Palmerston - North

Palmerston - North has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

Palmerston - North's population is around 4,770 as of November 2025. This reflects an increase of 314 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 4,456. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 4,747 in June 2024 and an additional 10 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 1,000 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, ending in 2021, Palmerston - North demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.6%, outpacing the state's average. Population growth was primarily driven by natural growth, contributing approximately 58.3% of overall population gains during recent periods.

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 growth post-2032, AreaSearch applies growth rates by age cohort provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections, released in 2023 based on 2022 data. Moving forward with demographic trends, a population increase just below the median of statistical areas analysed is expected. The area is projected to expand by 583 persons to reach 5,359 by 2041, reflecting an overall increase of 11.7% over the 17-year period based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development drivers sees a low level of activity in Palmerston - North, placing the area among the bottom 25% of areas assessed nationally

Palmerston - North has recorded approximately two residential properties granted approval each year over the past five financial years, totalling 13 homes. In the current financial year FY-26, four approvals have been recorded. On average, 3.4 new residents per year are associated with every home built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating significant demand exceeding supply. The average construction value of new homes is $246,000, which is lower than regional levels, suggesting more affordable housing options.

Commercial approvals this financial year amount to $49.0 million, reflecting strong local business investment. Compared to Greater Darwin, Palmerston - North shows substantially reduced construction activity, with 87.0% below the regional average per person. This constrained new construction typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing homes. Additionally, all new construction in the area has been comprised of detached dwellings, maintaining its traditional suburban character focused on family homes. The location currently has approximately 3168 people per dwelling approval, indicating an established market.

According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Palmerston - North is projected to add 560 residents by 2041. At current development rates, housing supply may struggle to keep pace with population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and supporting price increases.

Palmerston - North has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 9thth percentile nationally

No changes can significantly affect a region's performance like modifications to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. Zero projects have been identified by AreaSearch as potentially impacting this area. Notable projects include Darwin Light Rail Stage 1, Hudson Creek Power Station, Marine Industry Park, and Darwin Corporate Park; the following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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Employment conditions in Palmerston - North demonstrate exceptional strength compared to most Australian markets

Palmerston - North has a skilled workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 2.2%, lower than Greater Darwin's 3.1%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 2.4%. As of September 2025, 2,851 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.0% below Greater Darwin's. Workforce participation is high at 75.2%, compared to Greater Darwin's 69.7%. Major employment sectors include public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and construction.

The area has a strong specialization in mining (1.9 times the regional level) but lower representation in professional & technical services (4.0% vs regional average of 5.8%). The worker-to-resident ratio is 1.0, indicating substantial local employment opportunities. Between September 2024 and September 2025, employment increased by 2.4%, while labour force grew by 1.9%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.5 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Darwin had employment growth of 1.9% with a marginal rise in unemployment. State-level data to 25-Nov-25 shows NT employment contracted by 1.13% (losing 4,100 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.4%, closely aligned with the national rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May-25 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Palmerston - North's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.1% over five years and 12.7% over ten years, assuming no changes in population projections.

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

AreaSearch's data for financial year 2022 shows median income in Palmerston - North SA2 was $68,102 and average income was $74,098. This is higher than Greater Darwin's median of $65,522 and average of $75,260. By September 2025, estimated median income would be approximately $76,281 and average $82,997 based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022. Census 2021 data ranks Palmerston - North's incomes highly nationally, between the 89th and 90th percentiles for households, families, and individuals. Income distribution shows that 40.4% of locals earn between $1,500 and $2,999 annually. In surrounding regions, this bracket accounts for 36.7%. High weekly earnings exceed $3,000 for 35.6% of households, indicating strong consumer spending. Housing costs consume 16.6% of income but disposable income ranks at the 87th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 6th decile.

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

In Palmerston - North, as per the latest Census evaluation, 86.3% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 13.7% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other dwelling types. This contrasts with Darwin metropolitan area's figures of 75.9% houses and 24.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in Palmerston - North stood at 11.7%, with mortgaged properties at 43.7% and rented dwellings at 44.6%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, lower than Darwin metro's average of $2,037. Median weekly rent in Palmerston - North was $460, higher than Darwin metro's figure of $400. Nationally, Palmerston - North's mortgage repayments were above the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially higher at $460 compared to the national figure of $375.

Palmerston - North features high concentrations of family households and group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 79.5% of all households, including 40.6% couples with children, 24.5% couples without children, and 13.3% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 20.5%, with lone person households at 16.5% and group households comprising 3.9%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Greater Darwin average of 2.8.

Palmerston - North shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

The area's university qualification rate is 20.3%, significantly lower than the SA4 region average of 31.3%. Bachelor degrees are most common at 13.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (4.1%) and graduate diplomas (2.5%). Vocational credentials are prevalent, with 44.2% of residents aged 15+ holding them, including advanced diplomas (12.3%) and certificates (31.9%). Educational participation is high at 34.9%, comprising primary education (12.3%), secondary education (9.2%), and tertiary education (5.7%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 34.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 12.3% in primary education, 9.2% in secondary education, and 5.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Palmerston - North has 11 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are served by a total of 26 different routes, offering 1,749 weekly passenger trips combined. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents on average being located 284 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 249 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 159 weekly trips per individual stop.

Palmerston - North's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Palmerston - North's health outcomes show excellent results, particularly for younger cohorts who have a very low prevalence of common health conditions.

Approximately 56% (~2,695 people) of the total population has private health cover. The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 7.8 and 6.7% of residents respectively. 75.4% of residents declare no medical ailments compared to 76.6% across Greater Darwin. The area has 6.9% (327 people) of residents aged 65 and over. While health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population, they present some challenges.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in Palmerston - North was found to be slightly above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Palmerston-North showed cultural diversity with 22.6% overseas-born population and 15.8% speaking languages other than English at home, as of the latest data. Christianity dominated at 41.6%. Judaism was slightly overrepresented at 0.2%, compared to 0.1% regionally.

Ancestry-wise, Australian (27.0%), English (23.7%), and Other (10.8%) were the top groups. Filipino representation was notably higher at 3.4% versus regional 4.8%. Australian Aboriginal stood at 7.4%, slightly below regional 9.1%. Samoan population was also slightly higher at 0.3% compared to regional 0.2%.

Palmerston - North hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Palmerston-North has a median age of 32, which is slightly lower than Greater Darwin's figure of 34 and significantly under the Australian median of 38. Compared to Greater Darwin, Palmerston-North has a higher proportion of residents aged 5-14 (16.1%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (4.1%). Between 2021 and present, the population aged 35-44 has grown from 16.5% to 18.1%, while the 5-14 age group increased from 15.1% to 16.1%. Conversely, the 0-4 age group has decreased from 9.0% to 8.1%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Palmerston-North's age structure. The 45-54 age cohort is projected to increase by 170 people (28%), from 597 to 768. The 0-4 age group is projected to grow more modestly, adding only 5 residents at a rate of 1%.