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Frequently Asked Questions

1.0 Residential Population

 

2.0 Business

 

3.0 Geography

 

Residential Population

How many people currently live in the City of Sydney Local Government Area (LGA)?


The Estimated Residential Population (ERP) is 172,685 for the year ending June 2008.

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What is the population density of the LGA?

The density of the LGA is 6,250 people per square kilometre. Residential density by suburb ranges from a low in Alexandria of 1,663 people per square kilometre, to an average density in Woolloomooloo of 8,506 people per square kilometre, to a high in Elizabeth Bay of 26,317 people per square kilometre.

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Will the population of the LGA grow in the next five to ten years?

Yes. The forecast population for 2014 is 191,091 and the forecast population for 2019 is 211,527. The population is forecast to increase to approximately 243,000 by 2030.

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How does our actual population growth compare to other parts of Sydney?

The top five Local Government Areas within the Sydney Metropolitan area that experienced the largest proportion of population growth between 2007 and 2008 were:

- Parramatta City Council  2.5%
- Baulkham Hills Council   2.0%
- Blacktown City Council   1.9%
- Liverpool City Council     1.9%
- City of Sydney Council   1.5%

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What is the average age of the City of Sydney population?

The median age is 32. Of the total population, 11.8% is aged 60 years or above and 8.3% is aged 17 years or below.

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What proportion of the LGA population was born in a country other than Australia?

The top ten countries of overseas born residents during the 2006 ABS Census were:

United Kingdom

5.0%

China

3.4%

New Zealand

2.9%

Indonesia

1.8%

Korea, Republic of (South)

1.5%

Thailand

1.3%

Hong Kong

1.1%

Malaysia

1.1%

United States of America

0.8%

Vietnam

0.8%

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What languages other than English are spoken by the LGA population?

The top ten non-English languages spoken at home during the 2006 ABS Census were:

Mandarin

3.5%

Cantonese

3.1%

Indonesian

1.6%

Korean

1.5%

Greek

1.3%

Thai

1.2%

Russian

1.0%

Spanish

1.0%

Vietnamese

0.8%

Italian

0.7%

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What is the level of educational attainment of LGA residents?

Based on the 2006 ABS Census:

- 30.5% of residents hold a Bachelor or Higher Degree
- 7.4% of residents hold an Advanced Diploma or Diploma
- 7.7% of residents hold Vocational qualifications
- 25.5% of residents hold no qualifications
- 28.9% of residents did not provide a response to the question

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What is the income of LGA residents?

The largest proportion of residents, as individuals, earn within $1,000 to $1,299 per week (8.7% of the resident population). The median income is $800 to $999 per week (7.2% of the resident population).

The largest proportion of households earn within $2,500 to $2,999 per week (11.2% of the resident population). The median household income is $2,000 to $2,499 per week.

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What is the origin of people moving into the LGA?

- According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a total of 60,986 people moved into the LGA in the five years prior to the 2006 population census.
- 30,943 people moved into the LGA from other parts of New South Wales.
- 7,478 people moved into the LGA from other parts of Australia.
- 22,565 people moved into the LGA from other countries.

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How many dwellings are there in the LGA?

There were 94,010 dwellings in June 2007.

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What is the average occupancy rate of dwellings in the LGA?

The average occupancy rate of LGA dwellings is 2.05 people.

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What is the ratio of single to multiple dwellings?

26% of LGA dwellings are single or separate dwellings while 74% of dwellings are multiple or multi-storey dwellings.

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What type of households does the LGA population live in?

Of the total households:

- 34.9% of households are families
- 31.9% of households are lone person
- 10.7% of households are group households
- 22.5% of households are other not classifiable

Of the total family households:

- 59.7% of households are couples without children
- 22.1% of households are couples with children
- 12.3% of households are one parent families
- 5.8% of households are other families

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What proportion of all dwellings is Public Housing?

8% of dwellings within the City of Sydney are Government owned and rented for public housing purposes.

 

Further, more detailed information relating to the residential population and demographics is available at Community Profile.

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Business

How many business establishments are there in the LGA?

19,746 business establishments were counted during the 2007 Floor Space and Employment Survey.

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How many cafes and restaurants are there in the LGA?

As at 2007, there were 759 cafes and 727 restaurants.

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How many people visit the city each day?

In the year to June 2008, over 2.6 million international visitors came to the Sydney Metropolitan area. It is estimated that a further 483,000 people travel to the City on any day to shop, be educated, conduct business with firms in the City or simply to be entertained. This is additional to the 385,000 daily workforce in the City.

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What is the business mix of the LGA?

The top five sectors are:

- 16.9% of business establishments are within the Retail and Personal Services sector.
- 15.3% of business establishments are within the Professional and Business Services sector.
- 13.9% of business establishments are within the Food and Drink sector.
- 8.4% of business establishments are within the Finance and Financial Services sector.
- 7.9% of business establishments are within the Creative Industries sector.

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What are the three most common retail types within the LGA?

The most common type of retail outlet is Hairdressing and Beauty Salons, followed by Clothing Retailing (Male and Female) and then Women’s and Girl’s Clothing Retailing.

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What are the three most common industries for employment in the LGA?

- 23.3% of jobs are within the Finance and Financial Services sector.
- 14.9% of jobs are within the Professional and Business Services sector.
- 8.3% of jobs are within the Government sector.
The CBD has nearly 70% of all employment within the LGA.

 

Further, more detailed information relating to businesses and employment can be found at Floor Space and Employment Survey or Village Centres.

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Geography

How big is the LGA?

The site area of the LGA is approximately 26.15km².

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How many buildings are there in the LGA?

As at 2007, there were 26,150 buildings.

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What is the tallest building?

The tallest building is World Tower at a height of 232 metres.

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What is the tallest structure?

The tallest structure is AMP Tower at a height of 305 metres.

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What is the largest building?

The largest building is Star City Casino with a total floor area of nearly 130,000m² above ground level.

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How many:

Libraries

10

Community Centres

13

Activity Centres

15

Town Halls

7

Neighbourhood Service Centres

3

Swimming Pools

5

Parks

35 major parks

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What suburbs are located within the LGA?

Annandale (parts of)

Moore Park

Alexandria

Newtown (parts of)

Barangaroo

Paddington (parts of)

Beaconsfield

Potts Point

Camperdown

Pyrmont

Centennial Park (parts of)

Redfern

Chippendale

The Rocks

Darlinghurst

Rosebery

Darlington

Rushcutters Bay (parts of)

Dawes Point

St Peters (parts of)

Elizabeth Bay (parts of)

Surry Hills

Erskineville

Sydney

Eveleigh

Ultimo

Forest Lodge

Waterloo

Glebe

Woolloomooloo

Haymarket

Zetland

Millers Point

 

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What are the suburb boundaries and postcodes?

The following map outlines suburb boundaries and postcodes.

Suburb Boundaries and Postcodes.


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Last Updated: Wednesday 17 August, 2011

Please Note:
While care is taken to ensure accuracy, the City of Sydney cannot guarantee that information expressed here is correct and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. The City of Sydney makes no warranty or undertaking, whether expressed or implied, nor does it assume any legal liability, whether direct or indirect.