Northern beaches population: Census 2021 data shows a changing population

Almost half (49.9 per cent) of all local families have children, the average is 1.8 kids. More than one third (37.3 per cent) of people say they are in a couple with no children.

Initial data for the 2021 Census has been released after we all sat down on (or around) Tuesday, August 20 last year to complete the form.

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And, if you thought the suburbs of the northern beaches were getting busier you'd be right. An extra 47,021 people now call the area home compared to 20 years ago.

For the past two decades women have outnumbered men in the LGA and the trend continued in the 2021 Census - there were 134,623 females compared to 128,929 males, it's a difference of 5600 people.

One third of northern beaches residents were born overseas, with 54.6 per cent of respondents reporting that one or both of their parents were born overseas.

England was the number source of new Australians who call the northern beaches home, followed by New Zealand, South Africa, China and Brazil.

Since 2001, the number of people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander has doubled in the northern beaches, with 1706 (or 0.6 per cent of the population) indicating it on the latest Census.

The number of locals who identify as having 'no religion' has increased 43.1 per cent, rocketing up from 15.6 per cent of the population in 2001.

By comparison, 32.8 per cent of NSW residents and 38.4 per cent of Aussies ticked 'no religion' on their 2021 Census form.

For those who are religious in the northern beaches, most were Catholics, followed by Anglican and Uniting Church.

For the first time, the Australian Bureau of Statistics asked Australians about long-term health conditions, which gives us a population-level view of the self-reported health of the nation.

While just under 15.3 million (60.1 per cent) Australians reported no conditions, 2.2 million reported having some kind of long-term mental health condition (including depression or anxiety), with arthritis and asthma not far behind.

In the northern beaches, one third of the population reported having a long-term health condition, with more than 16,400 saying it was in relation to their mental health.

The average northern beaches resident earns one-third more than the average Aussie.

The personal median weekly income is $1109 in the northern beaches compared to $813 in NSW and $805 in Australia.

Household incomes are also far greater at $2592 in the LGA, compared to $1829 in NSW and $1746 in Australia.

For Australia-wide data click here.

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