Suburb / Locality · Area profile
Kensington
3 km²
A short walk to a park, shop or clinic is a given for everyone living in Kensington. This is a young and highly educated community where the typical resident is just 32. It is a cosmopolitan hub with a huge proportion of people born overseas and a high number of professional workers. Most live in apartments and rely on public transport, creating a fast-paced, urban atmosphere in the heart of Greater Sydney.
An affluent area whose schools serve an equally well-off community.
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The area is noticeably younger than the state average, with children under 15 and seniors both well below the national figure. A high number of residents are in de facto relationships, and 56.5% have never been married.
Overseas birthplaces are very common here, with 44.9% of people born abroad, far above the national figure. The most common ancestries are English, Australian and Chinese.
Language diversity is very high, with 38.7% of residents using a language other than English at home. This is far above the New South Wales average, though the proportion of people who speak little or no English is about the same as the state.
About 38.6% of people report having no religion, which is well above the state figure. Christianity is the most common faith at 40.4%.
This is an exceptionally qualified community, with 44.5% of adults holding a bachelor degree or higher, far above the national figure. Year 12 completion is also much higher than usual at 80.5%.
Household incomes are much higher than most areas, and the typical family earns $2,744 a week, well above the state average. More than 31% of households earn $3,000 or more weekly.
Residents are generally healthier than the national average, with far fewer people reporting long-term health conditions. Only 7.2% of people have a mental health condition, which is lower than most areas.
Unpaid care and housework are much less common here than in other areas, which is consistent with the small number of children. However, the volunteering rate is a little above the national figure.
There are 142 First Nations people in the area. This group has a very high Year 12 completion rate of 75%, far above the national figure of 37%.
Homes tend to be smaller than usual, with 30.5% of people living alone. This is well above the state average and matches the lower-than-average number of people per home.
Apartments make up 71.4% of the housing stock, which helps explain why 54.8% of households rent, a figure far above the national average. Weekly rents are also very high at a typical $500.
Public transport use is well above the national average, and 18.7% of homes have no car. A huge 44.4% of people work from home, far above the state and national figures.
The area is very mobile, with 55.5% of people moving in the last five years. Recent arrivals from overseas are also far more common here than in the rest of Australia.
Professional and technical roles are the most common, and 38.5% of workers are professionals. The unemployment rate is 6.0%, which is a little above the national figure.
Kensington is a walker's paradise with a score of 9.1. Every single home is within a 15-minute walk of a park, school, grocery store and health service.