Wakeley
A $1,240,000 median house price sits beside an IRSD score in decile 1, the most disadvantaged tier nationally, and the contrast defines Wakeley. The gap exists because 60.8% of residents were born overseas, 39.2 points above the national figure, in a settled migrant suburb where household income lands at only the 49.5th percentile yet detached homes still command Sydney-grade prices. The housing stock is 85.7% separate houses on 1.63 km2, with apartments at just 1.3%, so values reflect land scarcity rather than affluence. The median age of 41 runs 1.0 year above national, and the senior share has climbed 8.9 points over the decade, marking an aging, slow-growth profile.
Population
4,893
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,553/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
20
Median House
$1.2M
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $1,240,000 median reflects what buyers pay for land rather than income, since household earnings sit at only the 49.5th percentile while prices rose 14.6% from $1,117,500 in 2024 to $1,280,750 in 2025. Stock is overwhelmingly detached: 85.7% are separate houses and just 1.3% apartments, so almost every purchase is a freestanding home. Three-bedroom dwellings dominate at 50.6% and four-plus bedrooms reach 42.1%, with two-bedroom options scarce at 7.0%, which suits the larger 3.2-person households here, 0.7 above national. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,058, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 30.6%, above the 30% stress threshold. Outright owners at 42.3% outnumber mortgage holders at 32.6%, a sign of long-settled families who bought before recent price growth.
For Buyers
The $1,240,000 median reflects what buyers pay for land rather than income, since household earnings sit at only the 49.5th percentile while prices rose 14.6% from $1,117,500 in 2024 to $1,280,750 in 2025. Stock is overwhelmingly detached: 85.7% are separate houses and just 1.3% apartments, so almost every purchase is a freestanding home. Three-bedroom dwellings dominate at 50.6% and four-plus bedrooms reach 42.1%, with two-bedroom options scarce at 7.0%, which suits the larger 3.2-person households here, 0.7 above national. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,058, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 30.6%, above the 30% stress threshold. Outright owners at 42.3% outnumber mortgage holders at 32.6%, a sign of long-settled families who bought before recent price growth.
For Investors
Renters make up 25.1% of households, a thin tenant pool compared with inner-Sydney markets, and weekly rent of $450 against the $1,240,000 median implies a gross yield near 1.9%, low even by Sydney standards. The 2.9% vacancy rate is tight, so tenants are reliable, but the small renter base limits scale. Demand support is modest: net overseas migration adds 112 residents a year while internal migration removes 112, leaving population effectively flat. Development is limited at 19 applications in 12 months, mostly secondary dwellings and dual occupancies rather than new estates. With rent growth of 28.6% over the period against 14.6% price growth, the case favours steady cash yield from the tight vacancy rate more than rapid capital gains.
Development Activity
Total DAs
116
Last 12 Months
20
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-16.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Wakeley iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Mary MacKillop Catholic College
7-12 · 843 students
Demographics
The migrant character is the standout fact: 60.8% of residents were born overseas, 39.2 points above the national figure, far higher than most Sydney suburbs. Ancestry is led by Vietnamese (860), Chinese (643) and English (267), and the top non-English languages are Arabic (160), Khmer (87) and Cantonese (79), reflecting a Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern settlement pattern. University qualifications reach 33.5%, 3.4 points above national, a modest edge. Average household size is 3.2, which is 0.7 above national, consistent with multi-generational families: 1,656 households are couples with children against 776 couples without. Buddhism (933 residents) ranks second behind Christianity (2,908), an unusually high share that tracks the Vietnamese and Chinese communities.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
85.7%
Houses
13.0%
Townhouse
1.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure leans to ownership: 42.3% own outright, 32.6% carry a mortgage and only 25.1% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-held family homes rather than recent buyer churn. The stock is 85.7% separate houses and 13.0% semi-detached, leaving apartments at just 1.3%, so this is a detached-house market with little density. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 50.6% and four-plus bedrooms 42.1%, while two-bedroom homes are scarce at 7.0%, matching the 3.2-person household average. The median price rose from $1,117,500 to $1,280,750 across 2024 to 2025, a 14.6% one-year move. Mortgage-to-income at 30.6% exceeds the stress threshold while rent-to-income sits at 29.0%, a narrow gap that reflects how stretched both buyers and tenants are against the 49.5th-percentile income base.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,058
Rent / wk
$450
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$502
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
2.9%
Unoccupied
44
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.6% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
17.6%
Couples, no children
4,413
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in services rather than knowledge sectors: Healthcare leads at 17.5% (161 workers), Education follows at 9.5% (88) and Retail and Professional/Tech tie at 9.0% each (83), with Manufacturing at 7.2%. By occupation, Professionals (339) and Clerical/Admin (229) lead, but Machinery operators and drivers (195) and Labourers (181) together rival them, a blue-collar weighting that fits the IEO score of decile 4 for education and occupation. Unemployment is high at 9.3% and participation reads just 35.3%, with 2,166 residents not in the labour force, both depressed by the aging profile and a senior share up 8.9 points over the decade. The IER score of decile 5 sits above the IRSD decile 1, because home ownership at 74.9% lifts economic resources even where income is low.
Unemployment
5.0%
Labour Force
5,071
Unemployed
252
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
65.8%
Part-time
24.9%
Participation
35.3%
Employed
1,303
Occupations
Top Industries
University
33.5%
Postgraduate
4.9%
Born Overseas
60.8%
Dwellings
1,460
Transport to Work
This is a car-dependent suburb: 88.3% of residents drive to work while only 2.7% take public transport and 1.5% walk or cycle, well above the national reliance on cars. The IRSD score sits in decile 1, the most disadvantaged tier nationally, and 9.7% of residents (454 people) need daily assistance, higher than typical and consistent with the aging median age of 41. Volunteering runs low at 5.2%, below most suburbs. Residential stability is high: turnover is just 11.6% a year and 88.4% of residents stayed put, a settled population rather than a transient one. No schools are recorded inside the 1.63 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for a compact, detached-housing area at 3,003 residents per km2.
Drive
88.3%
Public Transport
2.7%
Walk / Cycle
1.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
-0.02%/yr
(-2 people/yr)
EstablishedWakeley is effectively flat: the forecast trend shows annual growth of -0.02%, about 2 fewer residents a year, while the 10-year change was a slow 5.3%, classifying it as an established suburb. Overseas migration of 112 residents a year is the only positive driver, fully offset by net internal outflow of 112, so natural change carries little momentum. The gentrification stage reads not gentrifying with a score of 0, which fits a decile 1 disadvantage area with an aging base, though a separate shift index logs early signs at a score of 22. Affordability has held stable, easing slightly from 90.4% in 2011 to 91.5% in 2021, still very stretched relative to most markets. Real income grew just 3.4% over the decade, far below the 28.6% rent growth, which has squeezed household budgets.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+112
Net Internal / yr
-112
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -112/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Wakeley compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wakeley a good suburb to live in?
Wakeley suits settled families who want a detached home, with 85.7% separate houses and a large 3.2-person household average, 0.7 above national. It is stable, with 88.4% of residents staying put. The trade-offs are an IRSD score in decile 1, the most disadvantaged tier, and a $1,240,000 median house price against 49.5th-percentile incomes.
What is the median house price in Wakeley?
The median house price is $1,240,000. Prices rose 14.6% from $1,117,500 in 2024 to $1,280,750 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $450 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,058, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 30.6%, above the 30% stress threshold.
What schools are in Wakeley?
No schools are recorded inside the 1.63 km2 Wakeley boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is moderately educated, with university qualifications at 33.5%, which is 3.4 points above the national figure.
Is Wakeley safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Wakeley in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores in decile 1 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, and 9.7% of its residents (454 people) need daily assistance, both pointing to a higher-need area than the national average.
Is Wakeley good for property investment?
Rent of $450 a week against the $1,240,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.9%, low for Sydney, though the 2.9% vacancy rate is tight. With renters at just 25.1% and population growth near -0.02% a year, returns depend on the strong 28.6% rent growth rather than capital gains.
How is Wakeley's population changing?
Population growth is roughly flat at -0.02% a year, around 2 fewer residents annually, after a slow 5.3% rise over 10 years. The profile is aging, with the senior share up 8.9 points and the working-age share down 5.3 points over the decade. Overseas migration adds 112 residents a year, offset by an equal internal outflow.
What languages are spoken in Wakeley?
About 60.8% of residents were born overseas, 39.2 points above the national figure. The most common non-English languages are Arabic (160 speakers), Khmer (87), Cantonese (79) and Serbian (67), reflecting strong Vietnamese, Chinese and Middle Eastern communities. Buddhism is the second religion with 933 residents.
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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