Davidson
With a median house price of $2,330,000 and household income at the 98.6th percentile nationally, Davidson sits at the very top of Sydney's northern suburbs. What makes it unusual is the near-total absence of rental stock: only 6.7% of dwellings are rented, compared to the national average of around 30%, and 90.1% of residents have lived here for at least five years. The suburb is almost exclusively detached housing, with 98.6% separate houses and 81.4% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms, reflecting a population of established families rather than transient renters.
Population
2,725
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,254/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
19
Median House
$2.3M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The median house price is $2,330,000, and prices have risen 6.2% over the past year, from $2,250,000 in 2024 to $2,390,000 in 2025. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 98.6%, with 81.4% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms, which means buyers are competing for large family homes in a suburb with very low turnover. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,250, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1%, below the 30% stress threshold despite the high price point. This is possible because household income sits in the 98.6th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 45.8% nearly match mortgage holders at 47.5%, confirming that much of Davidson's housing is held by debt-free, long-term residents.
For Buyers
The median house price is $2,330,000, and prices have risen 6.2% over the past year, from $2,250,000 in 2024 to $2,390,000 in 2025. The stock is almost entirely separate houses at 98.6%, with 81.4% of dwellings having four or more bedrooms, which means buyers are competing for large family homes in a suburb with very low turnover. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,250, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1%, below the 30% stress threshold despite the high price point. This is possible because household income sits in the 98.6th percentile nationally. Outright owners at 45.8% nearly match mortgage holders at 47.5%, confirming that much of Davidson's housing is held by debt-free, long-term residents.
For Investors
Davidson is one of the least investor-friendly markets by yield. Weekly rent of $1,000 against a $2,330,000 median implies a gross yield below 2.5%, low even by premium Sydney standards. The renter share of just 6.7% shrinks the available tenant pool further, and the vacancy rate sits at 1.9%. Rent-to-income for existing tenants is 30.7%, at the stress threshold, which limits upward pressure on rents without losing tenants. Development activity is modest at 18 applications in the past 12 months, mostly alterations and swimming pool additions rather than new supply. The investment case here is capital growth rather than yield, supported by the 6.2% annual price increase and the scarcity created by a 90.1% long-term retention rate.
Development Activity
Total DAs
107
Last 12 Months
19
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
0.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Davidson iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Martin's Catholic Primary School
K-6 · 136 students
Kambora Public School
K-6 · 32 students
Demographics
The median age of 45 is 5 years above the national figure, which signals an established resident base with adult children rather than young families. University qualifications reach 49.9%, which is 19.8 percentage points above the national average, the highest education concentration found in outer northern Sydney suburbs. Overseas-born residents make up 30.3%, 8.7 points above national, but the ancestry profile is firmly Anglo-Celtic: English (1,340 residents), Irish (370) and Scottish (307) lead all groups. The average household size of 3.1 is 0.6 above national, consistent with couples with children making up the dominant family type at 46.5% of families. Volunteering participation is high at 20.0% of the population.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.6%
Houses
0.5%
Townhouse
0.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Davidson's housing stock is as uniform as you will find anywhere in NSW: 98.6% separate houses, 81.4% with four or more bedrooms, and just 0.9% apartments. This structure reflects single-lot residential zoning that has seen very little redevelopment over decades. The median house price rose from $2,250,000 in 2024 to $2,390,000 in 2025, a 6.2% one-year move, with no trough below the starting point in the two-year record. Tenure splits 45.8% outright ownership against 47.5% mortgage holders, with only 6.7% renting. This is a suburb where owners outnumber or match mortgage holders across all age groups, a sign of long-held, paid-down wealth rather than recent leveraged buyers entering the market.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$3,250
Rent / wk
$1,000
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$1,046
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
1.9%
Unoccupied
17
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.7% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.1%
Couples, no children
2,522
Total families
Economy & Employment
Davidson's workforce concentrates in high-income knowledge sectors above the Sydney average. Professional and Technical services leads at 17.8% of employed residents (180 workers), followed by Healthcare at 14.3% (144) and Education at 12.8% (129). By occupation, Professionals (419) and Managers (337) together account for over 60% of employed residents, consistent with household income in the 98.6th percentile nationally. The unemployment rate is low at 3.3% and the full-time employment rate is 63.5%. The participation rate of 59.3% is below what income levels would suggest, because the older median age of 45 leaves a larger share of residents outside the labour force: 718 are not in the labour force at all, compared to 795 in full-time work.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
63.5%
Part-time
33.2%
Participation
59.3%
Employed
1,252
Occupations
Top Industries
University
49.9%
Postgraduate
12.2%
Born Overseas
30.3%
Dwellings
865
Transport to Work
Car dependence in Davidson is near-total: 90.5% of residents commute by car, and only 3.9% use public transport, which is well below the Sydney metropolitan average. This reflects the suburb's location on the northern plateau, away from rail lines and with limited bus frequency. No schools are recorded inside the Davidson boundary, so families rely on institutions in surrounding suburbs including St Ives and Frenchs Forest. The need-for-assistance rate is low at 3.1% of residents (83 people), consistent with a relatively young working-age household base at median age 45. Rent-to-income is 30.7%, at the stress boundary for the small renting cohort, while mortgage-to-income sits comfortably at 23.1% for owners, which is below the national stress threshold.
Drive
90.5%
Public Transport
3.9%
Walk / Cycle
0.8%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Davidson compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Davidson a good suburb to live in?
Davidson consistently attracts high-income families with household income in the 98.6th percentile nationally. The suburb has a very stable population, with 90.1% of residents remaining in the same address between censuses. The main trade-offs are near-total car dependence at 90.5% and a $2,330,000 median house price that limits entry.
What is the median house price in Davidson?
The median house price is $2,330,000, based on 2024-2025 data. Prices rose 6.2% from $2,250,000 in 2024 to $2,390,000 in 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments average $3,250, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.1% for households in the 98.6th income percentile nationally.
What schools are in Davidson?
No schools are recorded inside the Davidson boundary in this dataset. The suburb's 49.9% university qualification rate, which is 19.8 percentage points above the national average, suggests most families choose schools in neighbouring suburbs such as St Ives and Frenchs Forest.
Is Davidson safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Davidson in this dataset. As indirect indicators, the suburb has household income in the 98.6th percentile nationally, very low turnover at 9.9% annually, and only 3.1% of its 2,725 residents require daily assistance, all consistent with a low-disadvantage area.
Is Davidson good for property investment?
The investment case is primarily capital growth rather than yield. Weekly rent of $1,000 against a $2,330,000 median implies a gross yield below 2.5%, and the renter share is just 6.7% of dwellings. However, the 6.2% annual price increase and near-zero new supply from 18 mostly alteration DAs support long-run capital appreciation.
How is Davidson's population changing?
Davidson's population of 2,725 is stable rather than growing. Turnover is very low, with 90.1% of residents staying in the same address from one census to the next, compared to much higher mobility in most Sydney suburbs. The median age of 45 is 5 years above the national figure, pointing to gradual aging of an entrenched resident base.
What languages are spoken in Davidson?
About 30.3% of Davidson residents were born overseas, which is 8.7 percentage points above the national figure. English dominates, with the most common non-English languages being French (12 speakers), Cantonese (11) and Mandarin (11). The ancestry profile is predominantly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,340 residents) and Irish (370).
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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