Yarrawarrah

Development Activity

Demographics

The median age of 42 is 2.0 years above the national figure and the senior cohort expanded by 4.8 points over the decade while the working-age share fell 3.4 points. Overseas-born residents stand at 13.8%, which is 7.8 points below the national average, the most distinctively local-born suburb profile in comparable markets. Ancestry is Anglo-Celtic with English (1,212 residents) dominant, followed by Irish (389) and Scottish (297). University qualifications reach 35.8%, running 5.7 points above the national figure, consistent with the Professionals-heavy workforce. Average household size of 3.0 is 0.5 above national, reflecting the predominance of couples-with-children families, who account for 42.7% of all families. Volunteering at 17.6% indicates strong civic engagement relative to the suburb size.

Tenure is split almost evenly between outright ownership at 47.1% and mortgaged households at 47.8%, with renters at just 5.1%, the lowest share across the three categories. That near-parity between owners and mortgage holders reflects a suburb where long-term residents have paid off debt alongside a steady stream of new buyers taking on loans at current prices. The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 95.4%, with semi-detached homes at 3.9% and apartments at a negligible 0.7%. Four-plus bedroom homes dominate at 62.2%, making it one of the larger-format markets in the region. The median price rose from $1,386,000 in 2024 to $1,475,000 in 2025, a 6.4% annual move. Rent-to-income at 19.1% keeps renting households well below the 30% stress threshold, while mortgage-to-income at 23.1% is comfortable by Sydney standards.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare leads the local industry mix at 16.5% (175 workers), followed by Education at 15.2% (161 workers) and Construction at 12.4% (132 workers), with Professional/Tech at 10.1% and Public Admin at 9.2% completing the top five. By occupation, Professionals account for 408 workers, the single largest group, ahead of Clerical/Admin (227) and Managers (218). This occupational profile aligns with the SEIFA IEO score of decile 8, which ranks education and occupation advantage above most suburbs nationally. Unemployment is low at 2.3% and the full-time employment rate sits at 62.1%, with 790 full-time and 482 part-time workers. Participation of 58.6% is moderate because 736 residents are not in the labour force, consistent with the older age profile and the high share of established outright owners who have retired.

Transport to Work

Car dependency is pronounced: 91.0% of residents drive to work, compared to a national average well above 50% but still placing Yarrawarrah among the more car-reliant suburbs in Greater Sydney. Only 3.5% use public transport and 0.6% walk or cycle, so access to rail or bus is limited relative to inner suburbs. The suburb earns SEIFA IRSAD decile 9 and IRSD decile 10, placing it near the top nationally on both advantage and low-disadvantage measures. Housing stress is absent: mortgage-to-income at 23.1% and rent-to-income at 19.1% are both comfortably below the 30% threshold. Only 2.9% of residents (79 people) need daily assistance despite the older median age of 42. No schools are recorded inside the 1.24 km2 boundary, so families rely on institutions in adjacent suburbs such as Sutherland and Kirrawee.

Population Forecast

Population growth is effectively flat, with an annual rate of minus 0.07% and a 2.0% increase over the decade. The suburb registers as established with a slow-growth trajectory, and medium forecasts project the SA2 population declining gently from 7,464 to 7,364 by 2031. The primary migration driver is overseas arrivals, averaging plus 36 a year, while internal migration averages minus 64, leaving a net annual outflow. The gentrification score is 0 with no active signals, which is expected for a suburb already at SEIFA decile 10 disadvantage, since there is no lower-tier base from which to gentrify upward. The aging trajectory, with a 4.8-point rise in the senior share over the decade and a minus 3.4-point fall in working-age share, will accelerate gradual turnover as long-term residents move on.

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

How Yarrawarrah compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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