Earlwood
NSWEarlwood is a declining suburb in NSW with 18,053 residents.
- SAL code
- 11346
- SA2
- 119021662
- Population
- 18,053
Earlwood, NSW had 18,053 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 0.8% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 45-54 years, and the median age sits at 44. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,817 a month. Around 76.8% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 44.4%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 80.2% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 21 parks and reserves mapped within its boundary. Source: ABS Census 2021 and Estimated Resident Population, with amenity counts from state Open Data and OpenStreetMap.
Suburb analysis
Earlwood, NSW at a glance
Earlwood is an established inner-south-west Sydney suburb ~10 km from the CBD in the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA. Mid-century brick houses sit on tree-lined streets with a strong Greek-Australian heritage and a Homer Street village strip. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council context they don't.
For homebuyers
Earlwood reads as quietly residential rather than energetic. Most stock is detached brick houses on standard lots, with a Greek-Australian community presence (~22% reported Greek ancestry at the 2021 Census) and a low-key Homer Street strip of cafes, bakeries, and a Greek Orthodox church. Cooks River runs along the south, with shared paths for walking and cycling, and around 32 parks cover ~18% of the suburb — Waterworth Park and Beaman Park are local anchors. There's no station in the suburb itself; Bexley North and Bardwell Park (T8 Airport & South Line) are 1.5-1.8 km away, and Marrickville and Dulwich Hill (T3 Bankstown / Inner West Light Rail) sit just over the river. Undercliffe Public and Earlwood Public are the well-regarded primary schools. In short: a settled, family-oriented inner-south suburb with village character and CBD access, but no train station inside the boundary.
For investors
Earlwood is a high-price, low-yield Sydney market that's currently soft. Median house sale $2.10M with $950/wk rent gives a ~2.30% gross yield; units sit at $886K / $720/wk for ~4.02% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth -0.36%, quarterly flat; units -20.72% over 12 months on thin volume. 186 house sales across 12 months at 54 days-on-market with -6.2% vendor discounting (propertyvalue.com.au May 2026). Vacancy 0.42%.
Strengths
- Inner-ring location ~10 km from Sydney CBD with multiple train lines within 2 km — durable demand floor.
- Extremely tight rental market (~0.42% vacancy) supports leasing velocity even as values soften.
- Established owner-occupier base on big detached lots — lifestyle scarcity that doesn't get rebuilt overnight.
- Cooks River frontage + ~18% green space gives the suburb amenity that boosts long-run liveability.
Trade-offs
- Yield is low (~2.3% houses) at a ~$2.1M entry price — cashflow-negative without a meaningful deposit.
- 12-month capital growth is negative (-0.36% houses, -20.72% units, May 2026) and days-on-market has stretched to 54 with -6.2% vendor discounting — the market is currently soft.
- No train station inside the suburb — buyers and tenants who need rail rely on neighbouring suburbs.
- Unit market is small and volatile; the -20.72% YoY print reflects thin sales as much as fundamentals.
What's coming
Canterbury-Bankstown's CBCity 2029 Delivery Program & 2025/26 Operational Plan funds a new amenities block at Waterworth Park and an upgrade to the Stafford Walk Playground at Beaman Park 2 (Flinders Rd). Broader CB-wide spend continues on Cooks River corridor and active-transport links. No major rezoning or station project is currently scheduled inside the Earlwood boundary.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a quiet inner-south suburb with village character and parks, if you can wear the price and no train station. For investors: a low-yield, currently soft market — held for liveability, not cashflow.
Population
?18,053
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-0.8%
3yr: +1.6% · 10yr: -1.8%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,164/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
44
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?7/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?2.6%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
3
3 primary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?10
6 long day, 3 OSHC
Parks & green space
?21
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?42
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
No data for this suburb
Median Weekly Rent
Based on NSW rental bond lodgements, aggregated at postcode level. All SALs sharing this postcode show the same median.
Median House Sale Price
Source: state Valuer-General (suburb-level quarterly medians).
→ Calculate stamp duty on this suburb's median price→ Estimate mortgage repayments→ Calculate rental yield (price + median rent)
Safety & Crime
2025 Q4Reported incidents from NSW police. Offence rates may not reflect all crime.
Population over time — Earlwood (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Earlwood suburb alone is ~18,053 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 17,789 to 18,194 over 24 years, averaging 0.1% per year.
Schools
2 in suburbSector
2 public
Type
2 primary
Total enrolment
752
Avg per school
376
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Undercliffe PS37.4%
- Earlwood PS 33.1%
- Canterbury SPS 15.4%
- Clemton Park PS 13.5%
- Bexley NPS 0.3%
- Ferncourt PS 0.2%
- Marrickville WPS 0.1%
- Athelstane PS 0.1%
- Dulwich Hill PS 0.0%
- Canterbury PS 0.0%
Secondary
Canterbury GHS77.8%
- Canterbury BHS 77.8%
- Marrickville HS 64.4%
- Kingsgrove HS 22.2%
- Kingsgrove NHS 13.2%
- Kogarah HS 0.1%
- Tempe HS 0.1%
Infants
Bardwell Park IS0.3%
- Arncliffe WIS 0.1%
Source: NSW Department of Education — School Intake Zones. Boundaries can be amended without notice; confirm with the school before relying on enrolment.
Profile
Census snapshot
Housing
Public housing 0.7%Almost entirely detached houses (80.2%), owner-occupied (76.8%), built for families (44% are 3 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
Source: NSW RFS BFPL via SEED
As of May 2026
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped bushfire polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions.
Flood risk
This suburb falls outside every flood polygon mapped by the relevant authority. Always confirm at the property address — local conditions and unmapped overlays can still apply.
Overlap is the percentage of the suburb's land area inside the mapped flood polygons. Always verify the exact property address with the relevant authority before making decisions. Source when available: NSW Rural Fire Service (BFPL) and NSW DPHI EPI Flood.
Planning zones
10 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 63.1% | 3.54 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 10.9% | 0.61 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 10.5% | 0.59 km² |
| C1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 8.3% | 0.46 km² |
| W1 | ZoneWaterway | 1.9% | 0.11 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 1.9% | 0.10 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 1.7% | 0.09 km² |
| UL | ZoneOther | 0.8% | 0.04 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 0.7% | 0.04 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 0.4% | 0.02 km² |
Source: NSW DPHI EPI Land Zoning (ZONE_NSW/2026-04-29/1eccf1a530fa1be5) · As of Apr 2026. Zone boundaries are amended periodically; verify the exact property with the relevant council before relying on permitted use.