Leanyer

Leanyer is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Leanyer's population, as of November 2025, is approximately 4,990 people. This figure represents an increase of 393 individuals since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 4,597. The growth is inferred from the estimated resident population of 4,988 in June 2024 and address validation since the Census date. This results in a density ratio of 1,996 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Leanyer's 8.5% growth since the 2021 census surpassed the SA3 area's 7.6%, indicating it as a regionally significant growth leader. Overseas migration contributed approximately 55.3% of overall population gains during recent periods, driving primary growth in the area.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and to estimate post-2032 growth, AreaSearch applies age cohort-based growth rates provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Future population dynamics anticipate above-median growth for statistical areas nationally, with Leanyer expected to increase by 854 persons to 2041, reflecting a total gain of 17.1% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Leanyer according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Leanyer has seen minimal dwelling approvals in recent years, with a total of 4 homes approved over the past five financial years. As of FY-26 so far, there have been 0 approvals recorded. On average, 35 people moved to the area each year for every dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating significant demand exceeding new supply. New dwellings are developed at an average cost of $452,000, reflecting a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

This financial year has seen $4.0 million in commercial approvals, demonstrating Leanyer's primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Darwin, Leanyer records substantially lower building activity, 91.0% below the regional average per person. Recent development has been entirely comprised of detached houses, maintaining the area's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes. Developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests at Census (71.0%), indicating continued strong demand for family homes despite density pressures.

Leanyer has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 3rdth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified four projects likely to impact the area: Northern Suburbs Youth Hub, Leanyer Primary School, Casuarina Square Redevelopment, Royal Darwin Hospital Mental Health Inpatient Unit and CSSD Upgrade. The following details these key projects.

Professional plan users can use the search below to filter and access additional projects.

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AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Leanyer performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Leanyer has an educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 1.5% as of September 2025, compared to Greater Darwin's 3.1%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 1.9%. The workforce participation rate was 67.6%, slightly below Greater Darwin's 69.7%. Major employment sectors include public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and education & training.

Only 6.4% of local workers are employed in accommodation & food services, lower than Greater Darwin's 8.0%. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 1.9%, while the labour force also grew by 1.9%. Unemployment remained largely unchanged during this period. In contrast, Greater Darwin recorded similar employment and labour force growth but had a marginal increase in unemployment. State-level data from 25-Nov-2025 shows NT employment contracted by 1.13%, with an unemployment rate of 4.4%. National employment forecasts indicate growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but growth rates vary significantly between sectors. Applying these projections to Leanyer's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.6% over five years and 13.6% over ten years.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

Leanyer SA2 has an exceptionally high national income level, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of latest ATO data for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers in Leanyer is $70,155, with an average income of $78,210. These figures compare to Greater Darwin's median and average incomes of $65,522 and $75,260 respectively. Based on a 12.01% growth in the Wage Price Index since financial year 2022, estimated current incomes as of September 2025 are approximately $78,581 (median) and $87,603 (average). Census data shows that household, family, and personal incomes in Leanyer all rank highly nationally, between the 79th and 85th percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 37.5% of locals (1,871 people) fall into the $1,500 - 2,999 weekly category, similar to the metropolitan region where this cohort also represents 36.7%. Notably, 32.0% of residents earn more than $3,000 weekly, reflecting strong purchasing power within the community. Housing expenses account for 14.5% of income, and residents rank in the 80th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

Leanyer is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Leanyer's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 71.1% houses and 29.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), compared to Darwin metro's 68.4% houses and 31.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Leanyer stood at 25.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 41.0% and rented ones at 33.3%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, below Darwin metro's average of $2,028. Median weekly rent in Leanyer was $400, higher than Darwin metro's $350 but lower than the national average of $375. Nationally, Leanyer's mortgage repayments exceeded the Australian average of $1,863.

Leanyer features high concentrations of group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households comprise 74.5% of all households, including 37.1% couples with children, 26.5% couples without children, and 9.9% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 25.5%, with lone person households at 21.0% and group households comprising 4.4%. The median household size is 2.7 people, which matches the Greater Darwin average.

Leanyer performs slightly above the national average for education, showing competitive qualification levels and steady academic outcomes

Leanyer residents aged 15+ with university qualifications stand at 32.1%, surpassing the Northern Territory average of 27.3%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 21.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.0%) and graduate diplomas (3.6%). Vocational credentials are held by 34.1% of residents aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 10.7% and certificates at 23.4%.

Educational participation is high, with 31.5% currently enrolled in formal education, including 12.0% in primary, 7.4% in secondary, and 6.3% in tertiary education.

Transport servicing is good compared to other areas nationally based on assessment of service frequency, route connectivity and accessibility

Leanyer has 17 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 48 different routes that together facilitate 2,679 weekly passenger trips. The accessibility of these services is rated as good, with residents on average living just 259 meters from the nearest stop.

On any given day, there are an average of 382 trips across all routes, which translates to about 157 weekly trips per individual stop.

Leanyer's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Leanyer. Both young and old age cohorts have low prevalence of common health conditions.

The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 59% of the total population (2,934 people), compared to 56.7% across Greater Darwin. The most common medical conditions in the area are asthma and arthritis, impacting 6.5 and 6.1% of residents respectively. A total of 74.4% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 77.0% across Greater Darwin. Leanyer has 15.6% of residents aged 65 and over (775 people), which is higher than the 12.3% in Greater Darwin. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, broadly in line with the general population's health profile.

Leanyer was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Leanyer has high cultural diversity, with 33.8% born overseas and 32.7% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the main religion, comprising 46.6%. Buddhism is overrepresented compared to Greater Darwin, at 4.1%.

The top three ancestral groups are Australian (20.6%), English (17.9%), and Other (14.0%). Filipino, Greek, and Australian Aboriginal groups show notable divergences in representation: Filipino is at 4.7% (vs regional 4.7%), Greek at 5.0% (vs regional 3.7%), and Australian Aboriginal at 5.9% (vs regional 7.4%).

Leanyer's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Leanyer's median age is 37 years, which is higher than Greater Darwin's average of 34 but aligned with Australia's median age of 38. Compared to Greater Darwin, Leanyer has a higher proportion of residents aged 65-74 (9.5%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (15.2%). Between the 2021 Census and the present, the 35-44 age group has increased from 14.9% to 16.7%, while the 55-64 cohort has declined from 12.8% to 11.0% and the 45-54 age group has dropped from 12.6% to 11.3%. By 2041, Leanyer's population is forecasted to see significant demographic shifts. The 45-54 cohort is projected to grow by 39%, adding 220 residents to reach a total of 785. Conversely, the number of residents aged 55-64 is expected to decrease.