Westlake
Statistical Area - sa2

Westlake has shown very soft population growth performance across periods assessed by AreaSearch

Westlake's population was approximately 4,524 as of November 2025, reflecting an increase of 80 people since the 2021 Census. This growth represents a 1.8% rise from the previous census figure of 4,444. The change is inferred based on the estimated resident population of 4,524 in June 2024 and address validation since the Census date. Westlake's population density was 2,381 persons per square kilometer as of November 2025, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's 1.8% growth since census is within 1.1 percentage points of the SA3 area (2.9%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration contributed approximately 57.0% of overall population gains during recent periods in Westlake.

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. However, these state projections do not provide age category splits; hence proportional growth weightings aligned with the ABS Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data) are applied for each age cohort. Considering projected demographic shifts, Westlake's population is expected to decline by 357 persons by 2041. However, growth across specific age cohorts is anticipated, notably the 75 to 84 age group, which is projected to grow by 193 people over this period.

The level of residential development activity in Westlake is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Westlake has averaged approximately one new dwelling approval annually over the past five financial years, totalling six homes. As of FY26, zero approvals have been recorded so far. The area's population decline indicates that new supply may have been keeping up with demand, offering buyers good choice while new properties are constructed at an average expected construction cost value of $391,000, slightly above the regional average, suggesting a focus on quality developments. This financial year has seen $390,000 in commercial development approvals, indicating minimal commercial development activity compared to Greater Brisbane.

Westlake records markedly lower building activity, 70.0% below the regional average per person. This limited new supply generally supports stronger demand and values for established dwellings, though building activity has accelerated in recent years. Nationally, this is also below average, reflecting the area's maturity and possible planning constraints. Recent development has comprised entirely detached dwellings, preserving Westlake's suburban nature with an emphasis on detached housing attracting space-seeking buyers.

Given stable or declining population forecasts, Westlake may experience less housing pressure, creating favourable conditions for buyers.

Westlake has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 40% nationally

AreaSearch has identified three projects that could impact the area's performance: Centenary Motorway Upgrade Planning, Middle Park Intersection Upgrade (Eumong Street/Riverhills Road), Metro Middle Park Mixed-Use Redevelopment, and McLeod Country Golf Club Retirement Village. These are key projects to consider for their potential relevance.

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

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Employment conditions in Westlake demonstrate exceptional strength compared to most Australian markets

Westlake has a highly educated workforce as of June 2025, with professional services well represented. The unemployment rate is 2.0%.

In comparison to Greater Brisbane's 4.1%, Westlake's rate is 2.1% lower. Workforce participation in Westlake is similar to Greater Brisbane's 64.5%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services, with the latter showing strong specialization at 1.4 times the regional level. Construction employs only 6.0% of local workers, below Greater Brisbane's 9.0%.

The predominantly residential area offers limited employment opportunities locally, as seen in the count of Census working population versus resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, Westlake's labour force decreased by 1.5%, with a concurrent 1.0% decline in employment, resulting in an unemployment rate fall of 0.5 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Brisbane saw employment grow by 4.4% over the same period. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project national employment growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Westlake's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.8%% over five years and 14.0% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that Westlake has extremely high incomes nationally. The median income is $63,624 and the average is $79,900. This contrasts with Greater Brisbane's figures of a median income of $55,645 and an average of $70,520. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 13.99% since financial year 2022, current estimates for Westlake would be approximately $72,525 (median) and $91,078 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows that Westlake's household, family, and personal incomes all rank highly nationally, between the 79th and 94th percentiles. Income brackets indicate that 30.2% of residents (1,366 people) fall into the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket, consistent with broader trends across the metropolitan region where 33.3% are in the same category. Notably, 44.9% earn above $3,000 weekly, reflecting areas of prosperity driving local economic activity. After housing costs, residents retain 89.0% of their income, indicating strong purchasing power. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

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

In Westlake, as per the latest Census evaluation, 96.9% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 3.1% being other types such as semi-detached homes and apartments. This compares to Brisbane's metropolitan area where 91.4% of dwellings are houses and 8.6% are other types. Home ownership in Westlake stood at 44.0%, with mortgaged dwellings making up 44.8% and rented ones accounting for 11.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Westlake was $2,275, higher than Brisbane's metro average of $2,000. The median weekly rent figure in Westlake was recorded at $550, compared to Brisbane's metro average of $450. Nationally, Westlake's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

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

Family households account for 88.1% of all households, including 47.2% couples with children, 31.7% couples without children, and 8.3% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 11.9%, with lone person households at 10.4% and group households comprising 1.5%. The median household size is 3.0 people, larger than the Greater Brisbane average of 2.8.

The educational profile of Westlake exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Westlake has a higher proportion of residents with university qualifications than Queensland (QLD) or Australia. Specifically, 44.9% of Westlake's residents aged 15 and above have such qualifications, compared to 25.7% in QLD and 30.4% nationwide. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 28.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.3%) and graduate diplomas (3.9%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 25.4% of residents holding them – advanced diplomas account for 11.3% and certificates for 14.1%.

Educational participation is high in Westlake, with 29.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.7% in primary education, 8.8% in secondary education, and 6.7% pursuing tertiary education. However, educational facilities appear to be located outside Westlake's immediate boundaries, requiring families to access schools in neighboring areas.

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

Transport analysis shows eight active public transport stops in Westlake, offering a mix of bus services. These are served by four distinct routes, together facilitating 271 weekly passenger trips. Transport access is deemed good, with residents on average located 303 meters from the nearest stop.

Service frequency averages 38 trips daily across all routes, equating to roughly 33 weekly trips per individual stop.

Westlake's residents are extremely healthy with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Westlake.

Prevalence of common health conditions was very low across all age groups. Private health cover rate was exceptionally high at approximately 60% of the total population (2,705 people). Most common medical conditions were asthma and arthritis, impacting 7.4 and 6.5% of residents respectively. 71.9% of residents declared themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 71.2% across Greater Brisbane. Westlake has 22.1% of residents aged 65 and over (1,001 people), which is higher than the 20.4% in Greater Brisbane. Health outcomes among seniors were particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

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

Westlake has a high level of cultural diversity, with 26.0% of its population speaking a language other than English at home and 36.6% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Westlake, making up 51.0% of the population. However, Hinduism is overrepresented compared to Greater Brisbane, comprising 4.7% of Westlake's population versus 3.5%.

The top three ancestry groups are English at 25.7%, Australian at 19.3%, and Other at 9.9%. Notably, Vietnamese (3.0% vs 2.6%), Sri Lankan (0.6% vs 0.5%), and Russian (0.5% vs 0.4%) ethnic groups are overrepresented in Westlake compared to the regional averages.

Westlake hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Westlake is 43 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Brisbane's average of 36 years and Australia's median age of 38 years. The 65-74 age group constitutes 13.2% of the population, compared to Greater Brisbane, while the 25-34 cohort makes up only 5.7%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 75-84 age group has grown from 4.5% to 7.2%, and the 15-24 cohort has increased from 11.9% to 13.8%. Conversely, the 25-34 cohort has decreased from 8.2% to 5.7%, and the 55-64 group has dropped from 15.9% to 13.6%. By 2041, population forecasts indicate substantial demographic changes for Westlake. The 75-84 age group is expected to grow by 46%, reaching 478 people from 327. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 95% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 15-24 and 0-4 cohorts are projected to experience population declines.