Padstow Heights

Development Activity

Demographics

The median age of 44 is 4.0 years above the national figure, the highest gap in this comparison set, pointing to a mature, settled population. English ancestry leads with 1,085 residents, followed by Irish (319), Greek (299) and Scottish (228), giving the suburb an Anglo-Celtic and southern-European character. Greek (90 speakers) and Arabic (86 speakers) are the most common non-English languages. Overseas-born residents account for 24.2%, which is 2.6 points above national. University qualifications reach 31.5%, marginally above the national average by 1.4 points, while the full-time employment rate of 66.0% reflects an experienced working-age cohort.

Tenure is split firmly in favour of ownership: 42.2% own outright and 42.5% carry a mortgage, leaving only 15.3% renting, which is well below the national renter share. The stock is predominantly separate houses at 72.4%, with semi-detached at 14.5% and apartments at 13.1%. The four-plus bedroom category dominates at 43.6%, consistent with family-sized homes rather than investor-grade units. House prices rose from $1,430,000 in 2024 to $1,535,000 in 2025, a 7.3% one-year gain. Rent-to-income at 25.5% and mortgage-to-income at 29.8% both fall below stress thresholds, suggesting the current resident base can manage their housing costs despite high absolute prices.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the largest employing industry at 14.3% of workers (156 people), followed by Education at 13.1% (143) and Construction at 10.2% (111), with Professional/Tech at 9.4% and Public Admin at 7.9%. By occupation, Professionals lead with 397 workers, ahead of Clerical/Admin (279) and Managers (230), a mix that sits higher than a trade-or-retail dominated suburb. The IRSAD decile of 7 and IEO decile of 7 confirm above-average education and occupation advantage compared to national benchmarks. Unemployment is 4.0%, close to national norms, with 66.0% in full-time employment. Volunteering at 11.9% also tracks above what lower-SEIFA suburbs typically show.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is high: 88.4% of residents drive to work, compared to Sydney's inner-ring suburbs where public transport use is far higher. Only 4.1% use public transport, reflecting Padstow Heights' mid-ring position and limited rail access. The IRSAD decile of 7 places the suburb in the upper-middle advantage tier nationally. Need-for-assistance is 8.2% (283 residents), manageable given the median age of 44 is 4.0 years above national. Residential stability is strong, with 84.9% of residents remaining in the same address, and 33 development applications in the past 12 months indicate steady property investment and upkeep. No schools are recorded within the 1.93 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families use institutions in neighbouring suburbs such as Padstow.

Population Forecast

Population grew 10.1% over the decade and is trending at 0.53% annually, adding roughly 93 residents a year. Medium forecasts project the broader area reaching 18,236 by 2031, up from 17,692 in 2025. Overseas migration is the primary driver at 200 net arrivals per year, offsetting net internal outflow of 140, a pattern common in established middle-ring suburbs where affordability still attracts international arrivals but established locals move outward for space. Rent growth of 38.2% over the reference period is well above inflation, and real income growth of 11.5% confirms that residents are accumulating purchasing power. The gentrification score of 33 sits in the early-signs band, below the threshold for active gentrification.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Padstow Heights compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions