St Ives (NSW), NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
St Ives is a leafy, established suburb on Sydney's Upper North Shore, set within Ku-ring-gai Council and wrapped by national park on its northern and eastern edges. Governor Arthur Phillip and a party of men explored the area in 1788, camping at Bungaroo near what is now Hunter Avenue, and a small timber-felling industry followed. The district was later known for its apple orchards, though residential demand long ago ended commercial fruit growing. At its heart, the St Ives Shopping Village faces the Village Green, a popular park with sporting fields that hosts the annual Festival on the Green. Bushland reserves give the suburb a green, unhurried character: the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden and the blackbutt forest of Dalrymple-Hay Nature Reserve both sit along Mona Vale Road, drawing walkers and families at weekends.
Among Australia's more advantaged suburbs
St Ives (NSW) is more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 1161, 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.
St Ives (NSW) at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 18,384
- Median age
- 43
- Median weekly household income
- $2,888
- SEIFA score
- 1161
- Coordinates
- -33.7289, 151.1698
St Ives (NSW) demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile St Ives (NSW) 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 mid-life (45–64) at 27%, 17% of homes are rented, and 49% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 3,783 | 21% |
| Youth (15–24) | 2,061 | 11% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 3,620 | 20% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 4,929 | 27% |
| Seniors (65+) | 3,986 | 22% |
Share of the 18,379 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 2,634 | 42% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 2,513 | 40% |
| Rented | 1,045 | 17% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 4,164 | 66% |
| Townhouses & semis | 481 | 8% |
| Flats & apartments | 1,644 | 26% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 6,299 occupied private dwellings in St Ives (NSW).
- Median weekly rent
- $688
- Median monthly mortgage
- $3,467
- Average household size
- 2.9 people
- Median weekly family income
- $3,306
- Median weekly personal income
- $1,077
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 8,768 (49%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 6,145 (34%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 34 (0%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 11,552 (84%)
- Labour-force participation
- 59.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 4.3%
- Employed full-time
- 5,060
- Employed part-time
- 2,579
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 St Ives (NSW)
Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in St Ives (NSW) 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 St Ives (NSW)
Where is St Ives (NSW)?
St Ives (NSW) is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of St Ives (NSW)?
At the 2021 Census, St Ives (NSW) had a population of about 18,384.
Is St Ives (NSW) an advantaged area?
St Ives (NSW) has an ABS SEIFA score of 1161, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 99 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 99% of Australian suburbs.
What is the weather like in St Ives (NSW)?
St Ives (NSW) 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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