Castle Hill
Forty thousand residents, $2,551 weekly household income (92.9th percentile nationally), and a population that is 45.4% overseas-born with Chinese ancestry (8,248) running neck-and-neck against English (8,746): Castle Hill is the demographic and economic heart of Sydney's Hills District. Detached houses still cover 73.8% of dwellings on an 18.81 km² footprint, but a $1.14M median house price that fell 7.8% from 2024 to 2025 signals the suburb is recalibrating from peak conditions, not coasting on them. With 56.4% of adults university-educated, 26.3 percentage points above the national rate, the human capital base looks closer to inner-east Mosman than to outer-suburban Sydney.
Population
40,874
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,551/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
414
Median House
$2.6M
12m to Jun 2026 (PSI)
Castle Hill is built for upgraders, not first homeowners. 60.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 73.8% are separate houses, so a $1.14M median translates to roughly $740 per square metre of land before construction, well above the Greater Sydney detached benchmark. Median household income of $2,551 weekly drives a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.2%, just under the 30% stress line and lower than mortgage-belt suburbs further west like Schofields or Marsden Park. Buyers should note the 7.8% peak-to-latest correction since 2024, which has compressed entry prices but not affordability, since 39.2% of households are still actively paying down a mortgage compared to 36.8% who own outright.
For Buyers
Castle Hill is built for upgraders, not first homeowners. 60.4% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 73.8% are separate houses, so a $1.14M median translates to roughly $740 per square metre of land before construction, well above the Greater Sydney detached benchmark. Median household income of $2,551 weekly drives a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.2%, just under the 30% stress line and lower than mortgage-belt suburbs further west like Schofields or Marsden Park. Buyers should note the 7.8% peak-to-latest correction since 2024, which has compressed entry prices but not affordability, since 39.2% of households are still actively paying down a mortgage compared to 36.8% who own outright.
For Investors
The investor case is asymmetric. Only 24.1% of households rent, well below the Greater Sydney average near 35%, which signals scarcity but also a thin pool of comparable rental stock. Median rent of $560 per week against a $1.14M house median produces a gross yield around 2.6%, lower than yield-driven outer suburbs like Riverstone but more defensive than inner-east Bondi where yields compress below 2.4%. The standout signal is supply: 398 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, an extraordinary pipeline for a 40,874-person suburb that points to medium-density rezoning around the Sydney Metro Northwest line. Vacancy of 5.9% is elevated for The Hills District and worth tracking before committing.
Development Activity
Total DAs
1,934
Last 12 Months
414
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+7.8%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Castle Hill iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Oakhill Drive Public School
K-6 · 756 students
Excelsior Public School
K-6 · 561 students
St Bernadette's Primary School
K-6 · 479 students
Castle Hill Public School
K-6 · 970 students
Samuel Gilbert Public School
K-6 · 643 students
Demographics
Castle Hill's demographic profile breaks the outer-Sydney stereotype. 45.4% of residents were born overseas, 23.8 percentage points above the national average, and Chinese ancestry (8,248 residents) sits within striking distance of English (8,746), with Indian (3,010) the third-largest community. Mandarin (2,158 speakers), Cantonese (911), and Korean (614) are the dominant non-English languages, reflecting migration patterns more typical of Chatswood or Hurstville than the rural-fringe identity the area held a generation ago. The median age of 42 runs 2 years above the national median, with 56.4% holding university qualifications versus 30.1% nationally, a 26.3-percentage-point gap that ranks Castle Hill among Sydney's most credentialed knowledge-worker suburbs.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
73.8%
Houses
10.9%
Townhouse
15.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure splits across three roughly equal blocks: 36.8% own outright, 39.2% are mortgaged, and 24.1% rent, a balance that signals long-tenure ownership uncommon in Sydney's fast-churning inner ring. The dwelling mix is heavily detached (73.8%) with apartments at 15.3% and semi-detached at 10.9%, and 60.4% of homes have four or more bedrooms compared to roughly 30% nationally, putting Castle Hill in the upper decile for family-sized stock. The $1.14M median house price has retraced 7.8% from its 2024 peak of $1.19M, and at 12.0 times average household income of $132,652 annual, Castle Hill remains more affordable on a price-to-income basis than Mosman (north of 18x) but materially higher than Baulkham Hills next door.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General (12m to Jun 2026 (PSI))
Mortgage / mo
$3,000
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (January to March 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $560.
$850
Bond data Mar 2026 · houses $950 · units $780
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$931
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.9%
Unoccupied
835
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.1%
Couples, no children
35,889
Total families
Economy & Employment
Castle Hill operates as a white-collar service hub. Professional/Technical Services (15.2%) and Healthcare (15.1%) lead industry of employment almost evenly, with Education (11.1%), Finance (9.4%), and Construction (7.9%) rounding out the top five. Occupationally, Professionals (6,722) and Managers (3,770) together represent over 60% of the employed workforce, far higher than the 36% national average for those two ANZSCO categories combined. Full-time employment runs at 67.4% of workers and unemployment at 4.9%, slightly below NSW's headline rate. Median personal income of $931 weekly compared to a household figure of $2,551 implies multi-earner households are doing the heavy lifting, consistent with the 56.4% university qualification rate concentrating dual-professional couples here.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
67.4%
Part-time
27.7%
Participation
55.2%
Employed
17,419
Occupations
Top Industries
University
56.4%
Postgraduate
18.7%
Born Overseas
45.4%
Dwellings
13,210
Transport to Work
Schools are the gravitational centre. Nine schools sit within Castle Hill, and every single one scores ICSEA 1096 or above, putting the entire local education system in the top decile nationally. Oakhill Drive Public (1152) and Excelsior Public (1150) lead the primary tier; Castle Hill High (1121, 1,845 enrolments) and the 2,242-student Oakhill College anchor secondary. Transport is the structural weakness: 84.9% of commuters drive private cars and only 6.2% use public transport, despite the Sydney Metro Northwest opening in 2019, a usage rate well below inner-Sydney suburbs near 35%. Volunteering at 15.0% and a household average of 3.0 persons (0.5 above national) reflect a settled family demographic that anchors community life around schools and churches.
Drive
84.9%
Public Transport
6.2%
Walk / Cycle
3.4%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Castle Hill compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Castle Hill a good suburb to live in?
For families with school-aged children, yes. All 9 schools score ICSEA 1096 or above (top decile nationally), 56.4% of adults hold university qualifications, and median household income of $2,551 weekly sits in the 92.9th percentile. The trade-off is car dependence: 84.9% of residents drive, with only 6.2% using public transport.
What is the median house price in Castle Hill?
The median house price is $1,140,000 (2024-2025 PSI-derived data), down 7.8% from the 2024 peak of $1,187,500. That correction reflects the broader Sydney detached-house cycle, but at roughly 12 times average household income of $132,652, Castle Hill remains more affordable than Mosman or Vaucluse on a price-to-income basis.
What schools are in Castle Hill?
There are 9 schools: top-rated primaries include Oakhill Drive Public (ICSEA 1152, 756 students) and Excelsior Public (1150). Secondary options include the 1,845-enrolment Castle Hill High (ICSEA 1121, government), 2,242-student Oakhill College (Independent, 1124), and Gilroy Catholic College (1096). Every school sits in the top decile nationally.
Is Castle Hill safe?
BOCSAR crime statistics weren't returned for this suburb in the latest pull, but the indirect indicators are favourable: 80.7% of residents have stayed at the same address (low 19.3% turnover), volunteering rate is 15.0%, and household income at the 92.9th percentile correlates strongly with lower property crime in Greater Sydney datasets. Cross-check NSW BOCSAR for current numbers.
Is Castle Hill good for property investment?
It's a defensive hold rather than a yield play. Gross rental yield is around 2.6% on $560 weekly rent against a $1.14M median, lower than outer Sydney suburbs but tighter than inner-east Bondi. The 398 DAs lodged in 12 months point to medium-density supply coming, and 5.9% vacancy is elevated for The Hills District, so tenant demand needs monitoring.
How is Castle Hill's population changing?
Castle Hill is densifying. Current population is 40,874 across 18.81 km² (density 2,173/km²), and 398 DA lodgements in the past 12 months suggest material housing supply is in the pipeline. Migration patterns are shifting too: 45.4% are now overseas-born, 23.8 percentage points above the national average, with Chinese ancestry (8,248) close behind English (8,746).
What languages are spoken in Castle Hill?
After English, Mandarin leads with 2,158 speakers, followed by Cantonese (911), Korean (614), Hindi (461), and Persian (389). Combined with 45.4% of residents born overseas (23.8 percentage points above the national rate), Castle Hill's language profile resembles Chatswood more than the outer-Sydney suburb it once was.
How much development is happening in Castle Hill?
398 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, an unusually high pipeline density of roughly 1 DA per 103 residents. Recent applications include multi-dwelling housing, demolitions for new structures, and dwelling alterations, consistent with medium-density rezoning around the Sydney Metro Northwest corridor that opened in 2019.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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