Statistical Area 2 (SA2) · Area profile
Prestons
9 km²
A shrinking population has marked recent years in Prestons, where the community is now growing more slowly than the state average. It is a young, multicultural hub with a typical resident aged just 34 and a very high proportion of children. Large families are common here, which is reflected in the high number of spacious, detached homes. This creates a residential character that is noticeably younger and more diverse than most of New South Wales.
An affluent area whose schools serve an equally well-off community.
A family-heavy area that's short on schools per child.
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The area is much younger than the national figure, with 22.5% of people being children under 15. Conversely, seniors aged 65 and over make up only 9.8%, which is well below the state and national averages.
This is a highly diverse community where 43.1% of people were born overseas, a figure far above the national average. Common ancestries include Australian, English, and Indian.
More than half of all residents (55.4%) use a language other than English at home, which is far above the national figure. Arabic is the most common non-English language, spoken by 10.6% of the population.
Religious affiliation is very high here, with only 11.2% of people reporting no religion, which is far below the state and national figures. Islam is a significant faith in the area, practiced by 21.7% of residents.
Year 12 completion is well above the national average at 66.4%. However, the proportion of adults with a bachelor degree or higher is 21.6%, which is well below the state and national figures.
Typical household incomes are well above the national figure, and 30.9% of households earn $3,000 or more a week. Despite this, typical personal weekly incomes are about the same as the national average.
Residents here are generally healthier than most, with long-term health conditions (20.5%) and mental health conditions (4.1%) both well below the national figures.
A higher than average 27.6% of people provide unpaid care for children. However, the volunteer rate is 8.0%, which is well below the national figure.
First Nations residents are noticeably younger than the state average, with a typical age of 18. While household incomes are well above the national figure, the unemployment rate is also much higher at 15.8%.
Homes are notably large, with an average of 3.6 people per dwelling. This is well above the national average, consistent with the high proportion of couples with children (74.6%) and the very few people living alone.
The area is dominated by detached houses (92.7%), with nearly 95% of homes having three or more bedrooms. Renting is much less common than in the rest of the state, and typical weekly rents are well above the national figure.
Most residents rely on cars, and only 2.6% of homes have no motor vehicle. While public transport use for commuting is low, the area is very well served by buses, with a very short walk to the nearest stop.
The community is quite stable, as the proportion of people who moved in the last five years is far below the national average. Recent arrivals from overseas are also much lower than in most other areas.
The unemployment rate is 6.2%, which is a little above the national figure. Many people work in health care, retail, or transport, and 29.4% of the workforce operates from home.
Prestons has a strong business presence with 2,022 enterprises, ranking higher than about 88% of similar areas. Overall, the area's advantage score is slightly above the national average.
The area receives far more rainfall than the New South Wales average, totaling 983mm annually. Maximum temperatures are about the same as the state average.
The area is very walkable, with 96.1% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport. Almost every resident (99.4%) lives within 15 minutes of a park.