Bankstown, NSW

By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan · Updated 4 July 2026

Bankstown is the busy commercial heart of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, about 19 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD. The broader LGA — Canterbury-Bankstown (LGA11570) — had a population of 371,006 at the 2021 Census (ABS 2021 Census QuickStats, LGA11570), making it one of Sydney's largest local government areas and by almost any measure its most culturally complex. Only 49.2% of LGA residents were born in Australia (NSW: 65.4%; national: 66.9%). Both parents born overseas in 66.3% of households. English is the only language spoken at home in 33.8% of households — 28 percentage points below the NSW average. Top birth countries beyond Australia: Vietnam (5.9%), Lebanon (5.8%), China (5.3%), Bangladesh (2.0%). Top ancestries: Lebanese (14.1%), Australian (13.9%), Chinese (11.6%). Arabic is spoken in 17.2% of households; Vietnamese in 7.5%. Islam is reported by 23.6% of residents — 5.5 times the NSW rate of 4.3%, more than seven times the national 3.2%. Eastern Orthodox: 8.5% (NSW: 2.5%). Median weekly personal income: $625 (NSW: $813); median household income: $1,556 (NSW: $1,829). Labour force participation: 48.4% (NSW: 58.7%). Unemployment: 7.2% (NSW: 4.9%). 42.8% of Canterbury-Bankstown renter households pay more than 30% of household income on rent (national: 32.2%). Average household size 2.9 (NSW: 2.6). De facto rate: 5.4% (NSW: 10.6%). These income and employment figures map onto migration-wave economics — the first-generation pattern — not permanent disadvantage.

15/100

Suburb Score

Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs

Bankstown is more socio-economically advantaged than about 15% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 913, 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.

Is Bankstown a good place to live?

There’s no single answer — it depends on what matters to you. So instead of one mystery number, we break it down: a transparent score on each part of life we can back with public data, and an honest “not yet” on the parts we can’t.

48/100

Livability

Below the national middle on the data we score

A weighted blend of the 5 components we can score for Bankstown from public data. It sits alongside — and reconciles with — the socio-economic Suburb Score above; it is a transparent read, not a complete verdict.

Socio-economic advantage

15/100

Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs

Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs — the same ABS SEIFA-based Suburb Score (15/100) shown above. Income, education and occupation, as published by the ABS. · ABS SEIFA 2021

Housing affordability

20/100

Less affordable than the national median

Median weekly rent was $400 at the 2021 Census — more affordable than about 20% of suburbs we can compare. Housing data only, no valuations. · ABS Census 2021

Amenities & access

92/100

Plenty mapped nearby

About 204 everyday places (cafés, shops, services and more) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. · OpenStreetMap

Green space

55/100

Some green space nearby

About 6.4% of the area within ~1.2 km of the centre is mapped as green space — parks, reserves, sportsgrounds and the like. An area estimate from a radius around the centre, not the suburb boundary. · OpenStreetMap

Transport

90/100

Well served by public-transport stops

About 97 public-transport stops (bus, train, tram or ferry) mapped within ~1.2 km of the centre. Stop coverage, not timetable frequency. · OpenStreetMap

Not yet scored

We’d rather leave these open than publish a number we can’t stand behind. Here’s where each one stands.

SchoolsNot scored yet — school performance (ACARA / ICSEA) needs a data-reuse licence cleared before we can publish it.
SafetyNot scored yet — Australia has no single open crime dataset and safety data carries defamation and legal care, so it is gated pending a go/no-go and will be data-only when added.
CommunityNot scored yet — we won't reduce community to a number from a proxy. We'd rather leave it open than publish an invented value judgement.

A transparent read on public data, not a verdict — and not a measure of any person or community. See our methodology for how each component is worked out and why some aren’t scored yet.

Bankstown at a glance

Population (2021): 34,933
Median age: 34
Median weekly household income: $1,331
SEIFA score: 913
Local government area: Canterbury-Bankstown
Coordinates: -33.9214, 151.0313

Map of Bankstown

Housing & property in Bankstown

What it costs to live in Bankstown and how residents hold their homes, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census.

Median rent: $400; per week
Median mortgage: $1,800; per month
Owner-occupied: 46%; of dwellings
Rented: 50%; of dwellings

The full tenure and dwelling-type breakdown is in the Bankstown demographics section below.

How we treat property data. StreetScout shows official ABS housing figures and nothing more — no sale-price estimates, no real-estate agent referrals or lead capture, and we never pass your details to anyone. Just the public data, so you can read Bankstown for yourself.

Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021. © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. See our methodology.

Bankstown demographics (2021 Census)

The figures below profile Bankstown 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 32% and 61% of residents were born overseas.

Age profile

Age group	People	Share
Children (0–14)	7,095	20%
Youth (15–24)	4,492	13%
Young adults (25–44)	11,340	32%
Mid-life (45–64)	7,682	22%
Seniors (65+)	4,310	12%

Share of the 34,919 people counted by age.

Housing and households

Tenure	Dwellings	Share
Owned outright	2,346	21%
Owned with a mortgage	2,697	25%
Rented	5,531	50%

Dwelling type	Dwellings	Share
Houses	3,292	30%
Townhouses & semis	1,112	10%
Flats & apartments	6,419	58%

Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 10,978 occupied private dwellings in Bankstown.

Average household size: 2.9 people
Median weekly family income: $1,436
Median weekly personal income: $542

Community and culture

Born overseas: 19,758 (61%)
Speaks a language other than English at home: 25,708 (80%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: 143 (0%)

Work and education

Completed Year 12: 17,298 (65%)
Labour-force participation: 46%
Unemployment rate: 10.3%
Employed full-time: 5,686
Employed part-time: 3,468

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 Bankstown

Based on 2014–2023 records, the warmest month in Bankstown is January (average daytime high around 27.9°C) and the coolest is July (around 17°C). The area receives roughly 862 mm of rain across the year.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Rain
Jan	27.9°C	18.8°C	83 mm
Feb	26.8°C	18.3°C	94 mm
Mar	25.3°C	17.3°C	141 mm
Apr	22.8°C	13.9°C	72 mm
May	19.8°C	10.4°C	40 mm
Jun	16.9°C	8.4°C	57 mm
Jul	17°C	7°C	57 mm
Aug	18.1°C	7.6°C	53 mm
Sep	20.9°C	9.8°C	43 mm
Oct	23.5°C	12.6°C	78 mm
Nov	24.8°C	14.7°C	72 mm
Dec	27.1°C	17°C	72 mm

Climate normals, 2014–2023 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).

Places in and around Bankstown

Amenities mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre, from OpenStreetMap. A guide to what's nearby — not a complete directory.

Eat & drink

61 nearby

Sabilla's Cafe and Restaurant · Star Buffet Bankstown · Firefly · At Thailand · Bankstown Hotel · Yum Yum Lebanese Pizza and Cafe

Parks & recreation

86 nearby

Runyaway · Anytime Fitness · Bluefit Swimming · McDonald's PlayPlace · Arthur Park · Dorothy Park

Shops & groceries

29 nearby

Woolworths · Convenient Store · Coles Bankstown · Anh Tuân Butchery · Best Value Supermart · Bread Station

Healthcare

13 nearby

Primary Health Care Medical & Dental Centre · PsychCentral · Chemist Warehouse · SPSA Bankstown Clinic · Chau's Pharmacy · Dental Surgery

Schools & education

11 nearby

Coolamon Children's Centre · Bankstown South Infants School · Bankstown Public School · Bankstown Girls High School · Southern Sydney Institute · Bankstown West Primary

Things to do

4 nearby

Bryan Brown Theatre · Bankstown Arts Centre · Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre · Hoyts

Eat & drink in and around Bankstown

Cafés, restaurants, pubs and takeaway mapped within about 1.2km of the suburb centre. Listings are drawn from OpenStreetMap and shown as plain data — we don't rank or rate them.

Own a café, restaurant or pub around here?

Claim your listing to feature it at the top of this section. Placement is paid advertising, clearly labelled — never editorial opinion.

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Abju Ahmed Saj & RestaurantRestaurant
An RestaurantRestaurant
27 Greenfield Parade, Bankstownanrestaurant.com.au
At ThailandRestaurant
24 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstownatthailandthairestaurant.com.au
Bankstown HotelPub
Bankstown Kebab HouseTakeaway
78 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstown
Bankstown Lebanese RestaurantRestaurant
Bankstown RSLPub
1 Meredith Street, Bankstownbankstownrsl.com.au
Bankstown Sports ClubPub
8 Greenfield Paradebankstownsports.com
Bay NgoCafé
Big Hong Kong GardenRestaurant
Cafe NhoCafé
Chicken and DoughRestaurant
Shop 10, 212 South Terrance
CrustTakeaway
16 Marion Street, Bankstowncrust.com.au
Domino'sTakeaway
Dong Ba Noodle RestaurantRestaurant
Dough BossRestaurant
462 Chapel Road, Bankstowndoughboss.com.au
Emilia's Pierogi RestaurantRestaurant
11 East Terrace, Bankstownpolishclub.com.au
Euro Taste's Grill BankstownRestaurant
FireflyTakeaway
Flying Zebra CafeCafé
67 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstownfacebook.com
Fujiyama BankstownRestaurant
359 Chapel Road, Bankstownfujiyamajapanese.com.au
Gong ChaCafé
75 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstown
Great Century RestaurantRestaurant
Grill CentralRestaurant
48 Northham Avenue, Bankstownbankstownsportsbowls.com
Hai Thien RestaurantRestaurant
5 Olympic Parade
HanamaruyaRestaurant
Hot Star Large Fried ChickenTakeaway
77A Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstownhotstarchicken.com.au
Huong VietRestaurant
Jasmin 1 Lebanese RestaurantRestaurant
KFCTakeaway
Stacey Street, Bankstown
Khalil's Lebanese PizzaTakeaway
La PiazzaRestaurant
8 Greenfield Parade, Bankstownbankstownsports.com
Lava Lounge CafeCafé
LIL HIDEOUT CAFE BankstownCafé
357 Chapel Road, Bankstown
Little Saigon PhoRestaurant
McDonald'sTakeaway
37 Rickard Road, Bankstownmcdonalds.com.au
Mr. SeafoodTakeaway
Stacey Street, Bankstown
Mr.ChaCafé
91, Bankstown
My CanhRestaurant
PappaRichRestaurant
462 Chapel Road, Bankstownpapparich.net.au
Phở HươngRestaurant
Pho PasteurRestaurant
Quan 3MienRestaurant
Shop 1, 324 Chapel Road South
Red Lantern HotelPub
Sabilla's Cafe and RestaurantRestaurant
Song HuongRestaurant
Star Buffet BankstownRestaurant
1 Meredith Street, Bankstownstarbuffet.com.au
Sweet CityCafé
Sweet FantasyCafé
Sydney Star KebabsRestaurant
Thai HuttRestaurant
Thang Long RestaurantRestaurant
284 Chapel Rd Souththanglongrestaurant.com
The Alley JiaoxiangCafé
The BarBar
41 Northham Avenue, Bankstownbankstownsportsbowls.com
The Plaza Cafe BankstownCafé
100 Bankstown City Plaza, Bankstownthe-plaza-cafe.business.site
Vietnamese restaurantRestaurant
Vy Vy Garden CafeCafé
Window's CoffeeCafé
Yum Yum Lebanese Pizza and CafeRestaurant
Zahid RestaurantRestaurant
361 Chapel Road, Bankstownzahidrestaurant.com.au

Showing 60 mapped places; more may exist that aren't yet on OpenStreetMap.

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Common questions about Bankstown

Is Bankstown a good place to live?

There's no single answer, so we score what the public data can back. On socio-economic advantage, housing affordability, amenities, green space and transport, Bankstown rates 48/100 overall (Below the national middle on the data we score). Schools and safety aren't scored yet — see our methodology for why.

What is the median rent in Bankstown?

At the 2021 Census, the median weekly rent in Bankstown was $400, and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,800. These are official ABS Census figures — StreetScout publishes housing data only, with no property valuations or agent referrals.

Where is Bankstown?

Bankstown is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia, in the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area.

What is the population of Bankstown?

At the 2021 Census, Bankstown had a population of about 34,933.

Is Bankstown an advantaged area?

Bankstown has an ABS SEIFA score of 913, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 15 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 15% of Australian suburbs.

What is the weather like in Bankstown?

Bankstown has average daytime highs of about 22.6°C and overnight lows of about 13°C, with roughly 862 mm of rain across the year (based on 2014–2023 climate normals).

How big is Bankstown?

Bankstown is one of the most populous suburbs in New South Wales — the 8th-largest by usual resident population at the 2021 Census (about 34,933 usual residents).

Where Bankstown ranks

Bankstown appears in these data-driven guides — each a transparent sort on a single ABS figure shown on this page.

Largest suburbs in New South Wales#8 of 25
Largest suburbs in Australia#25 of 25

Nearby suburbs in New South Wales

More suburb guides in New South Wales

Other hand-written, cited guides — browse all guides.