Pallara - Willawong
Statistical Area - sa2

Pallara - Willawong lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Pallara-Willawong's population is approximately 15,851 as of November 2025. Between 2021 and June 2024, the population grew by 5,631 people (55.1%), from 10,220 to an estimated resident population of 15,458. This growth is attributed to an increase of 1,346 validated new addresses since the Census date in 2021. The population density stands at 593 persons per square kilometer. Pallara-Willawong's population growth exceeded the national average (8.9%) and its SA4 region during this period. Interstate migration contributed approximately 75.8% of overall population gains, with natural growth and overseas migration also being positive factors.

AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data or years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections from 2023 based on 2021 data are adopted. These state projections do not provide age category splits, so proportional growth weightings in line with ABS Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023 and based on 2022 data are applied for each age cohort. By 2041, Pallara-Willawong's population is forecast to increase by 4,965 persons, reflecting a total increase of 28.8% over the 17-year period.

The level of residential development activity in Pallara - Willawong was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Pallara-Willawong has averaged approximately 450 new dwelling approvals annually over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25 inclusive. A total of 2,253 homes were approved during this period, with an additional 37 approved so far in FY26. On average, 3.6 people have moved to the area for each dwelling built annually over these five years.

This indicates a significant lag between supply and demand, which typically results in heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures. The average construction value of new properties is $280,000. In FY26 alone, commercial development approvals totalled $260.5 million, reflecting high levels of local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Pallara-Willawong has recorded 415% more development activity per person. This should provide buyers with ample choice, although development activity has decreased in recent periods.

This high level of development activity is substantially higher than the national average, suggesting strong developer confidence in the location. All new construction in Pallara-Willawong has been detached houses, maintaining the area's traditional low density character and appealing to those seeking family homes with space. There are approximately 48 people per dwelling approval in the area, indicating an expanding market. Population forecasts indicate that Pallara-Willawong will gain 4,572 residents by 2041. With current construction levels, housing supply should adequately meet demand, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Pallara - Willawong has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 52 projects that could affect this region. Notable ones are Pallara Shopping Village, Oxley Wedge Industrial Precinct, Pallara Development Project at 78-88 Vied Road, and the state-facilitated development at 40-60 Woodvale Crescent. 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 performance in Pallara - Willawong exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Pallara-Willawong has a highly educated workforce with well-represented essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 3.6% as of June 2021.

Employment growth over the past year is estimated at 1.0%. As of June 2025, 8,047 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 3.6%, which is 0.5% below Greater Brisbane's rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation in Pallara-Willawong is 75.6%, compared to Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Leading employment industries include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and transport, postal & warehousing.

Health care & social assistance has particularly notable concentration, with employment levels at 1.2 times the regional average. Construction has limited presence in Pallara-Willawong, with 6.3% employment compared to 9.0% regionally. The ratio of workers to residents is 0.9 as of the Census, indicating substantial local employment opportunities. Over the 12 months to June 2025, employment increased by 1.0%, while labour force increased by 1.9%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.9 percentage points. In Greater Brisbane, employment grew by 4.4%, labour force expanded by 4.0%, and unemployment fell by 0.4 percentage points during this period. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia, released in May 2025, project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Pallara-Willawong's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.8% over five years and 14.2% over ten years.

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

Pallara-Willawong has a lower income level than average nationally, according to AreaSearch data from the ATO for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers was $52,687, with an average income of $59,146. This compares to figures for Greater Brisbane of $55,645 and $70,520 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $60,058 (median) and $67,421 (average). The 2021 Census places household, family, and personal incomes in Pallara-Willawong between the 78th and 87th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that 46.3% of the population (7,339 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, consistent with broader trends across the region showing 33.3% in the same category. A significant 32.2% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 17.3% of income, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 84th percentile and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

Pallara - Willawong is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with ownership patterns similar to the broader region

Pallara-Willawong's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 96.1% houses and 3.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This contrasts with Brisbane metro's 82.0% houses and 18.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Pallara-Willawong was 12.7%, with mortgaged dwellings at 60.6% and rented dwellings at 26.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,100, exceeding Brisbane metro's average of $1,872. Median weekly rent in Pallara-Willawong was $450, compared to Brisbane metro's $400. Nationally, Pallara-Willawong's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households comprise 89.3% of all households, including 55.0% couples with children, 24.0% couples without children, and 9.4% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 10.7%, with lone person households at 8.9% and group households comprising 1.9%. The median household size is 3.2 people, larger than the Greater Brisbane average of 3.0.

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

Educational attainment in Pallara-Willawong is notable, with 40.4% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 25.7% in Queensland and 30.4% nationwide as of 2021 data. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 26.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (11.2%) and graduate diplomas (2.6%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 28.4% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas (12.2%) and certificates (16.2%). Educational participation is high, with 31.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education as of the latest statistics: primary (11.9%), secondary (6.8%), and tertiary (5.3%).

Pallara-Willawong is primarily served by Pallara State School, which educates 1,283 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions with an ICSEA score of 1064. As of the current data, there is 1 school focusing on primary education in the area, with secondary options available nearby. School places per 100 residents stand at 8.1, lower than the regional average of 15.6, indicating some students may attend schools outside Pallara-Willawong.

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

Pallara-Willawong has 31 active public transport stops, all of which are bus stops. These stops are serviced by seven different routes that collectively facilitate 1063 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 307 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 151 daily trips across all routes, equating to approximately 34 weekly trips per individual stop.

Pallara - Willawong's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Pallara - Willawong shows excellent health outcomes across all age groups, with a very low prevalence of common health conditions. As of the latest data (2021), approximately 49% (~7,782 people) have private health cover, lower than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and mental health issues, affecting 5.5% and 4.8% of residents respectively. Notably, 83.0% report being completely clear of medical ailments, higher than Greater Brisbane's 77.2%. In terms of age distribution, 5.4% (860 people) are aged 65 and over, lower than Greater Brisbane's 12.1%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in the area align with those of the general population.

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

Pallara-Willawong is one of the most culturally diverse areas in Australia, with 55.4% speaking a language other than English at home and 52.3% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion, comprising 36.1% of the population. Hinduism is notably overrepresented, making up 14.7%, compared to the Greater Brisbane average of 6.1%.

The top three ancestry groups are Other (23.3%), English (14.3%), and Australian (13.0%). There are significant differences in the representation of certain ethnic groups: Indian is overrepresented at 12.5% versus the regional average of 7.0%, Samoan at 1.8% versus 1.3%, and Vietnamese at 6.0% versus 2.3%.

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

Pallara-Willawong has a median age of 31 years, which is younger than Greater Brisbane's average of 36 and Australia's median of 38. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Pallara-Willawong has a higher percentage of residents aged 35-44 (22.6%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (3.9%). This 35-44 age group concentration is significantly higher than the national average of 14.2%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 35-44 age group has increased from 19.1% to 22.6%, while the 5-14 age group has risen from 15.3% to 18.5%. Conversely, the 25-34 age group has decreased from 21.0% to 16.0%. By 2041, demographic modeling projects significant changes in Pallara-Willawong's age profile. The 45-54 age cohort is expected to grow substantially, increasing by 1,340 people (78%) from 1,718 to 3,059. Conversely, the number of residents aged 25-34 is projected to decrease by 55.