Willoughby East

Development Activity

Demographics

The median age of 42 is 2.0 years above the national average, and the senior share has been rising while the working-age share fell 2.6 points over the decade. University qualifications reach 64.3%, which is 34.2 percentage points above the national figure, among the highest rates anywhere in Australia. Overseas-born residents account for 26.4%, close to 4.8 points above the national average. The top ancestries are English (644 residents), Irish (250) and Chinese (233), alongside a Scottish contingent of 197. Average household size of 3.2 is 0.7 above the national average, consistent with the large-family, high-income profile suggested by the dominance of four-plus bedroom dwellings.

Willoughby East is almost entirely a suburb of large separate houses: 95.6% of dwellings are detached, and 57.6% have four or more bedrooms, while apartments account for only 0.5%. Tenure splits between outright owners (44.2%) and mortgage holders (43.9%), with just 11.9% renting, a low renter share compared to the national average. Prices rose 15.4% from $3,595,000 in 2024 to $4,150,000 in 2025. Mortgage-to-income at 21.5% stays comfortable relative to the extreme price level because household incomes are so high, sitting in the 99.8th percentile nationally. Rent-to-income at 19.2% is similarly below the stress threshold.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Professional and technical services lead employment at 24.2% of the local workforce (168 workers), followed by Finance at 17.3% (120 workers) and Healthcare at 12.8% (89 workers). By occupation, Professionals (352) and Managers (220) together dominate, consistent with the SEIFA decile 10 scores on IEO, IRSD and IRSAD, the top advantage tier nationally. Unemployment sits at 4.1% and the full-time employment rate is 66.2%. The personal weekly income of $1,155 and household weekly income of $4,536 reflect this high-skilled, high-income base. Real income grew 10.6% over the decade. IER scores at decile 9, one notch below the other SEIFA measures, because the modest 11.9% renter share reduces aggregate wealth dispersion.

Transport to Work

Transport in Willoughby East is car-dominant: 77.7% drive to work, while 10.0% walk or cycle and 6.0% use public transport. These proportions reflect the low-density, detached-house character rather than a lack of options. On IRSAD, the suburb scores decile 10 nationally, the highest advantage tier, and the IRSD score is also decile 10, meaning virtually no relative disadvantage among residents. Volunteering is high at 21.9% of residents, and only 2.9% require daily assistance. No schools are recorded inside the 0.56 km2 boundary, so families depend on nearby institutions in the Willoughby LGA. Housing stress is absent: rent-to-income is 19.2% and mortgage-to-income is 21.5%, both comfortably below stress thresholds.

Population Forecast

Annual population growth runs at 0.68%, or roughly 94 additional residents per year, and the 10-year increase is 11.7%. Medium forecasts project the broader area reaching 14,094 by 2031, up from 13,771 in 2025. Overseas migration is the primary driver, adding a net 213 residents per year while internal migration removes an average of 43, a pattern common to high-cost, high-prestige suburbs. The gentrification score sits at 14 and the stage is classified as not gentrifying, which is expected because the suburb is already at the top of the national advantage scale with limited room to climb. Rent growth of 20.2% over the measured period shows real capacity to absorb higher holding costs.

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

How Willoughby East compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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