Millner
Statistical Area - sa2

An assessment of population growth drivers in Millner reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

Millner's population was around 2,635 as of August 2025. This showed an increase of 59 people, representing a 2.3% rise since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 2,576. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 2,635 in June 2024 and address validation since the Census date. This resulted in a population density ratio of 1,792 persons per square kilometer, higher than the average across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Overseas migration contributed approximately 69.5% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered, growth rates by age cohort are applied post-2032 based on the ABS's Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, using data from 2022). Future demographic trends suggest a population increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation, with an expected expansion of 322 persons to 2041, representing a total gain of 12.2% over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Millner is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Millner has seen approximately 0 new homes approved annually. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, totalling 3 approvals across the past 5 financial years from FY20 to FY25, with 0 approvals so far in FY26. The population has fallen over this period, but development activity has been adequate relative to demand, maintaining a balanced market with good buyer choice. New homes are being built at an average construction cost of $750,000, indicating a focus on the premium market.

Additionally, $2.1 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded this financial year, suggesting a predominantly residential focus. Compared to Greater Darwin, Millner shows substantially reduced construction activity, 69.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings, which is also under the national average, indicating the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New building activity shows a trend toward denser development, with approximately 50.0% standalone homes and 50.0% townhouses or apartments, providing accessible entry options for downsizers, investors, and entry-level buyers. With around 0 people per dwelling approval, Millner shows characteristics of a low density area.

Millner has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 1stth percentile nationally

AreaSearch has identified three projects that could significantly impact a specific area: Social Housing Accelerator Payment (SHAP) in Greater Darwin/Nightcliff, John Stokes Square Redevelopment, Nightcliff Police Station renovation, and Royal Darwin Hospital's Mental Health Inpatient Unit and CSSD upgrades. These are the key initiatives likely to have notable influence on the region.

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

Employment performance in Millner exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Millner has an educated workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.2%.

Over the past year, there was estimated employment growth of 2.6%. As of June 2025, 1,566 residents are employed while the unemployment rate stands at 3.4%, which is 0.2% higher than Greater Darwin's rate of 3.0%. Workforce participation in Millner is 67.1%, lower than Greater Darwin's 69.7%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, public administration & safety, and education & training.

Health care & social assistance employment levels are at 1.5 times the regional average. Public administration & safety employment is under-represented at 13.3% compared to Greater Darwin's 19.5%. Limited local employment opportunities are indicated by Census working population vs resident population counts. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 2.6%, labour force increased by 2.9%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Darwin experienced employment growth of 2.9% with a marginal drop in unemployment rate. As of Sep-25, NT employment grew by 1.0% year-on-year, adding 1,710 jobs, with the state unemployment rate at 4.2%, comparing favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Millner's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.9%% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

AreaSearch released postcode-level ATO data for financial year 2022. Millner's median income among taxpayers is $57,384 with an average of $66,829. This is slightly above the national average. Greater Darwin has a median income of $65,522 and an average of $75,260. Using Wage Price Index growth of 10.44% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes for March 2025 are approximately $63,375 (median) and $73,806 (average). Census data shows personal income ranks at the 74th percentile ($957 weekly), with household income at the 54th percentile. The earnings band of $1,500 - 2,999 captures 39.4% of Millner's population (1,038 individuals). High housing costs consume 15.4% of income. Despite this, disposable income ranks at the 56th percentile. Millner's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 4th decile.

Millner displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Millner, as per the latest Census evaluation, 52.5% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 47.5% being semi-detached homes, apartments, and other dwelling types. This contrasts with Darwin metropolitan area's figures of 68.4% houses and 31.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Millner stood at 22.6%, similar to Darwin metro's rate. Mortgaged dwellings accounted for 28.9%, while rented properties made up 48.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Millner was $1,733, lower than the Darwin metro average of $2,028. Median weekly rent in Millner was $340, compared to $350 in Darwin metro. Nationally, Millner's mortgage repayments were below the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were less than the national figure of $375.

Millner features high concentrations of group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 64.8% of all households, including 26.9% couples with children, 21.6% couples without children, and 14.3% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 35.2%, with lone person households at 27.3% and group households making up 8.1%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is smaller than the Greater Darwin average of 2.7.

Educational outcomes in Millner fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

In Millner, educational attainment is notably higher than regional averages. Among residents aged 15 and above, 38.7% possess university qualifications, compared to 27.3% in the Northern Territory (NT) and 30.4% nationally. This high level of educational attainment includes 23.2% with bachelor degrees, 11.8% with postgraduate qualifications, and 3.7% with graduate diplomas. Vocational credentials are also prevalent at 29.2%, with 9.5% holding advanced diplomas and 19.7% certificates.

Educational participation is high, with 33.2% currently enrolled in formal education, including 9.8% in primary, 8.5% in tertiary, and 5.9% in secondary education. Millner Primary School serves the local community, enrolling 164 students as of a specific date. The school focuses exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. Local school capacity is limited, with 6.2 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 16.9, necessitating travel for schooling in many cases.

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

Millner has 16 operational transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by 33 different routes that combined offer 1,774 weekly passenger trips. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 153 meters to the nearest stop.

Service frequency across all routes averages 253 trips per day, translating to around 110 weekly trips per individual stop.

Millner's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Millner. Prevalence of common health conditions is very low across all age groups.

The rate of private health cover is approximately 52% of the total population (~1,380 people), slightly higher than the average SA2 area but lower than Greater Darwin's 56.7%. The most common medical conditions are arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 6.5 and 5.7% of residents respectively. A majority, 76.9%, report being completely clear of medical ailments, similar to Greater Darwin's 77.0%. Millner has an elderly population of 11.8% (311 people aged 65 and over). Health outcomes among seniors are strong and largely align with the general population's health profile.

Millner is among the most culturally diverse areas in the country based on AreaSearch assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Millner has a high cultural diversity, with 41.7% of its population born overseas and 40.8% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the main religion in Millner, comprising 39.2% of people. Hinduism is overrepresented in Millner at 10.5%, significantly higher than the Greater Darwin average of 5.1%.

The top three ancestry groups in Millner are Other (21.3%), Australian (17.7%), and English (17.7%). Filipino, Spanish, and Greek ethnicities are notably overrepresented in Millner at 5.3%, 0.9%, and 3.9% respectively, compared to regional averages of 4.7%, 0.5%, and 3.7%.

Millner's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Millner's median age is 36 years, which is slightly higher than Greater Darwin's figure of 34 but lower than Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Darwin, Millner has a higher proportion of residents aged 55-64 (13.5%) but fewer residents aged 15-24 (9.6%). Between the 2021 Census and the present day, the percentage of residents aged 55-64 has increased from 10.8% to 13.5%, while the proportion of those aged 35-44 has risen from 15.3% to 16.8%. Conversely, the percentage of residents aged 45-54 has decreased from 13.8% to 10.7%, and the proportion of those aged 65-74 has dropped from 8.0% to 6.5%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate significant demographic shifts in Millner. The 35-44 age cohort is projected to grow by 16%, adding 69 residents and reaching a total of 512. Meanwhile, the 0-4 age cohort is expected to grow by a modest 4%, with an increase of just 5 people.