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 was around 15,781 as of August 2025. This showed an increase of 5,561 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 10,220. The growth was inferred from ABS data: Pallara-Willawong's estimated resident population was 15,458 in June 2024, with an additional 1,324 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a density ratio of 591 persons per square kilometer. Pallara-Willawong's growth exceeded national and state averages, driven primarily by interstate migration (75.8% of overall gains). AreaSearch uses ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022.

For areas not covered post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections from 2023 (based on 2021 data) are used, applying proportional growth weightings based on ABS Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023. By 2041, Pallara-Willawong is forecast to increase by 4,965 persons, reflecting a total increase of 29.4% over the 17 years.

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 457 new dwelling approvals per year. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, with 2,286 dwellings approved over the past five financial years, from FY-20 to FY-25 inclusive, and an additional 23 approved so far in FY-26. On average, 3.6 people have moved to the area per dwelling built over these five financial years. This indicates that supply is lagging behind demand, which typically leads to increased buyer competition and pricing pressures.

New properties are being constructed at an average expected cost of $496,000. In FY-26, $260.5 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting high levels of local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Pallara-Willawong has seen 644.0% more development activity per person, suggesting ample choice for buyers. This is significantly higher than the national average and indicates strong developer confidence in the area. All new construction in Pallara-Willawong consists of detached dwellings, preserving the area's low-density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers.

With around 48 people moving to the area per dwelling approval, Pallara-Willawong exhibits characteristics of a growth area. By 2041, population forecasts indicate that Pallara-Willawong will gain approximately 4,642 residents. If current development patterns continue, new housing supply should readily meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

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

AreaSearch has identified a total of 43 projects that could impact the area, with key ones being Pallara Shopping Village, Queensland Health Hospital Expansion Program, Pallara Development Project at 78-88 Vied Road, and 40-60 Woodvale Crescent State Facilitated Development. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

Employment performance in Pallara - Willawong exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Pallara-Willawong has an educated workforce with strong representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 3.6%, lower than Greater Brisbane's 4.1%.

Over the past year, employment growth was estimated at 1.0%. As of June 2025, 8,047 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 3.6% and workforce participation at 75.6%. Key sectors for residents include health care & social assistance, retail trade, and transport, postal & warehousing. Health care & social assistance has a notable concentration, being 1.2 times the regional average.

However, construction has limited presence with 6.3% employment compared to the regional 9.0%. The worker-resident ratio is 0.9, indicating substantial local employment opportunities. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 1.0%, labour force by 1.9%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.9 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Brisbane recorded employment growth of 4.4% with a falling unemployment rate of 3.7%. State-level data to Sep-25 shows Queensland's employment contracted by 0.23% and its unemployment rate is 4.2%, slightly lower than the national rate of 4.5%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but sector-specific projections suggest Pallara-Willawong's growth could be 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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 indicates Pallara - Willawong's median income among taxpayers is $52,687, with an average of $59,146. This is below the national average and compares to Greater Brisbane's median of $55,645 and average of $70,520. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.71% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $58,857 (median) and $66,072 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals household, family and personal incomes all rank highly in Pallara - Willawong, between the 78th and 87th percentiles nationally. Income distribution shows that 46.3% of the population (7,306 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, aligning with the surrounding region where this cohort likewise represents 33.3%. A significant 32.2% earn above $3,000 weekly. High housing costs consume 17.3% of income, however 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

The dwelling structure in Pallara-Willawong, as per the latest Census data, consisted of 96.1% houses and 3.9% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). This compares to Brisbane metro's figures of 82.0% houses and 18.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Pallara-Willawong stood at 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. The median weekly rent in Pallara-Willawong was $450, higher than Brisbane metro's figure of $400. Nationally, mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,100 compared to 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 account for 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 constitute 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 exceeds broader benchmarks. 40.4% of residents aged 15 and above have university qualifications, compared to 25.7% in Queensland and 30.4% nationally. 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 holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas at 12.2% and certificates at 16.2%.

Educational participation is high, with 31.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.9% in primary, 6.8% in secondary, and 5.3% pursuing tertiary education. Pallara-Willawong is served by Pallara State School, which educates 1,283 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1064. There is one school focusing exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in nearby areas. The school places per 100 residents (8.2) are below the regional average (15.7), 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 served by seven different routes that together facilitate 1,063 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents located an average of 307 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 151 trips per day across all routes, which amounts 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, with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups. Private health cover stands at approximately 49% (~7,748 people), 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. A total of 83.0% claim to be free from medical ailments, higher than Greater Brisbane's 77.2%. The area has 5.4% (856 people) aged 65 and over, lower than Greater Brisbane's 12.1%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors are strong, aligning with the general population's profile.

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

The top three ancestry groups are Other at 23.3%, English at 14.3%, and Australian at 13.0%. Notably, Indian (12.5%), Samoan (1.8%), and Vietnamese (6.0%) ethnicities are overrepresented compared to regional averages of 7.0%, 1.3%, and 2.3% respectively.

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

Pallara-Willawong's median age is 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 proportion of residents aged 35-44 (22.6%), but fewer aged 65-74 (3.9%). This 35-44 concentration is significantly higher than the national average of 14.2%. According to the 2021 Census, the 35-44 age group increased from 19.1% to 22.6%, while the 5-14 cohort rose from 15.3% to 18.5%. Conversely, the 25-34 age group decreased from 21.0% to 16.0%. By 2041, Pallara-Willawong's demographic profile is projected to change significantly. The 45-54 age cohort is expected to grow by 79%, expanding from 1,710 to 3,059 people. Meanwhile, the 25-34 age group is projected to decrease by 44%.