Salisbury - Nathan
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Salisbury - Nathan's population is around 8,207 as of November 2025. This reflects an increase of 645 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,562 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 8,181 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 39 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 859 persons per square kilometer. Over the past decade, Salisbury - Nathan has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.9%. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 75.3% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered and years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. These state projections do not provide age category splits; hence proportional growth weightings are applied in line with ABS Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023, based on 2022 data. Future population trends indicate a population increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation, expecting an increase of 533 persons by 2041 based on latest population numbers, reflecting a total increase of 6.2% over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Salisbury - Nathan when compared nationally

Salisbury - Nathan has received approximately 23 dwelling approvals per year over the past five financial years, totalling 118 homes. In FY-26 so far, there have been 5 recorded approvals. On average, each home built between FY-21 and FY-25 has resulted in around 5.2 new residents annually. This indicates a significant demand exceeding supply, which typically drives price growth and increased buyer competition.

The average construction cost of new homes is $407,000, higher than regional norms due to quality-focused development. In this financial year alone, there have been $52.2 million worth of commercial approvals registered, demonstrating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Salisbury - Nathan has roughly three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 49th percentile nationally in terms of housing choices available for buyers. This suggests limited options for buyers, supporting demand for existing properties.

Recent building activity consists solely of detached houses, preserving the area's low-density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers with around 339 people per dwelling approval. By 2041, projections indicate Salisbury - Nathan will add approximately 507 residents. With current construction levels, housing supply should meet demand adequately, creating favourable conditions for buyers while potentially enabling growth that exceeds current forecasts.

Salisbury - Nathan has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 26 projects likely affecting the region. Notable initiatives include Cross River Rail's Salisbury Station Upgrade, Nathan project, Salisbury and Moorooka Neighbourhood Plan, Salisbury Marketplace development, and Griffith University Station upgrades. 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 indicates Salisbury - Nathan maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

Salisbury Nathan has an educated workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate is 4.0%, with estimated employment growth of 2.1% over the past year as of June 2025.

There are 4,708 residents employed, matching Greater Brisbane's unemployment rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation stands at 69.7%, exceeding Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Key employment sectors include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. Notably, education & training has a concentration level of 1.4 times the regional average while retail trade has limited presence with 7.7% employment compared to 9.4% regionally.

The area hosts more jobs than residents, with a worker-to-resident ratio of 1.1. Over the past year, employment increased by 2.1%, labour force grew by 1.9%, and unemployment fell by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Brisbane saw employment rise by 4.4% and unemployment fall by 0.4 percentage points. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Salisbury Nathan's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.7% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, based on a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

Salisbury - Nathan's median income among taxpayers was $57,969 in financial year 2022. The average income stood at $67,662 during the same period. These figures compare to Greater Brisbane's median and average incomes of $55,645 and $70,520 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Salisbury - Nathan would be approximately $66,079 (median) and $77,128 (average) as of September 2025. Census data shows that household, family and personal incomes in Salisbury - Nathan cluster around the 70th percentile nationally. The largest income bracket comprises 32.7% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly, with a total of 2,683 residents falling into this category. This is consistent with broader trends across the broader area showing 33.3% in the same category. High housing costs consume 15.3% of income. Despite this, strong earnings place disposable income at the 73rd percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

The latest Census evaluated Salisbury - Nathan's dwelling structures as 89.6% houses and 10.3% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Brisbane metro had 77.8% houses and 22.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Salisbury - Nathan was 25.8%, with mortgaged dwellings at 44.3% and rented ones at 29.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, below Brisbane metro's average of $2,100. The median weekly rent in Salisbury - Nathan was $385, compared to Brisbane metro's $388. Nationally, mortgage repayments were higher at $1,863 and rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

Salisbury - Nathan features high concentrations of group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 71.4% of all households, consisting of 33.7% couples with children, 24.3% couples without children, and 11.2% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 28.6%, with lone person households at 22.9% and group households comprising 5.9%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which aligns with the Greater Brisbane average.

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

Educational attainment in Salisbury-Nathan is notably high, with 37.4% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This exceeds Queensland's average of 25.7% and Australia's average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 24.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 8.5% and graduate diplomas at 4.0%. Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 29.7% of residents holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (10.7%) and certificates (19.0%).

Educational participation is high, with 32.9% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 11.3% in tertiary education, 9.1% in primary education, and 6.9% pursuing secondary education. Salisbury-Nathan has five schools with a combined enrollment of 1,569 students. The area's socio-educational conditions are above average (ICSEA: 1087). It includes two primary, one secondary, and two K-12 schools. Functioning as an education hub, the area offers 19.1 school places per 100 residents, significantly higher than the regional average of 9.7, attracting students from surrounding communities. Note: for schools with 'n/a' in enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

The analysis of public transport in Salisbury, Nathan shows that there are 51 active transport stops currently operating. These stops offer a variety of bus services. In total, these stops are serviced by 25 different routes, providing a combined weekly passenger trip count of 4,378.

The accessibility to public transport is rated as good, with residents typically located within 250 meters from their nearest transport stop. On average, there are 625 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 85 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Salisbury - Nathan is notably higher than the national average with prevalence of common health conditions low among the general population though higher than the nation's average across older, at risk cohorts

Salisbury demonstrates above-average health outcomes with a low prevalence of common health conditions among its general population compared to national averages. However, older and at-risk cohorts show higher rates of these conditions.

Approximately 53% (~4,382 people) of Salisbury's total population has private health cover, which is lower than Greater Brisbane's 57.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are mental health issues affecting 10.3% of residents and asthma impacting 7.7%. Conversely, 70.6% of residents report being completely clear of medical ailments compared to 72.3% across Greater Brisbane. Salisbury has a lower percentage of residents aged 65 and over at 11.8% (971 people) than Greater Brisbane's 13.5%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors in the area require more attention than those in the broader population.

Salisbury - Nathan was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Salisbury-Nathan has a more culturally diverse population than most local markets, with 24.6% of residents born overseas and 18.4% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Salisbury-Nathan, accounting for 43.6% of its population. Hinduism, however, is overrepresented at 3.0%, compared to the Greater Brisbane average of 3.9%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (25.0%), Australian (23.6%), and Other (9.7%). Notably, Russian (0.5%) and Vietnamese (1.2%) ethnicities are overrepresented in Salisbury-Nathan compared to regional averages.

Salisbury - Nathan hosts a young demographic, positioning it in the bottom quartile nationwide

Salisbury - Nathan has a median age of 34, which is younger than Greater Brisbane's figure of 36 and substantially under Australia's 38 years. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Salisbury - Nathan has a higher concentration of residents aged 15-24 (15.7%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (5.7%). According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 15 to 24 has grown from 14.9% to 15.7%, while the 0 to 4 age group has declined from 6.5% to 5.6%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Salisbury - Nathan, with the strongest projected growth in the 45 to 54 age cohort (26%), adding 265 residents to reach 1,272. Conversely, both the 5 to 14 and 0 to 4 age groups are expected to have reduced numbers.