Region (SA4) · Area profile
Sydney - Northern Beaches
254 km²
A dramatic shift in home working habits has defined the Sydney - Northern Beaches since 2011, with the number of people working from home jumping from 6.5% to 44%. This is an affluent and well-educated community where a high proportion of residents hold university degrees and earn well above the national figure. The area is largely family-oriented, with a high number of couples with children and a population that is slightly older than the national average. Its coastal setting is reflected in a high standard of health and a strong trend toward residents who do not identify with any religion.
An affluent area whose schools serve an equally well-off community.
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The typical resident is 41, which is noticeably older than the national figure. While the population has grown by 11% since 2011, the proportion of children under 15 has fallen slightly to 18.5%.
About 30.2% of the community was born overseas, a figure that has risen since 2011. The most common ancestries are English, Australian, Irish and Scottish.
English is the main language for 81% of the population. While those using another language at home rose to 15.6%, this remains well below the national figure.
The area has seen a large shift away from organised religion, with 43.7% of people now reporting no religion. This is far above the state average and rose by 20 points since 2011.
This is a highly qualified community where 37.7% of adults have a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national figure. Year 12 completion is also much higher than most areas at 73.1%.
Incomes are among the highest in the country; the typical household earns $2,592 a week, which is well above the national figure. About 41.8% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly.
Residents here enjoy better health than most, with a much lower rate of long-term health conditions (23.8%) and fewer people needing help with daily activities.
Community participation is high, with 16.9% of people volunteering. A high proportion of the community (28.6%) also provides unpaid care for children.
The First Nations population is small, but they achieve outcomes far above the national average, including a 62.6% Year 12 completion rate and very low unemployment at 6.2%.
Families are common here, with 64.6% being couples with children. This contributes to larger typical households of 2.7 people, which is higher than most areas.
Housing is expensive, with typical weekly rents at $625 and typical monthly mortgage payments at $3,124, both among the highest at this level. Detached houses are less common here than in most other areas.
Working from home is incredibly common at 44%, which helps explain why commuting by public transport fell sharply from 12.2% in 2011 to just 2.7% in 2021.
About 38% of residents moved house in the last five years. The number of recent arrivals from overseas has fallen since 2011, now sitting at 12.2%.
The area has a very high rate of people working or looking for work (65.5%) and a very low unemployment rate of 3.2%. Professionals and managers make up over half of the workforce.
Population growth since 2021 has been 3.1%, which is well below the New South Wales state average of 6.1%.
The region is much wetter than most of the state, with average annual rainfall far above the New South Wales figure at 1,408mm.
The area is very walkable, with 88.4% of homes having a 15-minute-city walkshed and 95.9% of homes within a 10-minute walk of public transport.