Marrickville
NSWMarrickville is a declining suburb in NSW with 26,570 residents.
- SAL code
- 12514
- SA2
- 117021637
- Population
- 26,570
Marrickville, NSW had 26,570 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 1.5% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 37. Households are most often couples without children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,600 a month. Around 51.3% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 46.6%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 48.3% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 29 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
Marrickville, NSW at a glance
Marrickville is an inner-west Sydney suburb ~7 km south-west of the CBD in the Inner West Council. Old workers' cottages, warehouse conversions and walk-up brick units sit alongside breweries, Vietnamese delis and live-music rooms — an industrial past now reworked into one of Sydney's denser cultural strips. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market + lifestyle context.
For homebuyers
Marrickville is a working inner-west neighbourhood that's been steadily reworked: terraces and Federation cottages on the residential streets, with old industrial sheds in the south now hosting breweries, distilleries, theatres and roasters. Marrickville Metro is the local shopping anchor; Marrickville train station puts you ~15 minutes from Central, with Sydenham (T3 + Metro) a short walk on the eastern edge. Buses run frequently up Illawarra Road and across to Newtown. The suburb has the highest concentration of breweries in the country, plus the Sunday Marrickville Organic Markets at the Public School. Marrickville High School has an ICSEA of 1052 (above the national mean) and was ranked among the top four most-improved NSW schools for HSC 2015-2024. Cooks River parklands and Steel Park sit on the southern boundary. In short: a high-character, high-density inner-west pocket with strong food, transport and cultural amenity — at inner-Sydney prices.
For investors
Marrickville is a capital-growth play with thin yield. Median house $2,175,000 against $1,050/week rent gives a 2.50% gross yield; units sit at $969,500 / $700/week for 3.93% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth +6.75%, units +6.54%; days-on-market 32 (houses) and 23 (units). Volume is deep for inner Sydney — 213 house and 228 unit sales in 12 months. SQM vacancy ~1.2% (Q1 2026), tighter than the 1.6% Sydney metro figure.
Strengths
- Tight rental market — SQM vacancy ~1.2% (Q1 2026) vs 1.6% metro Sydney; 23-day unit DOM signals fast leasing.
- Deep transaction market for inner Sydney — 441 combined sales in 12 months (YIP May 2026) — easier to enter and exit than thinner pockets.
- Sustained mid-single-digit growth (~+6.7% YoY houses, +6.5% units) across both segments — broad-based demand, not a single-segment story.
- Cultural + transport infrastructure (Sydenham Metro, Marrickville Metro retail expansion) underwrites long-run rent demand.
Trade-offs
- House yield only 2.50% (YIP May 2026) — negative-gearing territory at current rates; cashflow investors will struggle.
- Median house $2.175m sets a high entry bar; capital required is ~3x the Sydney metro median.
- House DOM 32 days indicates buyers are now selective at the top end — not the auction-clearance frenzy of earlier cycles.
- Inner West Council is delivering a Marrickville South Flood Study (2025/26) — flood-overlay exposure on parts of the suburb is a due-diligence item.
What's coming
Inner West Council's 2025/26 capital works program ($119.6m total) includes the Sydenham-to-Marrickville walking and riding path upgrade, a new Vietnamese Refugee Memorial, and the Marrickville South Flood Study. The Our Fairer Future Plan signals a new Marrickville Town Square civic plaza and an expanded McNeilly Park. Sydenham station's Metro upgrade continues to lift the eastern-edge transport offering.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: an inner-west cultural anchor with deep transport, food and parkland amenity at inner-Sydney prices. For investors: a capital-growth and tenant-depth story, not a yield play.
Population
?26,570
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-1.5%
3yr: +2.6% · 10yr: -4.8%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,170/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
37
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?5/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?8.6%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
5
4 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?23
16 long day, 7 OSHC
Parks & green space
?29
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?41
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 — Marrickville - South (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Marrickville suburb alone is ~26,570 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 14,790 to 14,583 over 24 years, averaging -0.1% per year.
Schools
5 in suburbSector
5 public
Type
4 primary · 1 secondary
Total enrolment
2,041
Avg per school
408
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Marrickville PS29.8%
- Marrickville WPS 22.5%
- Ferncourt PS 18.1%
- Wilkins PS 14.6%
- Camdenville PS 5.4%
- Stanmore PS 4.6%
- Dulwich Hill PS 3.8%
- Tempe PS 0.6%
- St Peters PS 0.4%
- Undercliffe PS 0.2%
- Athelstane PS 0.0%
- Lewisham PS 0.0%
Secondary
Marrickville HS66.5%
- Tempe HS 33.4%
- Canterbury BHS 0.2%
- Canterbury GHS 0.2%
- Alexandria Park CS 0.1%
- Dulwich HS of Visual Arts and Design 0.0%
- Newtown HS of Performing Arts 0.0%
- Kogarah HS 0.0%
- Bayside HS 0.0%
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 3.4%Mostly apartments (48.3%), mixed tenure (51.3% own or mortgage), built for families (43% are 2 bed).
Dwelling mix
Tenure
NSW 33%
Number of bedrooms
Bushfire risk
This suburb falls outside every bushfire 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 bushfire 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.
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
12 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 44.6% | 2.57 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 14.9% | 0.86 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 10.2% | 0.59 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 10.1% | 0.58 km² |
| R1 | ZoneResidential | 7.6% | 0.44 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 4.3% | 0.25 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 2.9% | 0.17 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 1.7% | 0.10 km² |
| W1 | ZoneWaterway | 1.5% | 0.09 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 1.1% | 0.06 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 0.6% | 0.04 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 0.5% | 0.03 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.