Council (LGA) · Area profile
Woollahra
12 km²
Almost half of all households in Woollahra earn $3,000 or more a week, marking it as one of the most affluent areas in the country. This is a highly educated community of professionals and managers, with over half of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The area's character is shaped by its wealth and a high proportion of residents born overseas. It is a refined urban setting where most people live in apartments and have easy access to the city.
Woollahra's schools draw a community as advantaged as its high household incomes suggest.
Explore Woollahra by topic
The community is slightly older than the national average, with the typical resident being 41. Seniors make up 20.9% of the population, a figure that has risen by 4.6 points since 2011, while children under 15 are much less common than in most other areas.
A significant 34.4% of residents were born overseas, which is well above the national figure. English, Australian, and Irish are the most common ancestries.
While 15.5% of people use a language other than English at home—a figure much higher than in most similar areas—this is still well below the New South Wales average.
People with no religion make up 37.5% of the population, a figure that has risen by 16 points since 2011. Christianity (38.5%) and Judaism (14.0%) are also prominent.
Woollahra is exceptionally well-qualified, with 55.2% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national average. This high level of education is reflected in the fact that 84.6% of residents completed Year 12.
Typical weekly family incomes are far above the national figure, reaching $4,561. The area is among the highest in the country for wealth, with 37.5% of people earning $2,000 or more each week.
Residents report fewer long-term health conditions than most other areas. Only 2.9% of people need help with daily activities, which is a little below the state average.
Volunteering is more common here than in the rest of the state, with 18.8% of people contributing their time. However, fewer residents provide unpaid housework or child care compared to most areas.
The First Nations community is small, with 176 people. This group is noticeably older and has far higher Year 12 completion rates (76.0%) and incomes than the state and national averages.
Living alone is more common here than in most areas, with 31.7% of people in single-person homes. One-parent families are much less common than in most other areas.
Most people live in flats or apartments (55.6%), and detached houses are far less common than across Australia. This contributes to very high typical weekly rents of $695 and monthly mortgage payments of $3,900.
Working from home is extremely common, with 57.0% of the workforce doing so. This helps explain why 14.6% of homes have no motor vehicle, which is well above the national figure.
The area is quite mobile, with 46.3% of people having moved house in the last five years. This is well above the national average.
Employment is strong, with 64.5% of residents working full-time. The workforce is heavily concentrated in professional, technical, and financial roles.
Woollahra ranks at the highest possible level for overall advantage, access to resources, and job skills. It is home to 10,449 businesses.
The area experiences much higher annual rainfall than the state average and has higher minimum temperatures, though its average maximums are a little lower.
Crime rates are much lower than in most other areas across almost every category, including assault, burglary, and theft.
Described as a walker's paradise, nearly every home is within a 15-minute walk of a park, school, and public transport. Most residents also live within a short walk of health services and groceries.