St Ives (NSW)
NSWSt Ives (NSW) is a growing suburb in NSW with 18,384 residents.
- SAL code
- 13654
- SA2
- 121031410
- Population
- 18,384
St Ives (NSW), NSW had 18,384 residents at the 2021 Census, with the broader statistical area showing a 4.0% growth over the last five years. The predominant age group is 5-14 years, and the median age sits at 43. Households are most often couples with children, and those with a mortgage repay a median of $3,467 a month. Around 81.7% of homes are owner-occupied, with the largest single tenure being owned outright at 41.8%. Most dwellings are separate houses, making up 66.2% of the suburb's housing stock. The suburb has 34 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
St Ives (NSW), NSW at a glance
St Ives is an established upper-north-shore Sydney suburb ~18 km north of the CBD in Ku-ring-gai Council. Large detached homes on bush-fringed lots, a long-standing village centre and three well-regarded public primary schools define the character. The data tiles below cover the demographic baseline; this card adds the live market, lifestyle and council pipeline.
For homebuyers
St Ives reads as quiet, leafy upper-north-shore: 3- to 5-bedroom detached homes on big bush-fringed blocks, with the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden and St Ives Showground anchoring weekends. The St Ives Shopping Village (Coles, Woolworths, Harris Farm, ~100 stores) plus the Village Green opposite is the day-to-day hub. There's no rail in suburb — buses run to Gordon and Pymble stations on the T1 line (~10-15 min) and direct city express services run peak. School catchments are the headline: St Ives North, St Ives and St Ives Park public primaries all sit in the top decile on MySchool, and Sydney Grammar's St Ives prep, Brigidine College and Masada College add private depth. Mona Vale Beach is ~20 min east by car. In short: a settled, school-driven family suburb with detached-house character and a real village centre, but you're trading rail access for the leafy quiet.
For investors
St Ives is a capital-growth, low-yield play. Median house $3,450,000 against ~$1,500/week rent gives a ~2.33% gross yield; units sit at $1,120,000 / $850/week ~3.90% (Your Investment Property May 2026). 12-month house growth +11.29%; unit growth +16.30%. 252 house + 175 unit sales in the past 12 months — a deep, liquid premium market. Days-on-market 30 (houses), 42 (units); vacancy ~2.6%.
Strengths
- Strong recent capital growth (+11.29% houses, +16.30% units YoY, YIP May 2026) on top of a long-run premium-suburb track record.
- Deep transaction market (~427 sales/yr) — easy to enter and exit at scale for an upper-north-shore postcode.
- Top-decile public school catchments + multiple high-status private schools underpin durable family-rental demand.
- Established owner-occupier base + Ku-ring-gai's heritage-conservation footprint limits scattered new-build supply outside designated centres.
Trade-offs
- Gross yield ~2.3% on houses — among the lowest in metro Sydney; cashflow-negative at standard LVRs.
- No rail station in suburb; bus-to-Gordon/Pymble adds 10-15 min vs. rail-on-doorstep neighbours like Pymble or Turramurra.
- 30-42 days on market signals slower velocity than tighter mid-range Sydney suburbs — exit timing matters at this price point.
- St Ives town centre is one of six Ku-ring-gai centres flagged in the NSW TOD / Council alternative scheme (Nov 2025) targeting ~4,500 new dwellings across the LGA over 20 years — medium-term unit-supply pressure is real.
What's coming
Ku-ring-gai's 2025/26 Operational Plan ($65M+ capital works) funds $10.2M to complete the Indoor Sports Centre at St Ives High School (opening early 2026, total $31.2M) and starts construction of the Cultural and Environmental Education Centre at St Ives Showground. Council's alternative TOD scheme (effective 14 Nov 2025) sets the rezoning frame for the St Ives town centre.
Bottom line
For homebuyers: a leafy, school-driven family suburb with a working village centre — premium price, no rail. For investors: a capital-growth + liquidity play with thin yield and a multi-decade upzoning overlay to monitor.
Population
?18,384
Suburb · Census 2021
5-Year Growth
+4.0%
3yr: +5.0% · 10yr: +9.9%
SA2 · 5yr
Household Income
$2,888/wk
Suburb · Census 2021 median
Median Age
43
Suburb · Census 2021
Socio-Economic Index
?10/10
SA2 · least disadvantaged
Unemployment
?3.9%
SA2 · Q4 2025
Schools
5
3 primary, 1 secondary
Hospitals
No data for this suburb
Childcare services
?22
13 long day, 10 OSHC
Parks & green space
?34
Parks, reserves
Transport stops
?83
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)
Population over time — St Ives (SA2)
ABS publishes annual estimates only at SA2; St Ives (NSW) suburb alone is ~18,384 (Census 2021).
Source: ABS ERP (latest release · 2025) · Census 2021. Numbers refreshed quarterly.
Growth at a Glance
Population grew from 18,171 to 22,932 over 24 years, averaging 1.0% per year.
Schools
5 in suburbSector
5 public
Type
3 primary · 1 secondary
Total enrolment
3,279
Avg per school
656
Government school catchment
Intake zonePrimary
St Ives Park PS45.2%
- St Ives PS 32.2%
- St Ives NPS 20.6%
- Gordon EPS 1.4%
- Pymble PS 0.3%
- Lindfield EPS 0.2%
- Belrose PS 0.2%
- Mimosa PS 0.1%
- Terrey Hls PS 0.0%
- Turramurra NPS 0.0%
Secondary
St Ives HS98.0%
- Killara HS 1.5%
- Ku-ring-gai HS 0.3%
- Davidson HS 0.2%
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
Predominantly detached houses (66.2%), owner-occupied (81.7%).
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 | 37.0% | 5.28 km² |
| C1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 24.4% | 3.48 km² |
| C2 | ZoneEnvironmental | 14.2% | 2.03 km² |
| RE1 | ZoneRecreation | 8.3% | 1.18 km² |
| C4 | ZoneEnvironmental | 6.0% | 0.86 km² |
| SP2 | ZoneSpecial use | 3.7% | 0.53 km² |
| RE2 | ZoneRecreation | 2.8% | 0.40 km² |
| R4 | ZoneResidential | 1.6% | 0.23 km² |
| R3 | ZoneResidential | 1.3% | 0.19 km² |
| E1 | ZoneEnvironmental | 0.5% | 0.07 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.