Parramatta
NSWParramatta is a declining suburb in NSW with 30,211 residents.
- SAL code
- 13167
- SA2
- 125041489
- Population
- 30,211
- LGA
- Parramatta
Parramatta, NSW had 30,211 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 1.0% decline over the last five years. The predominant age group is 25-34 years, and the median age sits at 32. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $2,080 a month. Around 27.6% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being rented at 70.2%. Most dwellings are flats or apartments, making up 86.5% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 44 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
Parramatta, NSW at a glance
Parramatta is Sydney's second CBD, ~20 km west of the Sydney CBD and the seat of the City of Parramatta Council. The dwelling stock is dominated by high-rise apartments wrapped around a working business district, with a thin fringe of heritage houses. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle, and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
Parramatta lives like a small CBD in its own right rather than a Sydney dormitory suburb. The core is high-rise apartments around the Westfield Parramatta retail anchor (450+ stores), Parramatta Square civic precinct, Parramatta Park, and the Parramatta River foreshore. Heritage houses cluster on the fringe (Harris Park, North Parramatta) but they're a minority of stock. Transport is the standout: Parramatta Station serves the T1 Western, T2 Inner West & Leppington, and T5 Cumberland lines (~30 minutes to Town Hall on the express), Parramatta Light Rail Stage 1 to Carlingford opened December 2024, and the Sydney Olympic Park ferry runs from Charles Street Wharf. Western Sydney University's city campus and the relocated Powerhouse Parramatta (opening late 2026) sit inside the CBD footprint. In short: a city-centre lifestyle with apartment living and exceptional transit, rather than a traditional suburban setup.
For investors
Parramatta is a unit-dominated market with deep liquidity and a yield/growth split between dwelling types. Median unit $599K against $660/wk rent gives a ~5.73% gross yield; median house $1.68M against $700/wk rent gives just ~2.28% (Your Investment Property May 2026; htag.com.au May 2026). 902 unit sales vs 49 house sales in the past 12 months — units are ~95% of transactions. Days-on-market: 42 (units), 66 (houses). Vacancy ~1.86%. House values down ~7.18% YoY against rising new-supply approvals.
Strengths
- Strong unit yields (~5.7%) by Sydney standards, paired with deep liquidity (~900 unit sales/yr) — easy to enter and exit.
- Sydney's second CBD with 100,000+ daily workers, Westfield Parramatta, Western Sydney University and Powerhouse Parramatta — a self-contained employment + amenity base.
- Multi-line rail + Light Rail Stage 1 (open Dec 2024) + Stage 2 to Sydney Olympic Park in delivery — transit infrastructure still upgrading.
- Vacancy ~1.86% (htag May 2026) — balanced rental market despite high apartment supply.
Trade-offs
- House yields very thin (~2.28%) against a $1.68M median — house plays here are capital-growth bets, not cashflow.
- House values down ~7.18% YoY (htag May 2026); ongoing apartment pipeline (35+ off-the-plan developments listed) keeps a supply overhang on units.
- 66 days-on-market for houses signals a slower, thinner detached-dwelling segment — only 49 sales in 12 months.
- Apartment-heavy stock means strata, building-quality and developer-risk diligence dominate — not a set-and-forget house market.
What's coming
City of Parramatta's 2026/27 budget commits $171.4M in capital works, including Civic Link Block 3 (the CBD pedestrian boulevard), Granville Square construction, Riverside Theatres redevelopment planning, Harris Park Precinct streetscape and Epping Community Centre upgrades. Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2 (Camellia to Sydney Olympic Park) is in delivery and the Powerhouse Parramatta museum is scheduled to open late 2026.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a transit-rich, apartment-led city-centre lifestyle rather than a traditional suburb. For investors: a deep, liquid unit market with solid yields, paired with a thin and currently softening detached-house segment.
Population
?30,211
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
-1.0%
3yr: +3.4% · 10yr: +4.9%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,092/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
32
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?5/10
SA2 · middle-range
Unemployment
?3.9%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
8
4 primary, 3 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?21
17 long day, 3 OSHC, 1 family
Parks & green space
?44
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?72
GTFS stops
Dwelling approvals
?134
Parramatta · Feb 2026
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 — North Parramatta (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; Parramatta suburb alone is ~30,211 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 17,050 to 23,781 over 24 years, averaging 1.4% per year.
Schools
7 in suburbSector
7 public
Type
3 primary · 3 secondary
Total enrolment
6,043(6 of 7 reporting)
Avg per school
1,007
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
Bayanami PS38.7%
- Parramatta WPS 16.0%
- Parramatta EPS 14.9%
- Parramatta PS 10.9%
- Rosehill PS 7.1%
- Westmead PS 5.2%
- Dundas PS 4.2%
- Parramatta NPS 2.8%
- Oatlands PS 0.1%
- Rydalmere PS 0.0%
Secondary
Arthur Phillip HS63.2%
- Macarthur GHS 45.0%
- Northmead CPAHS 14.3%
- Pendle Hill HS 11.8%
- Parramatta HS 6.5%
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 2.2%Almost entirely apartments (86.5%), rental-heavy (70.2% renting), built for families (66% 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
14 zones in suburb| Code | Zone | % covered | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 22.2% | 1.16 km² |
| MU1 | ZoneBusiness | 20.5% | 1.07 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 17.0% | 0.89 km² |
| R2 | ZoneResidential | 12.5% | 0.65 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 10.4% | 0.55 km² |
| E2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 5.8% | 0.30 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 3.4% | 0.18 km² |
| W2 | ZoneWaterway | 2.5% | 0.13 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 2.1% | 0.11 km² |
| W1 | ZoneWaterway | 1.4% | 0.07 km² |
| E4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 1.3% | 0.07 km² |
| SP1 | ZoneSpecial use | 0.4% | 0.02 km² |
| E3 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.3% | 0.01 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.1% | 7,846 m² |
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.