Dover Heights
At 4,269.4 people per sq km, Dover Heights combines a compact footprint with an unusually affluent household base: weekly household income of $3,877 sits at the 99.5th percentile. The 4,044 residents are older than the national profile by 1.0 year, while 42.6% were born overseas, 21.0 percentage points above the national level. Compared with nearby Rose Bay and Vaucluse as search alternatives, Dover Heights stands out for high education, with 67.3% university educated, 37.2 points above national. Slow growth, 60.0% working from home and 56.0% living in homes with 4 or more bedrooms point to an established, high-value market because family-sized housing and professional incomes dominate.
Population
4,044
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,877/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
86
Homebuyers are choosing between a strongly detached market and a smaller apartment segment. Separate houses account for 66.5% of dwellings, while apartments are 22.7% and semi-detached homes 10.8%; 56.0% of homes contain 4 or more bedrooms. That mix suits households seeking space, but it also means buyers need to compare renovation, land and maintenance costs carefully. Ownership is split between 43.4% outright and 36.0% with a mortgage, compared with 19.6% renting, so demand is anchored by established owner-occupiers. The $4,333 monthly mortgage measure sits alongside $798 weekly rent, while mortgage costs equal 25.8% of income and rent equals 20.6%.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are choosing between a strongly detached market and a smaller apartment segment. Separate houses account for 66.5% of dwellings, while apartments are 22.7% and semi-detached homes 10.8%; 56.0% of homes contain 4 or more bedrooms. That mix suits households seeking space, but it also means buyers need to compare renovation, land and maintenance costs carefully. Ownership is split between 43.4% outright and 36.0% with a mortgage, compared with 19.6% renting, so demand is anchored by established owner-occupiers. The $4,333 monthly mortgage measure sits alongside $798 weekly rent, while mortgage costs equal 25.8% of income and rent equals 20.6%.
For Investors
Investor appeal rests on affluent demand and rent levels, but vacancy needs scrutiny. Renting accounts for 19.6% of tenure and weekly rent is $798, while vacancy is 8.2%, so income potential should be tested against periods of downtime rather than assumed from the headline rent. Rent growth of 30.0% is higher than the 0.24% annual population trend, indicating housing costs have moved faster than resident growth. There were 86 development applications in 12 months, pointing to ongoing renovation and property-level change. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver, but the 43.4% outright ownership and 36.0% mortgaged share indicate an owner-occupier market first, rental market second.
Development Activity
Total DAs
477
Last 12 Months
86
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-2.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Dover Heights
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Demographics
At 41, Dover Heights is 1.0 year older than the national average, while its 3.0-person household size is 0.5 above national. University education reaches 67.3%, or 37.2 percentage points above national, and overseas-born residents are 42.6%, 21.0 points above national. Judaism is the largest recorded religion at 2,017 people, followed by Christianity at 955 and no religion at 788. Leading ancestry responses include Other at 1,172, English at 816, Sth African at 513, Irish at 243 and Chinese at 225. Compared with nearby Rose Bay and Vaucluse as lifestyle alternatives, Dover Heights is best understood as settled and high-income because 80.1% of residents stayed at the same address and household income ranks at the 99.5th percentile.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
66.5%
Houses
10.8%
Townhouse
22.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Dover Heights has a predominantly detached housing profile: separate houses represent 66.5%, against 22.7% apartments and 10.8% semi-detached dwellings. The bedroom mix is similarly weighted to larger homes, with 56.0% containing 4 or more bedrooms and 25.6% containing 3. Tenure is owner-led, with 43.4% owned outright and 36.0% under mortgage, compared with 19.6% rented. That structure helps explain why household income is $3,877 a week and why mortgage stress is flagged false at 25.8% of income, although renting at $798 a week still absorbs 20.6%. Compared with its apartment segment, the suburb carries more land and maintenance exposure because separate houses account for nearly 3 times the apartment share.
Mortgage / mo
$4,333
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (April to June 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $798.
$1,200
Bond data Jun 2026 · houses $2,650 · units $985
HH Size
3.0
Personal Income / wk
$1,404
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.2%
Unoccupied
118
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
54.3%
Couples with children
34.3%
Couples, no children
10.4%
Single parent
1,113
Total families
Economy & Employment
Professional/Tech leads local employment at 20.4% and 313 workers, followed by Healthcare at 18.7% and 287, Finance at 12.5% and 192, Education at 9.0% and 139, and Retail at 5.9% and 90. The occupation mix reinforces this concentration: Professionals number 819 and Managers 485, well above Clerical/Admin at 239 and Sales at 141. Labour force participation is 62.5%, unemployment is 3.2%, and 1,079 workers are full time against 692 part time, supporting household income of $3,877 weekly. Compared with national conditions, IEO, IRSD and IRSAD all sit in decile 10, with scores of 1170, 1099 and 1161; IER is decile 9 at 1069, slightly below the top decile. This small index gap suggests broad advantage remains stronger than the narrowest economic-resources measure because education and professional employment are concentrated.
Unemployment
3.2%
Labour Force
2,011
Unemployed
65
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
55.4%
Part-time
35.6%
Participation
62.5%
Employed
1,946
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
67.3%
Postgraduate
19.2%
Born Overseas
42.6%
Dwellings
1,308
Transport to Work
Daily life is unusually home-based: 60.0% work from home, while 34.9% drive to work. Only 1.4% use public transport and 1.7% walk or cycle, so commuting convenience depends more on home location and road access than on transit use. Rose Bay Secondary College is a government secondary school in the local area; families should check the exact enrolment zone and transport route because school access can vary by address. With 4,044 residents across 0.95 sq km, density reaches 4,269.4 people per sq km, keeping services and destinations relatively compact. Social and economic advantage is high, with IEO and IRSD at decile 10, IRSAD at decile 10 and IER at decile 9. Compared with lower-decile areas, this supports strong access to household resources, while safety should be checked using current incident information.
Drive
34.9%
Public Transport
1.4%
Walk / Cycle
1.7%
Work from Home
60.0%
Population Forecast
+0.24%/yr
(+28 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is measured at 0.24% annually, a slow pace consistent with an established suburb rather than a rapid expansion area. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while population change across the wider area is 6.7% over 10 years. The forecast trajectory is Mixed, and rent growth of 30.0% is higher than the annual population trend, indicating housing costs have moved faster than resident numbers. Gentrification signals are also mixed: the core score is 10 with stage Not gentrifying, while the shift score is 39 with stage Early signs. COVID produced a 3.1% dip followed by 2.2% recovery, so the market has recovered but remains slow-growth. Compared with a high-turnover growth suburb, Dover Heights is more likely to change through renovations and selective redevelopment because 86 applications were recorded in 12 months.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+153
Net Internal / yr
-141
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -141/yr, COVID recovered (-3% dip → full recovery)
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Dover Heights compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dover Heights a good suburb to live in?
Dover Heights suits households seeking larger homes, high incomes and a settled neighbourhood profile. It has 4,044 residents, 56.0% of homes with 4 or more bedrooms and an IRSAD decile of 10. The trade-offs are an 8.2% vacancy rate, limited public transport use at 1.4% and premium housing costs.
What is the median house price in Dover Heights?
Check the latest comparable sales for the current median house price. Dover Heights contains 56.0% of homes with 4 or more bedrooms and weekly rent is $798, so the headline median can vary materially with the mix of premium detached properties, apartments and renovated homes.
What schools are in Dover Heights?
Rose Bay Secondary College is a government secondary school in the local area. Families should confirm the exact enrolment zone and travel route for each address, particularly in a compact suburb covering 0.95 sq km and containing 4,044 residents.
Is Dover Heights safe?
Use current NSW Police incident information and compare offence categories over 12 months before making a decision. Dover Heights has 4,044 residents at a density of 4,269.4 people per sq km, so reviewing the exact streets and recent incidents is more useful than relying on a broad suburb label.
Is Dover Heights good for property investment?
Dover Heights may suit investors targeting affluent tenants and established housing, with weekly rent of $798 and rent growth of 30.0%. However, the 8.2% vacancy rate requires careful cash-flow testing. A further 86 development applications in 12 months indicate ongoing renovation and property-level activity.
How is Dover Heights's population changing?
Population growth is slow at 0.24% annually, with overseas migration identified as the primary driver. Population change across the wider area is 6.7% over 10 years and the trajectory is Mixed. The senior share rose by 1.3 percentage points while the working share fell by 2.1 points.
What languages are spoken in Dover Heights?
English is the dominant reference language, while recorded non-English languages include Russian at 63 people, Mandarin at 46 and Greek at 40. French accounts for 20 and Italian 17. The overseas-born share is 42.6%, which is 21.0 percentage points above the national level.
What development is happening in Dover Heights?
There were 86 development applications in the latest 12-month period. Recent examples include a dwelling house application with 1 dwelling, along with changes to a dwelling house and smaller residential structures. The pattern points more to property-level renewal than a large apartment expansion.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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