Macquarie Park
Macquarie Park's defining outlier is its apartment and renter concentration: 90.3% of dwellings are apartments and 68.0% of households rent, far higher than the national norm. The suburb is also young, with a median age of 31, 9.0 years below the national benchmark, and highly educated, with 71.2% university qualified, 41.1 percentage points above national. Compared with nearby North Ryde and Marsfield, it reads more like a high-density employment precinct than a traditional family suburb, because residents are drawn by jobs, transport and compact housing.
Population
11,071
Median Age
31.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,886/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
168
Median House
$920K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
For homebuyers, Macquarie Park is mainly an apartment market rather than a detached-house hunt: 90.3% apartments, 9.7% semi-detached and almost no large homes, with 0 to 1 bedroom dwellings at 35.1% and 2 bedrooms at 55.2%. The $920,000 house median sits alongside a latest price point of $894,928, 4.7% below the 2024 peak of $939,000. Debt service looks manageable on local incomes, with mortgage costs at 28.7% of income, but the trade-off is space because only 1.0% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms.
For Buyers
For homebuyers, Macquarie Park is mainly an apartment market rather than a detached-house hunt: 90.3% apartments, 9.7% semi-detached and almost no large homes, with 0 to 1 bedroom dwellings at 35.1% and 2 bedrooms at 55.2%. The $920,000 house median sits alongside a latest price point of $894,928, 4.7% below the 2024 peak of $939,000. Debt service looks manageable on local incomes, with mortgage costs at 28.7% of income, but the trade-off is space because only 1.0% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms.
For Investors
Investors get deep tenant demand but should price vacancy risk carefully. Renting covers 68.0% of households, weekly rent is $460 and 1 to 2 bedroom stock makes up 90.3% of dwellings, which suits students, hospital, tech and office workers. The 18.4% vacancy rate is higher than a tight rental market, so yield assumptions need a buffer. Development pressure is also substantial, with 148 applications in 12 months, while forecast overseas migration averages +1116 people a year and supports longer-run absorption.
Development Activity
Total DAs
841
Last 12 Months
168
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-8.2%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
Macquarie Park is notably younger and more internationally connected than Australia overall. The median age is 31, 9.0 years below the national benchmark, while 68.9% were born overseas, 47.3 percentage points above national. Chinese ancestry is the largest recorded group at 3333 people, followed by Indian ancestry at 1126, and Mandarin is the leading non-English language with 881 speakers. The 2.0 average household size is 0.5 below national, because the suburb's apartments attract students, singles and couples without children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
N/A
Houses
9.7%
Townhouse
90.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is concentrated in compact strata stock, so headline prices need to be read differently from detached-house suburbs. The 2025 latest price is $894,928, down 4.7% from the 2024 peak of $939,000, while the broader median house price is $920,000. Tenure is renter-led at 68.0%, compared with 21.5% buying with a mortgage and 10.5% owned outright. Bedrooms confirm the pattern: 55.2% are 2 bedroom dwellings and 35.1% are 0 to 1 bedroom, which keeps entry prices below larger family-house markets but limits upsizing options.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,340
Rent / wk
$460
HH Size
2.0
Personal Income / wk
$970
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
18.4%
Unoccupied
1,079
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
28.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
44.1%
Couples, no children
6,720
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local economy is white-collar and knowledge-heavy. Professional/Tech leads at 19.7% of workers, followed by Healthcare at 12.5%, Finance at 9.7%, Education at 9.1% and Retail at 8.6%. Professionals account for 2724 workers, well above Managers and Clerical/Admin at 786 each. SEIFA shows the split: IEO is decile 10 and IRSAD decile 9, but IER is decile 2 and IRSD decile 7, because high qualifications sit beside many renters and early-career households. Unemployment is 8.7% with 61.8% participation.
Unemployment
2.9%
Labour Force
18,809
Unemployed
547
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
71.2%
Part-time
20.1%
Participation
61.8%
Employed
5,554
Occupations
Top Industries
University
71.2%
Postgraduate
28.1%
Born Overseas
68.9%
Dwellings
4,744
Transport to Work
Macquarie Park works best for people who value rail, walking access to workplaces and apartment convenience: 20.7% use public transport and 18.7% walk or cycle, both meaningful compared with car-oriented suburbs, while 57.0% still drive. IRSAD decile 9 and household income percentile 70.4 support amenity demand, though the 90.3% apartment base and 2.0 household size mean livability skews to singles, couples and mobile renters rather than large households.
Drive
57.0%
Public Transport
20.7%
Walk / Cycle
18.7%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.91%/yr
(+552 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is active rather than speculative. The trend forecast adds 552 people a year, or 1.91% annually, with the medium path rising from 28231 in 2026 to 30989 by 2031. Overseas migration is the clear driver at +1116 people a year, compared with -8 net internal migration, so demand is tied to arrivals more than local household churn. The gentrification score is 41 and stage is Active, while the shift trajectory is Mixed, because rent growth of 20.5% and real income growth of 31.1% sit alongside improving affordability.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+1,116
Net Internal / yr
-8
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +47% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +1116/yr, Accelerating: 16% → 27%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Macquarie Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Macquarie Park a good suburb to live in?
Yes, for buyers and renters who prefer apartments, jobs and transport access. The suburb's median age is 31, below national, and 20.7% use public transport, but 90.3% apartment stock means it suits compact living more than large-house lifestyles.
What is the median house price in Macquarie Park?
The headline median house price is $920,000, while the latest price series records $894,928 in 2025, 4.7% below the 2024 peak of $939,000. Buyers should compare apartment attributes closely because the suburb is 90.3% apartment stock.
What schools are in Macquarie Park?
Macquarie Park records 0 schools inside the suburb boundary, so families often compare nearby Marsfield, North Ryde and Ryde options. The trade-off is commute access: 20.7% of residents use public transport and 18.7% walk or cycle.
Is Macquarie Park safe?
Safety should be checked street by street because no crime rate per 1,000 is available for Macquarie Park. With 11071 residents and major office uses, compare station areas, car parks and apartment entries at different times before signing.
Is Macquarie Park good for property investment?
It can suit investors, but vacancy risk is above a tight-market setting. Renting is 68.0%, rent is $460 weekly, and development is active with 148 applications in 12 months; the 18.4% vacancy rate needs conservative assumptions.
How is Macquarie Park's population changing?
Population growth is forecast at 1.91% a year, or 552 people annually, rising on the medium path to 30989 by 2031. Overseas migration averages +1116 a year, much higher than -8 net internal migration.
What languages are spoken in Macquarie Park?
Language diversity is high compared with national patterns because 68.9% of residents were born overseas. Mandarin has 881 speakers, Cantonese 346, Hindi 262, Korean 217 and Persian 142.
How much development is happening in Macquarie Park?
Development activity is high, with 148 applications in 12 months and recent 2026 lodgements spanning commercial, warehouse and office premises. That is above a quiet suburb pattern and helps explain ongoing apartment and employment-precinct change.
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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