there have been 5 so far in FY26. The population has been declining over recent years, indicating that new supply has likely kept pace with demand, offering good choice for buyers.

New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost of $493,000. In the current financial year, there have been $6.4 million in commercial approvals registered, demonstrating Sandy Bay's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Hobart, Sandy Bay records significantly lower building activity, with 55.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings, which is also below national averages, suggesting possible planning constraints. New building activity shows a higher proportion of standalone homes (92.0%) compared to townhouses or apartments (8.0%), maintaining Sandy Bay's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes appealing to those seeking space.

This is notable as current patterns suggest a lower preference for detached housing (69.0% at Census). The location has approximately 1114 people per dwelling approval, indicating an established market. Population forecasts indicate that Sandy Bay will gain 1,610 residents by 2041. If development rates continue at their current pace, housing supply may struggle to match population growth, potentially increasing buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Sandy Bay has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 7thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 13 projects likely influencing the area. Notable projects are Queenborough Oval Redevelopment, Sandy Bay Ferry Terminal, Fragrance Group Conservatorium Development, and Grace Residences. The following details projects likely most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis reveals Sandy Bay significantly outperforming the majority of regions assessed nationwide

Sandy Bay has an educated workforce with essential services well represented. Its unemployment rate is 1.4%.

As of June 2025, 6985 residents are employed while the unemployment rate is 2.7% lower than Greater Hobart's rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation matches Greater Hobart's 61.6%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and accommodation & food. Employment in accommodation & food is notably high at 1.6 times the regional average.

Conversely, construction shows lower representation at 4.2% compared to the regional average of 8.7%. Many residents commute outside Sandy Bay for work. In the year to June 2025, labour force decreased by 1.6%, employment declined by 1.7%, leaving unemployment broadly stable. Greater Hobart saw a 1.5% employment decline and a 1.6% labour force decrease, with unemployment falling by 0.2 percentage points. State-level data to Sep-25 shows Tasmania's employment grew by 0.77% year-on-year, adding 1170 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. This compares favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%, with Tasmania's employment growth outpacing the national average of 0.26%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Sandy Bay's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.9% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income levels align closely with national averages, indicating typical economic conditions for Australian communities according to AreaSearch analysis

AreaSearch aggregated latest postcode level ATO data released for financial year 2022. Sandy Bay had a median income among taxpayers of $48,701 and an average level of $90,459. Nationally, these figures are extremely high, with Greater Hobart's levels at $51,272 and $63,777 respectively. As of March 2025, current estimates would be approximately $54,516 (median) and $101,260 (average), based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.94% since financial year 2022. According to the 2021 Census figures, incomes in Sandy Bay cluster around the 62nd percentile nationally. Distribution data shows that 30.0% of the population (3,790 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, similar to regional patterns where 32.2% occupy this range. After housing expenses, 86.5% of income remains for other expenses. Sandy Bay's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

Sandy Bay's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 68.8% houses and 31.2% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Hobart metro had 69.2% houses and 30.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Sandy Bay was at 42.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 22.1% and rented ones at 35.1%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, higher than Hobart metro's $1,800. Median weekly rent in Sandy Bay was $419, compared to Hobart metro's $390. Nationally, Sandy Bay's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,167 vs Australia's average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Sandy Bay features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 63.1% of all households, including 23.4% couples with children, 32.6% couples without children, and 5.9% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 36.9%, with lone person households at 28.1% and group households making up 8.8%. The median household size is 2.4 people, larger than the Greater Hobart average of 2.3.

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

Sandy Bay's educational attainment is notably higher than regional averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 58.5% hold university qualifications, compared to 25.5% in Tasmania (TAS) and 30.4% nationally. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 31.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (22.2%) and graduate diplomas (4.4%). Vocational pathways account for 17.5% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 9.2% and certificates at 8.3%.

Educational participation is high, with 32.4% currently enrolled in formal education: 12.4% in tertiary, 6.9% in primary, and 6.3% in secondary education. Sandy Bay has a robust network of six schools educating approximately 2,775 students. It demonstrates significant socio-educational advantages with an ICSEA score of 1128. The educational mix includes three primary and three K-12 schools.

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

Sandy Bay has 81 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 99 different routes that together facilitate 13,498 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of transport in Sandy Bay is rated as excellent, with residents on average being located just 162 meters from the nearest stop.

On a daily basis, there are an average of 1,928 trips across all routes, which works out to about 166 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Analysis shows Sandy Bay's health metrics indicate strong performance across all age groups. Low prevalence of common health conditions was observed among both young and elderly residents. Private health cover was found to be exceptionally high at approximately 67% of the total population (8428 people), compared to 58.9% in Greater Hobart, which is higher than the national average of 55.3%.

The most common medical conditions were arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 7.8% and 6.5% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 73%, declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 69.8% in Greater Hobart. Sandy Bay has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 22.4% (2831 people), compared to 18.8% in Greater Hobart. Health outcomes among seniors were particularly strong, outperforming the general population in health metrics.

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

Sandy Bay has a high level of cultural diversity, with 28.3% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 37.3% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Sandy Bay, comprising 37.4% of the population. Judaism is overrepresented in Sandy Bay compared to Greater Hobart, making up 0.3% versus 0.2%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (27.7%), Australian (20.5%), and Chinese (11.0%). Korean (0.6%) and Greek (1.6%) are notably overrepresented in Sandy Bay compared to the regional averages of 0.4% and 1.0%, respectively, while Polish is similarly overrepresented at 0.8%.

Sandy Bay's population is slightly older than the national pattern

Sandy Bay has a median age of 38, nearly matching Greater Hobart's figure of 39 and Australia's median age of 38. Compared to the Greater Hobart average, Sandy Bay has an over-representation of the 25-34 cohort (19.3% locally) and an under-representation of the 5-14 year-olds (8.4%). Between 2021 and the present, the 15-24 age group has grown from 12.7% to 14.5%, while the 35-44 cohort increased from 10.9% to 12.0%. Conversely, the 45-54 cohort declined from 10.5% to 9.4%. By 2041, demographic modeling suggests Sandy Bay's age profile will change significantly. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to grow by 701 people (59%), from 1,190 to 1,892. Conversely, both the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups are expected to decrease in number.