Fairfield East
More than half of Fairfield East's 5,198 residents were born overseas, 57.1%, which sits 35.5 points above the national figure and shapes almost everything else about the suburb. Household income lands in just the 26th percentile nationally, yet the median house price has reached $1,068,000, a tension that explains why 46.3% of homes are rented rather than owned. The suburb scores in the bottom decile on three of four SEIFA indexes, including decile 1 on IRSD and IRSAD, marking it as one of the more disadvantaged areas in the country. The median age of 37 runs 3.0 years below national, and average household size of 3.2 people is 0.7 above national, reflecting larger migrant and family households across a compact 1.99 km2.
Population
5,198
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,212/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
60
Median House
$1.1M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $1,068,000 median house price is steep against local household income in the 26th percentile, and the gap shows in the tenure split where only 26.0% own outright and 27.7% carry a mortgage. Prices rose 9.6% over a single year, from $1,015,000 in 2024 to $1,112,500 in 2025, faster than incomes grew. The stock favours families: 71.2% are separate houses, well above the apartment share of 16.3%, and three-bedroom homes make up 38.8% with four-plus bedroom homes another 32.6%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,900, but the mortgage-to-income ratio reaches 36.2%, above the 30% stress threshold, because purchase prices have outrun the modest local wage base. Buyers get genuine detached-house space here, though servicing the loan stretches typical Fairfield East earners.
For Buyers
The $1,068,000 median house price is steep against local household income in the 26th percentile, and the gap shows in the tenure split where only 26.0% own outright and 27.7% carry a mortgage. Prices rose 9.6% over a single year, from $1,015,000 in 2024 to $1,112,500 in 2025, faster than incomes grew. The stock favours families: 71.2% are separate houses, well above the apartment share of 16.3%, and three-bedroom homes make up 38.8% with four-plus bedroom homes another 32.6%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,900, but the mortgage-to-income ratio reaches 36.2%, above the 30% stress threshold, because purchase prices have outrun the modest local wage base. Buyers get genuine detached-house space here, though servicing the loan stretches typical Fairfield East earners.
For Investors
A 46.3% renter share gives landlords a deep tenant pool, the clear majority of dwellings, and weekly rent of $300 against the $1,068,000 median implies a gross yield near 1.5%, low for a market this far from the CBD. Rent has climbed 26.6% over the period, faster than the 9.6% one-year price move, so the income side is strengthening relative to capital. The vacancy rate of 5.4% is higher than tight inner-city markets, pointing to softer rental demand than the renter share alone suggests. Development is modest at 56 applications in 12 months, and the recent samples are secondary dwellings lodged as Complying Development Certificates, granny-flat style additions rather than new supply. Overseas migration adds about 672 residents a year to the wider area, which underpins tenant demand more than owner-occupier churn.
Development Activity
Total DAs
216
Last 12 Months
60
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+39.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Fairfield East iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Villawood North Public School
K-6 · 250 students
Demographics
At 57.1% born overseas, 35.5 points above national, Fairfield East is firmly migrant-majority, and the ancestry mix is led by Vietnamese (1,239) and Chinese (625) rather than the English count of 417. The most spoken non-English languages are Arabic (456), Cantonese (111) and Mandarin (69), so English is a minority first language at home. University qualifications reach 28.9%, which is 1.2 points below national, modest for a metropolitan Sydney suburb. The median age of 37 is 3.0 years below national, and average household size of 3.2 is 0.7 above national, because larger family households dominate: couples with children number 1,724 against just 619 couples with no children. Religion is split across Christianity (1,831), Islam (1,025) and Buddhism (991), an unusually even three-way spread.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
71.2%
Houses
12.6%
Townhouse
16.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts toward renters: 46.3% rent, while 26.0% own outright and 27.7% hold a mortgage, the renter share being the largest single group. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 71.2% separate houses, with apartments at 16.3% and semi-detached at 12.6%, so the suburb supplies family-sized housing rather than density. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 38.8% and four-plus bedroom homes 32.6%, leaving smaller one and two-bedroom stock at a combined 28.6%. The median house price rose from $1,015,000 in 2024 to $1,112,500 in 2025, a 9.6% one-year gain. Mortgage-to-income at 36.2% sits above the 30% stress threshold while rent-to-income at 24.8% stays below it, a divergence that reflects how far purchase prices have moved beyond what local incomes in the 26th percentile can comfortably service.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,900
Rent / wk
$300
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$459
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.4%
Unoccupied
84
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.8%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
36.2% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
15.0%
Couples, no children
4,137
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in service sectors rather than knowledge work: Healthcare leads at 18.3% (137 workers), Professional/Tech follows at 9.5% (71), Education at 9.2% and Transport at 9.1%, with Retail at 8.8%. By occupation, Professionals (243) narrowly top a blue-collar base of Labourers (210) and Machinery operators or Drivers (209), a mix consistent with the suburb's bottom-decile SEIFA scores. The unemployment rate of 11.5% runs well above national, and participation reads just 30.9% because 2,159 residents are not in the labour force. SEIFA scores sit at decile 2 on IEO and decile 1 on IRSD, IRSAD and IER, placing Fairfield East among the most economically disadvantaged suburbs nationally, with real incomes having grown only 9.0% over the decade.
Unemployment
12.8%
Labour Force
6,961
Unemployed
890
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.9%
Part-time
23.6%
Participation
30.9%
Employed
1,143
Occupations
Top Industries
University
28.9%
Postgraduate
4.4%
Born Overseas
57.1%
Dwellings
1,456
Transport to Work
Fairfield East is heavily car-dependent: 83.4% drive to work while only 5.3% use public transport and 3.0% walk or cycle, above the typical metropolitan reliance on cars. No schools are recorded inside the 1.99 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for the compact footprint. The suburb scores decile 1 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the lowest tier nationally, and 10.6% of residents (497 people) need daily assistance, both consistent with an area carrying real socioeconomic pressure. Volunteering runs low at 4.9%, and residential stability is high with a turnover rate of just 13.3%, meaning 86.7% of residents stayed put, a settled, family-anchored population despite the economic headwinds.
Drive
83.4%
Public Transport
5.3%
Walk / Cycle
3.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.67%/yr
(+129 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation growth is steady but slow, with the trend pointing to 0.67% a year, around 129 people, and a 10-year rise of 8.3% across the wider area. Overseas migration is the primary driver at roughly 672 residents a year, offsetting a net internal outflow near 495 a year as existing residents move out and migrants move in. The trajectory is classified as aging: the senior share rose 5.2 points while the young-resident share fell 4.0 points over the decade. Gentrification registers only early signs at a score of 20 to 26, well below the threshold for active change, which fits a low-income suburb with limited room to climb the advantage ranks. Affordability improved from 85.8% in 2011 to 81.0% in 2021, though it stays high relative to most markets.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+672
Net Internal / yr
-495
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Net internal outflow -495/yr, Strong overseas inflow +672/yr, COVID recovered (-4% dip → full recovery)
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Fairfield East compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fairfield East a good suburb to live in?
Fairfield East suits families wanting detached housing, with 71.2% separate houses and a median age of 37, three years below national. The trade-offs are real: it scores decile 1 on three of four SEIFA indexes and household income sits in just the 26th percentile, so it is one of the more disadvantaged areas nationally.
What is the median house price in Fairfield East?
The median house price is $1,068,000. Prices rose 9.6% over one year, from $1,015,000 in 2024 to $1,112,500 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $300 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,900, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 36.2%, above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Fairfield East?
No schools are recorded inside the 1.99 km2 Fairfield East boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is moderately educated, with university qualifications at 28.9%, which is 1.2 points below the national figure.
Is Fairfield East safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Fairfield East in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 1 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, the lowest tier, and 10.6% of its residents (497 people) need daily assistance, both signs of a higher-pressure socioeconomic area.
Is Fairfield East good for property investment?
Rent of $300 a week against a $1,068,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.5%, and the 5.4% vacancy rate is higher than tight inner-city markets. Rent grew 26.6% over the period, faster than prices, and the 46.3% renter share gives a deep tenant pool, so returns lean on rent growth more than yield.
How is Fairfield East's population changing?
Population growth runs about 0.67% a year, roughly 129 people, with an 8-year-plus rise of 8.3% across the wider area. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 5.2 points and the young-resident share down 4.0 points, while overseas migration of about 672 a year is the main driver.
What languages are spoken in Fairfield East?
About 57.1% of residents were born overseas, 35.5 points above the national figure. Arabic is the most common non-English language with 456 speakers, followed by Cantonese (111) and Mandarin (69), reflecting a migrant-majority population led by Vietnamese and Chinese ancestry.
How much development is happening in Fairfield East?
There were 56 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Recent examples are secondary dwellings lodged as Complying Development Certificates, granny-flat style additions to existing detached homes rather than new estates, consistent with a built-out suburb where 71.2% of dwellings are separate houses.
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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