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 approximately 8,209 as of August 2025. This reflects an increase of 647 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,562. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 8,181 in June 2024 and an additional 40 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 859 persons per square kilometer, similar to averages seen across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Salisbury - Nathan has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 0.9%, outpacing the SA3 area. 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, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered and years post-2032, Queensland State Government's SA2 area projections are adopted, released in 2023 based on 2021 data. It should be noted that these state projections do not provide age category splits, hence proportional growth weightings in line with ABS Greater Capital Region projections are applied where utilised. Future population trends suggest a population increase just below the median of statistical areas across the nation, with an expected increase of 533 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, reflecting an increase of 6.2% in total 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 annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports a total of 118 approvals over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25, with two already recorded in FY-26. On average, each new home built has accommodated around 5.2 new residents annually during these years. This indicates a significant demand outstripping supply, which can exert upward pressure on prices and intensify competition among buyers.

The average construction cost of new dwellings is $602,000, slightly above the regional norm, suggesting a focus on quality developments. In FY-26 alone, $52.2 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, reflecting robust local business investment. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Salisbury - Nathan has about three-quarters the rate of new dwelling approvals per capita and ranks among the 49th percentile nationally, offering fewer housing choices for buyers and supporting demand for existing homes. This is below the national average, suggesting an established area with potential planning constraints.

Current building activity comprises solely detached houses, maintaining the area's low-density character and appealing to space-seeking buyers. With approximately 339 people per dwelling approval, Salisbury - Nathan exhibits a developing market. Projections indicate that by 2041, the area will add around 505 residents. Given current development trends, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, presenting favourable conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating further population growth beyond current projections.

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

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 24 projects that could impact the area. Key initiatives include Cross River Rail - Salisbury Station Upgrade, Nathan, Salisbury, Moorooka Neighbourhood Plan, Griffith University Station Upgrades, and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital Expansion. The following list details those most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis indicates Salisbury - Nathan maintains employment conditions that align with national benchmarks

Salisbury - Nathan has an educated workforce with key services sectors well-represented. Its unemployment rate is 4.0%, with estimated employment growth of 2.1% in the past year as of June 2025.

There are 4,708 residents employed, matching Greater Brisbane's unemployment rate of 4.1%. Workforce participation is high at 69.7%, exceeding Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Major employment sectors include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. Notably, education & training has 1.4 times the regional average employment levels.

Retail trade has a limited presence with 7.7% employment compared to 9.4% regionally. The area functions as an employment hub with 1.1 workers per resident, attracting workers from nearby regions. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.1%, labour force grew by 1.9%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Brisbane saw employment rise by 4.4% and unemployment fall by 0.4 percentage points. State-level data from Sep-25 shows Queensland's employment contracted by 0.23%, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%. Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.5%, with employment growth at 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment 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 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. This compares to figures for Greater Brisbane of $55,645 and $70,520 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.71% since financial year 2022, current estimates would be approximately $64,757 (median) and $75,585 (average) as of March 2025. Census data reveals that household, family and personal incomes in Salisbury - Nathan cluster around the 70th percentile nationally. Income brackets indicate that the largest segment comprises 32.7% earning $1,500 - 2,999 weekly (2,684 residents), consistent with broader trends across the broader area showing 33.3% in the same category. High housing costs consume 15.3% of income, though strong earnings still place disposable income at the 73rd percentile and 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 structure with 89.6% houses and 10.3% other dwellings. Brisbane metro had 77.8% houses and 22.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Salisbury - Nathan was 25.8%, compared to Brisbane metro's higher figure. Mortgaged dwellings were 44.3% and rented ones were 29.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, lower than the Brisbane metro average of $2,100. The median weekly rent in Salisbury - Nathan was $385, similar to Brisbane metro's $388. Nationally, mortgage repayments averaged $1,863 and rents were $375 per week.

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

Family households constitute 71.4 percent of all households, including 33.7 percent couples with children, 24.3 percent couples without children, and 11.2 percent single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 28.6 percent, with lone person households at 22.9 percent and group households making up 5.9 percent of the total. 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 high, with 37.4% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to the Queensland average of 25.7% and the Australian average of 30.4%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 24.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.5%) and graduate diplomas (4.0%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 29.7% of residents holding such qualifications - advanced diplomas comprise 10.7% and certificates make up 19.0%. Educational participation is notable, 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. The five schools in Salisbury - Nathan have a combined enrollment of 1,569 students. The area has above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1087) and functions as an education hub with 19.1 school places per 100 residents, significantly higher than the regional average of 9.7. It attracts students from surrounding communities due to its educational mix of two primary, one secondary, and two K-12 schools.

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 reveals that there are currently 51 active transport stops operating within the city. These stops serve a mix of bus routes, with a total of 25 individual routes providing weekly passenger trips amounting to 4,378. The accessibility of these services is rated as good, with residents typically located approximately 250 meters from their nearest transport stop.

On average, service frequency across all routes stands at 625 trips per day, which equates to roughly 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 demonstrated above-average health outcomes with a low prevalence of common health conditions among its general population. However, this was higher than the national average for older, at-risk cohorts.

Approximately 53% of the total population (~4,383 people) had private health cover, compared to 57.3% in Greater Brisbane. Mental health issues and asthma were the most common medical conditions, affecting 10.3 and 7.7% of residents respectively. About 70.6% declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 72.3% across Greater Brisbane. The area had 11.8% of residents aged 65 and over (971 people), lower than the 13.5% in Greater Brisbane. Health outcomes among seniors required more attention than 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 higher cultural diversity than most local markets, with 24.6% of its population born overseas and 18.4% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity is the predominant religion in Salisbury-Nathan, making up 43.6% of its population. Hinduism is overrepresented compared to Greater Brisbane, comprising 3.0% versus 3.9%.

The top three ancestry groups are English (25.0%), Australian (23.6%), and Other (9.7%). Some ethnic groups show notable differences: Russian is slightly higher at 0.5% (regional average is 0.4%), Vietnamese is nearly equal at 1.2%, and Serbian remains the same at 0.4%.

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

Salisbury - Nathan has a median age of 34, which is slightly lower than Greater Brisbane's figure of 36 and substantially under Australia's 38 years. Compared to Greater Brisbane, Salisbury - Nathan has a higher proportion of residents aged 15-24 (15.7%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (5.7%). Between the 2021 Census and the present day, the proportion of residents aged 15 to 24 has increased from 14.9% to 15.7%, while the proportion of residents aged 0 to 4 has declined from 6.5% to 5.6%. Population forecasts for the year 2041 indicate significant demographic changes for Salisbury - Nathan, with the strongest projected growth in the 45-54 age group, which is expected to grow by 26%, adding 264 residents to reach a total of 1,272. Conversely, both the 5-14 and 0-4 age groups are forecasted to decrease in number.