Council (LGA) · Area profile
North Sydney
10 km²
High incomes and professional careers define North Sydney, where a typical family earns $3,743 a week. It is a sophisticated urban hub with a highly educated population and a strong international presence, as nearly 40% of residents were born overseas. The area is largely made up of young and middle-aged adults living in apartments, creating a fast-paced community that is far wealthier than the national average. This combination of high pay and high qualifications makes it one of the most advantaged areas in the country.
North Sydney's schools draw a community as advantaged as its high household incomes suggest.
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The community is mostly young adults, with 39.1% aged between 25 and 44. Children under 15 make up only 12.7% of the population, which is well below the national figure.
This is a highly diverse area where 39.9% of people were born overseas, a figure far above the national average. English, Australian, and Irish are the most common ancestries.
About 23.9% of residents use a language other than English at home, which is a little above the national figure. Mandarin and Cantonese are the most common non-English languages.
The area is increasingly secular, with 46.4% of people reporting no religion. This is well above the national figure and represents an 18 point rise since 2011.
North Sydney is exceptionally well-qualified; nearly 60% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national figure of 26.3%. Most of these qualifications are in management, commerce, society, and culture.
Weekly pay is very high here, with a typical personal income of $1,593, which is far above the national figure. More than 43% of households earn $3,000 or more each week.
Residents are generally healthier than average, with only 22.9% having a long-term health condition. Only 2.5% of people need help with daily activities, which is well below the national average.
Unpaid care roles are less common here than elsewhere, with only 9% of people providing unpaid care. However, 16.8% of people volunteer, which is above the national figure.
First Nations people in the area have high outcomes, with a Year 12 completion rate of 78.4%, far above the state average of 35%. Their typical personal income is also far above the national figure.
Small households are the norm, with 38.6% of people living alone. This is far above the national figure, and the typical home only contains two people.
Apartments dominate the landscape, making up 75.7% of all homes. Renting is very common at 51.9%, and typical weekly rents of $580 are well above the national figure.
Working from home is incredibly common, with 60.9% of people doing so. Because of this urban density, 18.9% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is far above the national figure.
The population is very mobile, with 55.2% of people having moved house in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas make up 18.2% of the community.
Professional and technical roles are the most common, and 70.9% of adults are employed full-time. The unemployment rate is 3.5%, which is a little lower than the national figure.
The area is ranked as one of the most advantaged in the country across all measures. It has a very high score for education and job skills and is home to over 15,000 businesses.
The local climate is wetter than the state average, with annual rainfall of 1,419mm. Average minimum temperatures are also well above the state figure.
Crime rates are among the lowest for similar areas, particularly for robbery and theft. The overall recorded offence rate is among the lowest at this level.
This is a walker's paradise with a score of 9.2. Every single home is within a 10-minute walk of public transport and a 15-minute walk of a park.