Manly West
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Manly West's population was around 12,334 as of November 2025. This reflected an increase of 474 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,860 people. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 12,321 in June 2024 and an additional 56 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population resulted in a density ratio of 2,512 persons per square kilometer, placing Manly West in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Manly West's growth rate of 4.0% since the census positioned it within 2.4 percentage points of the SA3 area (6.4%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Natural growth contributed approximately 53.6% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts 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 years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections are used, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. These state projections do not provide age category splits; hence proportional growth weightings from ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) are applied where utilized. Anticipated demographic trends suggest lower quartile growth of national statistical areas, with Manly West expected to expand by 236 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, representing an increase of 1.8% over the 17 years.

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

Manly West has recorded approximately 22 residential properties granted approval each year over the past five financial years, totalling 113 homes. As of FY-26 so far, four approvals have been recorded. Over these five years, an average of 2.8 new residents per year was gained for each dwelling built, reflecting strong demand that supports property values. New homes are being constructed at an average value of $405,000, slightly above the regional average, indicating a focus on quality developments.

This financial year has seen $49.6 million in commercial approvals, suggesting robust commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Manly West shows reduced construction levels, with 57.0% fewer dwellings per person than the regional average, which generally supports stronger demand and values for established properties. This activity is also below the national average, indicating the area's established nature and potential planning limitations. New development consists of 63.0% detached houses and 37.0% attached dwellings, marking a shift from existing housing patterns where 81.0% are houses, suggesting diminishing developable land availability and responding to evolving lifestyle preferences and affordability needs. The location has approximately 742 people per dwelling approval, demonstrating an established market. Population forecasts indicate Manly West will gain 222 residents by 2041.

With current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Manly West has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 34thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 15 projects likely to impact the area. Notable projects include Mayfair Village Shopping Centre Expansion, New Special School on Brisbane's Bayside (scheduled for completion in 2023), Rivermakers Precinct (commenced in June 2022), and Manly Road Residences (expected to finish by late 2024). The following list details those most relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Manly West performing better than 85% of local markets assessed across Australia

Manly West has a skilled workforce with well-represented essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 2.3% in June 2024.

Over the past year, it saw an estimated employment growth of 4.7%. As of June 2025, 7,151 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.8%, below Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation in Manly West is 67.0%, compared to Greater Brisbane's 64.5%.

Local employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance (15.3%), education & training, and construction. However, this sector employs fewer locals than the Greater Brisbane average of 16.1%. AreaSearch analysis shows that from June 2024 to June 2025, employment increased by 4.7% while labour force grew by 4.2%, reducing unemployment by 0.4 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Brisbane's employment growth of 4.4% and labour force growth of 4.0%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Manly West's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.6%% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

Manly West's median income among taxpayers was $61,697 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $79,865 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Brisbane's median income of $55,645 and average income of $70,520 respectively. Based on a Wage Price Index growth rate of 13.99% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $70,328 (median) and $91,038 (average). Census data indicates that household, family, and personal incomes in Manly West cluster around the 72nd percentile nationally. In Manly West, 31.4% of the population (3,872 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, mirroring the region where 33.3% occupy this bracket. A substantial proportion of high earners (31.5%) have incomes above $3,000 per week, indicating strong economic capacity throughout Manly West. Housing accounts for 14.7% of income, while residents rank within the 75th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

The dwelling structure in Manly West, as per the latest Census, consisted of 80.6% houses and 19.4% other dwellings. In comparison, Brisbane metro had 78.0% houses and 22.0% other dwellings. Home ownership in Manly West was 32.2%, with mortgaged dwellings at 44.4% and rented ones at 23.4%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,050, lower than Brisbane metro's average of $2,100. The median weekly rent figure in Manly West was $435, compared to Brisbane metro's $420. Nationally, Manly West's mortgage repayments were higher at $2,050 versus the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375 at $435.

Manly West features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 78.7% of all households, including 38.2% couples with children, 26.5% couples without children, and 13.0% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 21.3%, with lone person households at 19.1% and group households comprising 2.0%. The median household size is 2.7 people, larger than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.6.

Manly West shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Manly West has a higher percentage of university-qualified residents aged 15 and above (27.5%) compared to the SA4 region average (23.7%). Bachelor degrees are the most common qualification at 19.0%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (5.6%) and graduate diplomas (2.9%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 36.2% of residents aged 15 and above holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (12.1%) and certificates (24.1%).

Educational participation is high in Manly West, with 29.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (10.6%), secondary education (9.3%), and tertiary education (4.5%). The area has four schools with a combined enrollment of 2,712 students. Manly West demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1076. It functions as an education hub with 22.0 school places per 100 residents, significantly higher than the regional average of 13.6, attracting students from surrounding communities. The educational mix includes two primary schools and two K-12 schools.

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

Transport analysis shows 46 active stops in Manly West, served by buses. These are on 8 routes, offering 491 weekly passenger trips. Residents' average proximity to nearest stop is 212 meters.

Daily service averages 70 trips across all routes, equating to about 10 weekly trips per stop.

Manly West's residents are relatively healthy in comparison to broader Australia with the level of common health conditions among the general population somewhat typical, though higher than the nation's average among older cohorts

Manly West's health metrics are close to national benchmarks, with common health conditions among its general population being somewhat typical but higher than the national average among older cohorts.

Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 60% of the total population (7,375 people). The most common medical conditions in the area are arthritis and asthma, affecting 8.0 and 7.8% of residents respectively, while 69.1% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 69.4% across Greater Brisbane. As of 2021, 17.7% of Manly West's residents are aged 65 and over (2,186 people), which is higher than the 16.7% in Greater Brisbane. Health outcomes among seniors present some challenges that require more attention than those of the broader population.

In terms of cultural diversity, Manly West records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Manly West's population, born in Australia, is approximately 78.3%, with 89.0% being citizens and 90.9% speaking English only at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Manly West, comprising 54.9% of its population, compared to 52.5% across Greater Brisbane. The top three ancestry groups are English (31.0%), Australian (24.4%), and Irish (9.9%).

Notably, New Zealanders make up 1.2% of Manly West's population, Maori represent 1.1%, and South Africans comprise 0.8%.

Manly West's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age in Manly West is 40 years, which is higher than Greater Brisbane's average of 36 years and slightly exceeds the national average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Manly West has a notably higher proportion of people aged 45-54 (15.5%) and a lower proportion of those aged 25-34 (8.0%). According to post-2021 Census data, the population aged 15-24 grew from 11.2% to 12.2%, while the 25-34 age group decreased from 9.9% to 8.0%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Manly West. The 85+ age group is expected to grow by 118% (from 326 to 714 people). Residents aged 65 and older will represent 71% of the anticipated population growth, while the 0-4 and 5-14 age groups are projected to experience population declines.