Haberfield
Haberfield stands out for its established wealth and unusually settled housing profile. The suburb has 6,480 residents, a median age of 46, and household income at the 95.9th percentile nationally. Separate houses account for 80.0% of dwellings, while 50.0% of homes are owned outright. Compared with nearby Five Dock and Leichhardt, Haberfield reads as more detached-house led and established, supported by a 54.2% university-educated population and an age profile 6.0 years above the national figure. Its slow 0.06% annual growth reflects limited turnover and a mature residential market.
Population
6,480
Median Age
46.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,761/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
140
Haberfield suits buyers seeking established houses, larger floorplans and a high-ownership environment rather than a lower-cost entry point. Separate houses make up 80.0% of dwellings, while 41.7% contain 4 or more bedrooms and 40.7% contain 3 bedrooms, creating strong family appeal. The 50.0% outright ownership rate is higher than the 31.3% mortgage rate and 17.2% renting share, because many properties are held by long-term owners. Buyers using debt should stress-test repayments: the monthly mortgage figure is $3,674 and the mortgage-to-income measure is 30.7%, with mortgage stress flagged. Current comparable sales are essential because no median house price is provided.
For Buyers
Haberfield suits buyers seeking established houses, larger floorplans and a high-ownership environment rather than a lower-cost entry point. Separate houses make up 80.0% of dwellings, while 41.7% contain 4 or more bedrooms and 40.7% contain 3 bedrooms, creating strong family appeal. The 50.0% outright ownership rate is higher than the 31.3% mortgage rate and 17.2% renting share, because many properties are held by long-term owners. Buyers using debt should stress-test repayments: the monthly mortgage figure is $3,674 and the mortgage-to-income measure is 30.7%, with mortgage stress flagged. Current comparable sales are essential because no median house price is provided.
For Investors
Haberfield is more suitable for investors targeting established, owner-occupier-oriented housing than high-turnover rental stock. Weekly rent is $530 and vacancy is 4.7%, while only 17.2% of households rent, well below the 81.3% combined outright and mortgaged ownership share. That lower rental share can limit tenant depth compared with more renter-heavy suburbs, although detached houses and family-sized layouts may support longer tenancies. Development activity is substantial at 144 applications in 12 months, with recent examples including alterations, heritage-related maintenance, pools and demolition. Growth is modest at 0.06% annually, while Overseas migration is the primary driver, so investors should prioritise property quality and realistic yield assumptions over rapid capital-growth expectations.
Development Activity
Total DAs
626
Last 12 Months
140
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+20.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Haberfield
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Demographics
Haberfield has an older and highly educated population, with a median age of 46, which is 6.0 years above the national figure, and 54.2% university participation, 24.1 percentage points above national levels. The 2.8-person average household is also 0.3 above the national comparison. Italian ancestry is prominent at 1,969 people, with Italian spoken by 462 residents, while Christianity accounts for 3,862 people and no religion for 2,104. Compared with nearby Five Dock and Leichhardt, the combination of older residents, Italian heritage and detached housing points to a more settled profile. Population stability is reinforced by 83.6% of residents staying at the same address, against a 16.4% turnover rate.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
80.0%
Houses
12.4%
Townhouse
7.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Haberfield's housing is dominated by established detached homes, with 80.0% separate houses compared with 7.1% apartments and 12.4% semi-detached dwellings. The 50.0% outright ownership rate is higher than both mortgage ownership at 31.3% and renting at 17.2%, because the suburb has a large base of long-term households. Larger homes are common: 41.7% have 4 or more bedrooms and 40.7% have 3 bedrooms, while only 3.3% are studios or 1-bedroom dwellings. Weekly rent is $530 and vacancy is 4.7%. Household income of $2,761 per week sits at the 95.9th percentile, but the 30.7% mortgage-to-income measure and flagged mortgage stress show that high incomes do not remove borrowing pressure.
Mortgage / mo
$3,674
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (April to June 2026), NSW Rental Bond Board (DCJ). Census 2021 median: $530.
$775
Bond data Jun 2026 · units $720
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$996
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.7%
Unoccupied
109
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.7% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
54.6%
Couples with children
31.0%
Couples, no children
13.1%
Single parent
1,770
Total families
Economy & Employment
Haberfield has a professional, knowledge-based employment base. Professional and Tech industries lead at 18.4% or 437 workers, followed by Education at 13.4% or 319, Healthcare at 13.2% or 314, Finance at 8.7% or 207, and Construction at 7.7% or 182. Professionals number 1,182 and Managers 626, both higher than the listed Sales total of 251 and Trades total of 242. The unemployment rate is 3.4%, participation is 60.7%, and the full-time rate is 56.9%. SEIFA results are strongly above average overall: IEO and IRSAD are both in decile 10, IRSD is decile 9, while IER is lower at decile 7. That gap suggests exceptional education and broad advantage, but somewhat less uniform economic-resource conditions.
Unemployment
3.4%
Labour Force
3,283
Unemployed
110
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.9%
Part-time
32.9%
Participation
60.7%
Employed
3,173
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
54.2%
Postgraduate
17.1%
Born Overseas
28.7%
Dwellings
2,217
Transport to Work
Haberfield provides a compact, established setting across 2.39 square kilometres, with density of 2,716.1 people per square kilometre and an IRSAD decile of 10, placing it above most Australian areas on relative advantage. Daily routines are strongly home-based: 57.7% work from home, compared with 32.6% driving a car and only 2.8% using public transport. That pattern reflects professional employment and may reduce weekday commuting, although transport choices are narrower than in rail-served suburbs. Two nearby government primary schools, Haberfield Public School and Dobroyd Point Public School, provide local primary access. Families should confirm catchments for the exact address. For safety decisions, check current NSW Police crime mapping and inspect walking routes, lighting and activity at different times. Volunteering is 16.4%, while 8.3% of residents need assistance.
Drive
32.6%
Public Transport
2.8%
Walk / Cycle
4.0%
Work from Home
57.7%
Population Forecast
+0.06%/yr
(+8 people/yr)
EstablishedHaberfield is a slow-growth, established suburb rather than a rapid expansion market. The annual trend is 0.06%, below the 2.1% population change recorded across the wider area over 10 years, with Overseas migration identified as the primary driver. The forecast trajectory is Mixed: senior share has risen 1.8 percentage points while young share has fallen 1.4 points, reinforcing an aging-resident pattern. The formal gentrification score is 10 and the stage is Not gentrifying, although the broader shift score is 30 and classified as Early signs. Rents have grown 27.0%, while real incomes rose 29.7%. Haberfield also recovered from a COVID dip of 3.1%, followed by a 3.3% recovery.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+198
Net Internal / yr
-61
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
COVID recovered (-3% dip → full recovery)
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Haberfield compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Haberfield a good suburb to live in?
Haberfield suits households seeking established homes, strong amenity and a stable community. It has 6,480 residents, a median age of 46, 80.0% separate houses and household income at the 95.9th percentile. Buyers should weigh the mortgage-to-income measure of 30.7% and check exact school catchments and transport needs.
What is the median house price in Haberfield?
Use recent comparable sales and current listings to establish the latest median, because Haberfield's market is house-led and prices can vary by street and renovation level. Separate houses account for 80.0% of dwellings, while 41.7% have 4 or more bedrooms and 40.7% have 3 bedrooms.
What schools are in Haberfield?
Haberfield has 2 nearby government primary schools: Haberfield Public School and Dobroyd Point Public School. Confirm the enrolment zone for the exact address before buying or renting, as catchments can differ across streets and school availability should be checked for the relevant year.
Is Haberfield safe?
For a current safety check, review NSW Police crime mapping for the latest 12-month incidents around the exact street, then inspect lighting and routes at different times. Haberfield has 6,480 residents and a 16.4% volunteering rate, but street-level checks remain important when comparing homes.
Is Haberfield good for property investment?
Haberfield can suit investors seeking established, family-sized housing, but it is an owner-occupier-heavy market. Weekly rent is $530, vacancy is 4.7% and only 17.2% of households rent, compared with 81.3% owning outright or with a mortgage. Growth is modest at 0.06% annually, so yield and purchase price need careful testing.
How is Haberfield's population changing?
Haberfield has 6,480 residents today and is changing slowly. Annual growth is 0.06%, while population change across the wider area is 2.1% over 10 years, driven primarily by Overseas migration. The trajectory is Mixed: senior share rose 1.8 points and young share fell 1.4 points.
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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