Chatswood, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Chatswood is a busy commercial centre on Sydney's Lower North Shore, about 10 km north of the city centre, and the administrative seat of the City of Willoughby. Its name comes from Charlotte Harnett, wife of an early mayor and district pioneer, Richard Harnett: her nickname 'Chattie' and the area's once-wooded character gave 'Chattie's Wood', soon shortened to Chatswood. Residential settlement began in 1876 and grew quickly after the North Shore railway opened in 1890 and the Harbour Bridge in 1932. Once a place of orchards, dairy farms and factories, Chatswood is today one of the North Shore's major retail and office hubs, its shops lining Victoria Avenue beneath a cluster of high-rise towers, and home to a large and diverse community.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
Chatswood is more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1113, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Chatswood at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 25,553
- Median age
- 37
- Median weekly household income
- $2,158
- SEIFA score
- 1113
- Coordinates
- -33.7958, 151.1812
Chatswood demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Chatswood using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is young adults (25–44) at 35%, 50% of homes are rented, and 64% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 4,277 | 17% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,815 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 8,873 | 35% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 5,729 | 22% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,852 | 15% |
Share of the 25,546 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,489 | 26% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 1,905 | 20% |
| Rented | 4,778 | 50% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 2,660 | 28% |
| Townhouses & semis | 414 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 6,442 | 68% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 9,531 occupied private dwellings in Chatswood.
- Median weekly rent
- $577
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,858
- Average household size
- 2.5 people
- Median weekly family income
- $2,455
- Median weekly personal income
- $938
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 15,840 (64%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 15,595 (64%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 55 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 17,019 (83%)
- Labour-force participation
- 60.6%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.5%
- Employed full-time
- 7,472
- Employed part-time
- 3,467
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Weather and climate in Chatswood
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Chatswood is January (average daytime high around 25.7°C) and the coolest is July (around 16.5°C). The area receives roughly 1084 mm of rain across the year.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25.7°C | 19.3°C | 104 mm |
| Feb | 25.1°C | 19°C | 119 mm |
| Mar | 24°C | 18°C | 186 mm |
| Apr | 21.9°C | 15°C | 100 mm |
| May | 19.2°C | 11.7°C | 56 mm |
| Jun | 16.5°C | 9.8°C | 74 mm |
| Jul | 16.5°C | 8.7°C | 70 mm |
| Aug | 17.3°C | 9.2°C | 67 mm |
| Sep | 19.6°C | 11.3°C | 55 mm |
| Oct | 21.8°C | 13.7°C | 92 mm |
| Nov | 22.8°C | 15.5°C | 78 mm |
| Dec | 24.7°C | 17.5°C | 83 mm |
Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
Common questions about Chatswood
Where is Chatswood?
Chatswood is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Chatswood?
At the 2021 Census, Chatswood had a population of about 25,553.
Is Chatswood an advantaged area?
Chatswood has an ABS SEIFA score of 1113, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 96 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 96% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in Chatswood?
Chatswood has average daytime highs of about 21.3°C and overnight lows of about 14.1°C, with roughly 1,084 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).
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