Region (SA4) · Area profile
Sydney - Outer South West
1,277 km²
Stretching across a vast landscape of over 1,200 square kilometres, Sydney - Outer South West is a rapidly growing region of the Greater Sydney area. It is a notably young community where the typical resident is just 35, and children under 15 make up a well above average 22.3% of the population. This youthful character is reflected in the housing, with large family homes and high rates of unpaid childcare. The area has become increasingly diverse, with a significant rise in people using languages other than English at home since 2011.
A family-heavy area that's short on schools per child.
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The population grew by 26% since 2011 to nearly 300,000 people. It is much younger than most areas, with a high proportion of children and far fewer seniors than the national figure.
Overseas born residents make up 26.8% of the community, a figure that has risen 4.0 percentage points since 2011. The most common ancestries are Australian and English.
A quarter of residents use a language other than English at home, which is well above the national figure. This linguistic diversity has increased significantly since 2011.
Religion is less common here than in most areas, with 25.5% of people claiming no religion. This is far below the national figure, although the number has risen 12 percentage points since 2011.
About 19.3% of adults hold a bachelor degree or higher, which is well below the national figure. However, Year 12 completion rose 11 percentage points since 2011 to reach 53.2%.
Typical weekly household income is $1,916, which is a little above the national figure. The number of households earning $3,000 or more per week rose 14 percentage points since 2011.
About 27.4% of people have a long-term health condition, which is about the same as the state and national figures. Mental health conditions are slightly less common than in most areas.
Unpaid childcare is very common here, with 29.5% of people providing this care. Conversely, volunteering is much lower than in most areas and has fallen since 2011.
The First Nations community is relatively large at over 12,000 people. They are notably younger than other First Nations groups and have an unemployment rate well below the national figure.
Homes tend to be larger, with an average of 2.9 people per dwelling. This is a little above the national figure, and one-parent families are more common than in most areas.
Separate houses are far more common here than in the rest of the state, and 86.1% of homes have three or more bedrooms. Typical weekly rents are $400, which is about the same as the national figure.
While 25.9% of people work from home, car use remains dominant for commuting. The area has a high number of public transport stops relative to the population.
Around 37.9% of residents moved in the last five years. However, recent arrivals from overseas have fallen slightly since 2011 to 8.3%.
Full-time employment is slightly lower than the national figure, and the unemployment rate sits at 4.9%. Many residents work in health care, social assistance, or construction.
The region continues to expand, with a population growth rate of 8.2% since 2021, which is a little above the New South Wales figure.
The area receives far more rainfall than the state average, with an annual average of 978mm. Maximum temperatures are around the middle for similar areas.
Walkability is well below the state average, particularly for accessing health services and groceries. While most homes are near parks and transport, only 53.6% of homes have a full 15-minute-city walkshed.