St Ives NSW: Census, crime and home buying checks
Reviewed
St Ives had 18,384 residents in the 2021 Census, a median age of 43 and median weekly household income of $2,888. These are suburb figures, not a property valuation or hazard clearance.
St Ives children’s share can prompt school and route questions, not promise enrolment. Confirm the intake year and address before assessing the practical journey.
2021 Census: who lives in St Ives
| Measure | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Population | 18,384 |
| Median age | 43 |
| Median household income / week | $2,888 |
| Children aged 0–14 | 20.6% |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 81.7% |
| Born overseas | 47.7% |
| Other language used at home | 33.4% |
Of residents counted in St Ives, 20.6% were children aged 0–14. This helps frame questions about school trips and household needs; it does not identify the catchment for a particular house. The household income median of $2,888 per week describes households in 2021 across dwelling types. It is not a current borrowing budget, salary estimate or a measure of what a house should cost.
The ownership share is 81.7%, combining homes owned outright and homes with a mortgage. It is a tenure measure, not the share of detached houses, and it does not prove whether neighbours will stay. The 47.7% overseas-born figure and 33.4% using another language at home describe different things; neither is an ethnicity count. No measure here is used to label the suburb good or bad.
Recorded incidents: Jul 2025 – Jun 2026
| Incident type | St Ives / 1,000 | NSW suburb median / 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Non-domestic assault | 1.31 | 2.57 |
| Robbery | 0.11 | 0 |
| Break and enter dwelling | 0.87 | 1.5 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.11 | 1.38 |
| Steal from motor vehicle | 0.44 | 2.35 |
| Malicious damage | 1.96 | 4.33 |
The largest of the six displayed incident rates in St Ives is malicious damage, at 1.96 per 1,000 residents. This comparison is within these categories, not a measure of all crime. Reported incidents are not the probability that a buyer will be victimised. The denominator uses the 2021 population while incidents cover Jul 2025 – Jun 2026; growth since the Census can change that relationship. Shopping centres, stations and visitors can also affect rates.
The NSW benchmark is the median suburb rate among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents in the local dataset. It is not the overall NSW population-weighted incident rate. Zero means zero recorded in that category and period, not zero risk. Ask about the specific street, access, lighting and parking at inspections rather than treating the table as a safety score.
Checks that still need an address
| Question | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Flood and bushfire | Check the lot on official maps; suburb averages cannot clear a house. |
| School catchment | Use the full address and intake year in School Finder. |
| Zoning and heritage | Check planning maps and property documents. |
| Condition and title | Inspect the building and ask a conveyancer about title restrictions. |
Check this address
Include the state outside NSW. Reports show missing coverage explicitly.
Sources and further checks
- ABS 2021 St Ives QuickStats
- ABS Census copyright
- ABS Census General Community Profiles
- BOCSAR crime statistics
- NSW DCJ copyright
- NSW Planning Portal
- NSW School Finder
- HouseScan licences
Official maps and calculators can change. The map date, contract and property documents matter.
Attribution: © Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census GCP (Suburbs and Localities), CC BY 4.0. © State of NSW, Department of Communities and Justice, BOCSAR recorded incidents, CC BY 4.0. HouseScan reformats these figures; any interpretation is ours. Census data describes 2021 and has not been updated to 2026 prices or population.