Median house price
$1.71M
+5.4% change
NSW · Hornsby Council
Cowan, 2081
Est. population · Jun 2025
631
Growth (1 yr)
+0.2%
Growth (5 yr)
-1.9%
Median age
41
Median income
$2,250/wk
Employment rate
64.6%
Median house price · October to December 2025
$1,713,000
Languages at home
7.1%non-English
Most common: Korean, Mandarin
2021 Census · usual residence
Desirability score
- Green suburb
- National parks
- Excellent transport
- Education hub
- High desirability
Suburb profile
Cowan sits up in the Hornsby Council hills, a smaller community where elevation and tree cover define the mood. Residents are mostly families and working professionals, with a strong presence of young families throughout. Everyday life leans local, with a handful of trusted shops, a familiar main street and neighbours who know your name.
With limited local amenities, residents regularly travel to a neighbouring town for shops, appointments and a wider choice. There is enough green space nearby for walks, picnics and after-school play. A car helps for most daily errands, though buses still link the suburb further afield.
Property sits in a premium price band and is harder to enter for many buyers. This is a mature, settled pocket where the existing streetscape still defines the local character.
Desirability lands below average here: softer local dining and lifestyle amenities, plus growth momentum weighing on the result versus similar regional towns, even with community and employment holding up better. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
At a glance
Cowan snapshot
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median rent
—
No data available
Population (ERP)
631
+0.2% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.1%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#102
among Country & regional · Established
Safety
13th
percentile in state (higher = safer)
Pop. growth
41st
percentile in NSW
Advantage (IRSAD)
9/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
73rd
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
- Desirability score
- 35.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 4623rd in Australia
- State rank
- 1472nd in NSW
- Peer rank
- #102 among Country & regional · Established suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #561 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 89%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
- Median house price (October to December 2025)
- $1,713,000
- Median price change
- +5.4%
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent and sales tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · October to December 2025 · Updated · Quarterly releases
Population
Estimated resident population
631(June 2025)
+0.2% annual · -1.9% over 5 years · 41th percentile in NSW
Growth figures & methodology
- Annual growth
- +0.2%
- 5-year growth
- -1.9%
- Change in 1 year
- +1
- Change in 5 years
- -12
- Growth rank in NSW
- 41th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~650), extrapolated at -0.1% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
- Population
- 631
- Median age
- 41
- Median household income / week
- $2,250
- Dwelling vacancy
- 4.1%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 9 of 218
- Median monthly mortgage
- $2,290
- Employment rate
- 64.6%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 204 / 3 / 3
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
- Estimated Resident Population — Australian Bureau of Statistics · 2025 · Updated · SA2 ERP allocated to suburb boundaries
Community & culture
No 2021 Census cultural diversity data for this suburb yet.
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences increased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 22
- Against the person
- 3
- Against property
- 9
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 34.9
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 210 residents
- State safety percentile
- 13.2th (lower crime is better)
- Increase (daily rate)
- +10.3%
Most common offence types
- Fraud24
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment10
- Malicious Damage To Property19
- Other Theft11
- Transport Regulatory Offences50
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated · Rolling 12-month windows
Family & Lifestyle
Schools & preschools
- Schools within 2 km
- 1
- Median school ICSEA
- 1,063
- Median ICSEA percentile
- 73th
School list
- Cowan Public SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1063 · 73th percentile · LBOTE 26% · 24 students · Top SEA quarter 17%View on My School →
Contributes to desirability score · Education (15%)
School and preschool counts, median school ICSEA
Data sources & freshness
- ACARA school locations — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
- School ICSEA scores — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority · 2025 · Updated · Annual release
Public transport
16 public transport stops in this suburb
- Acc To P2
- CCP Pacific Hwy
- Cowan Station
- ENT Pacific Hwy N
- ENT Pacific Hwy S
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · current · Updated · Nightly GTFS feed
Amenities
1 nearby amenities within ~1.5 km
Local character & venue list
Local character
- Limited walkable amenities nearby
- Reasonable bus and transport access — 16 public transport stops
- Walkability proxy
- 24/100
- Cafés per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Food & drink per 1,000 residents
- 0
- Parks per 1,000 residents
- 1.58
Other(1)
- Muogamarra Nature ReserveNature Reserve
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Parks & reserves
3 parks and public open space in this suburb
- Cowan ParkPark
- Muogamarra Nature ReserveNature reserve
- Vize ReserveNature reserve
Data sources & freshness
- Parks & reserves — State government + ABS LGA boundaries · current · Updated
Green cover
- Parks & woodland (OSM)
- 10
- Parks (OSM)
- 1
OpenStreetMap parks and natural woodland features mapped within the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (10%)
Parks and green cover (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap green cover — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated
Health access
- Nearest hospital
- Lady Davidson Private Hospital (13.8 km)
- Nearest hospital type
- Hospital
- Nearest hospital emergency
- Emergency department
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Hospitals and GP clinics
Data sources & freshness
- Hospitals & clinics — OpenStreetMap + state health datasets · current · Updated
NDIS participation
- NDIS participants (31 March 2026)
- 13
- Participants per 1,000 residents
- 20.6
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Data sources & freshness
- NDIS participants by SA2 — National Disability Insurance Agency · 2026-Q1 · Updated · Quarterly SA2 counts allocated to suburb boundaries
Weather
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
- Usual max / min
- 25° / 17°
- Rainfall
- 321 mm · ~40 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
- Usual max / min
- 22° / 14°
- Rainfall
- 359 mm · ~45 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
- Usual max / min
- 17° / 8°
- Rainfall
- 263 mm · ~33 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
- Usual max / min
- 21° / 12°
- Rainfall
- 242 mm · ~30 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Temperature and humidity comfort
Data sources & freshness
- Seasonal climate normals — WorldClim 2.1 · Updated
Future & Planning
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal.
2026· 1 proposal
April 2026
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah1105 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
2025· 5 proposals
October 2025
- Shed; Erection of a new structure; Emergency services facility1049 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
July 2025
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure20 Chandler Avenue Cowan 2081Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 Cowan Street BrooklynDeferred Commencement
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Residential Accommodation25B FRASER ROAD COWAN 2081Determined
January 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 cowan street, brooklynWithdrawn
2024· 9 proposals
September 2024
- Demolition; Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure10 PARK ROAD COWAN 2081Determined
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure20 Chandler Avenue Cowan 2081Operational consent issued
August 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1115 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
June 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1165 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
May 2024
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure24 CHANDLER AVENUE COWAN 2081Determined
March 2024
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure33 FRASER ROAD COWAN 2081Determined
- Erection of a new structure; Emergency services facility1049 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure4 Cowan Street BrooklynWithdrawn
- Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure; Balcony, deck, patio, terrace or verandah; Carport1155 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
2023· 4 proposals
December 2023
- Subdivision1179 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
November 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure2 GRESHAM STREET COWAN 2081Determined
September 2023
- Dwelling house; Alterations or additions to an existing building or structure1103 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
June 2023
- Dwelling24 CHANDLER AVENUE COWAN 2081Determined
2021· 7 proposals
December 2021
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Garages, carports and car parking spaces1155 PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
- Other9 FRASER ROAD COWAN 2081Withdrawn
June 2021
- Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces1127A PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
April 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development3 Fraser Road CowanDetermined
March 2021
- Secondary dwelling1 PARK ROAD COWAN 2081Determined
February 2021
- Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces5 VIEW STREET COWAN 2081Determined
January 2021
- Shed1127A PACIFIC HIGHWAY COWAN 2081Determined
2020· 2 proposals
December 2020
- Alterations and additions to residential development; Garages, carports and car parking spaces7 View Street, CowanDetermined
October 2020
- Dwelling; Pools / decks / fencing; Balconies, decks, patios, terraces or verandahs; Demolition; Earthworks / change in levels; Retaining walls, protection of trees; Garages, carports and car parking spaces9 VIEW STREET COWAN 2081Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · 2026 · Updated · Daily feed (from Oct 2018)
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · current · Updated
Politics & representation
- Federal electorate
- Berowra
- Member of Parliament
- Julian LEESER (Liberal)
- Results from
- 2025 federal election
- Electorate enrolment (2025)
- 130,869
- Turnout (2025)
- 94.3%
- Swing since 2022 (2025)
- +5.9 pp toward Labor
Two-party preferred (2025)
Coalition 51.6%Labor 48.4%
Estimated suburb voting profile
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 13.2 km away).
Coalition 44.3%Labor 55.7%
7.3 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +5.8 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
- CowanLabor 54.0% · Coalition 46.0% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
- BrooklynLabor 67.0% · Coalition 33.0% TPP (2025)4.5 km away
- Berowra HeightsLabor 56.3% · Coalition 43.7% TPP (2025)5.3 km away
- BerowraLabor 52.5% · Coalition 47.5% TPP (2025)5.9 km away
- Mount Kuring-GaiLabor 54.5% · Coalition 45.5% TPP (2025)10.4 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
Data sources & freshness
- Federal election results — Australian Electoral Commission · Updated · 2025 election with by-election overlays
Socio-economic
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 9/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 9/10
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
Compare with
Similar suburbs to weigh up side by side — scores, safety, schools, and lifestyle.
More in Hornsby Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.