Mitcham (SA)

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

Mitcham's population was around 16,999 as of November 2025. This reflected an increase of 493 people (3.0%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 16,506 people. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 16,987 in June 2024 and an additional 27 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a density ratio of 1,484 persons per square kilometer, above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Mitcham's growth of 3.0% since the census positioned it within 1.4 percentage points of the SA3 area (4.4%), indicating competitive growth fundamentals. Overseas migration was the primary driver of population growth in recent periods.

AreaSearch adopted 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, the SA State Government's Regional/LGA projections by age category were used, released in 2023 based on 2021 data, with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Based on projected demographic shifts and latest annual ERP population numbers, lower quartile growth was anticipated for statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch. Mitcham was expected to grow by 803 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 4.7% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch analysis of residential development drivers sees Mitcham recording a relatively average level of approval activity when compared to local markets analysed countrywide

Mitcham has recorded approximately 67 residential properties granted approval annually. Over the past five financial years, from FY21 to FY25, a total of 337 homes were approved. As of FY26, 14 homes have been approved so far.

The average number of new residents per year per dwelling constructed over these five years is 0.9. This suggests that new construction is either matching or outpacing demand, providing more options for buyers and potentially supporting population growth beyond current expectations. The average expected construction cost value of new properties in Mitcham is $736,000, indicating a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties.

In FY26, there have been $77.2 million worth of commercial approvals, demonstrating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Adelaide, Mitcham shows moderately higher development activity, with 17.0% above the regional average per person over the five-year period. This maintains good buyer choice while supporting existing property values. New development in Mitcham consists of 83.0% standalone homes and 17.0% attached dwellings, preserving the area's suburban nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. With around 289 people per dwelling approval, Mitcham is characterized as a low density area. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, Mitcham is forecasted to gain 791 residents by 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Mitcham has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 7thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 15 projects that may impact the area. Key projects include Belair Road Retaining Walls Maintenance, Belair National Park Redevelopment, Belair Electrical Infrastructure Modifications, and Old Belair and James Road Junction Upgrade. 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.

Employment conditions in Mitcham rank among the top 10% of areas assessed nationally

Mitcham has a highly educated workforce with professional services showing strong representation. The unemployment rate is 1.2%, with an estimated employment growth of 2.7% over the past year.

As of June 2025, there are 9,328 residents in work, with an unemployment rate of 2.8%, which is below Greater Adelaide's rate of 4.0%. Workforce participation is broadly similar to Greater Adelaide's 61.7%. The dominant employment sectors among residents include health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. Mitcham shows particularly strong specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share of 1.8 times the regional level.

Conversely, construction shows lower representation at 5.7% versus the regional average of 8.7%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the count of Census working population vs resident population. Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to June 2025, employment levels increased by 2.7% and labour force increased by 2.7%, keeping the unemployment rate relatively stable. By comparison, Greater Adelaide recorded employment growth of 2.1%, labour force growth of 2.1%, with unemployment rising marginally. State-level data to Nov-25 shows SA employment grew by 1.19% year-on-year (adding 10,710 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.0%. This compares favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%, with the state's employment growth outpacing the national average of 0.14%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 suggest that national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to Mitcham's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.3% over five years and 15.0% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released for financial year 2022, Mitcham SA2 had a median income among taxpayers of $60,298 and an average level of $95,313. These figures place Mitcham in the top percentile nationally, compared to Greater Adelaide levels of $52,592 and $64,886 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.83% from financial year 2022 to September 2025, estimated median income is approximately $68,034 and average income is $107,542. The 2021 Census ranks Mitcham's household, family, and personal incomes highly, between the 77th and 78th percentiles nationally. Income analysis shows that 27.4% of Mitcham's population (4,657 individuals) earn within the $1,500 - $2,999 range, similar to the metropolitan region at 31.8%. Higher earners make up a substantial presence with 37.2% exceeding $3,000 weekly. After housing costs, residents retain 88.5% of their income, reflecting strong purchasing power. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

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

In Mitcham, as per the latest Census evaluation, 71.3% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 28.7% being other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This differs from Adelaide metro's figures which showed 78.8% houses and 21.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Mitcham stood at 43.5%, with mortgaged properties making up 37.6% and rented dwellings accounting for 18.8%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,167, higher than Adelaide metro's average of $1,992. Weekly rent in Mitcham was recorded at $346, slightly above Adelaide metro's figure of $335. Nationally, Mitcham's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were lower than the national figure of $375.

Mitcham has a typical household mix, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 74.0% of all households, including 36.2% couples with children, 28.1% couples without children, and 8.9% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 26.0%, with lone person households at 23.6% and group households comprising 2.4%. The median household size is 2.6 people, which aligns with the Greater Adelaide average.

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

Mitcham's educational attainment exceeds broader standards. Among residents aged 15+, 49.0% possess university qualifications, compared to 25.7% in South Australia (SA) and 28.1% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 31.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.7%) and graduate diplomas (4.9%). Vocational pathways account for 21.6% of qualifications, with advanced diplomas at 9.9% and certificates at 11.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 30.0% currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.6% in primary, 8.5% in secondary, and 8.0% in tertiary education.

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

The analysis shows that Mitcham has 113 active public transport stops. These include both train and bus services. There are 51 individual routes operating in total, providing a combined weekly passenger trip count of 3,082.

The accessibility of these services is rated as good, with residents typically located 220 meters away from the nearest stop. On average, there are 440 trips per day across all routes, which equates to approximately 27 weekly trips per individual stop.

Mitcham's residents are healthier than average in comparison to broader Australia with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Mitcham residents exhibit relatively positive health outcomes, with common conditions seen across both young and old age groups at a fairly standard level. Approximately 69% of Mitcham's total population (11,780 people) have private health cover, which is higher than Greater Adelaide's 58.5% and the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions are arthritis (7.4%) and mental health issues (7.1%).

About 70.5% of residents report being completely free from medical ailments, compared to 69.3% in Greater Adelaide. Mitcham has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 23.5% (3,993 people), compared to Greater Adelaide's 21.2%. Health outcomes among seniors are above average and better than the general population metrics.

In terms of cultural diversity, Mitcham records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Mitcham's cultural diversity was found to be above average, with 21.9% of its population born overseas and 14.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the main religion in Mitcham, making up 46.3% of people there, compared to the Greater Adelaide average of 50.7%. Judaism was overrepresented in Mitcham, comprising 0.2% of its population, compared to the regional average of 0.1%.

In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (29.7%), Australian (23.4%), and Scottish (8.3%). Notably, German ancestry was slightly overrepresented at 5.7%, compared to the Greater Adelaide average of 5.9%. Greek ancestry was also marginally overrepresented at 2.6% versus the regional average of 2.5%. Polish ancestry showed a slight divergence with Mitcham reporting 0.9% compared to the region's 1.0%.

Mitcham hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in Mitcham is 44 years, notably higher than Greater Adelaide's average of 39 and also above the Australian median of 38. Compared to Greater Adelaide, Mitcham has a notable over-representation of the 65-74 age cohort (12.1% locally) and an under-representation of 25-34 year-olds (8.7%). Between the 2021 Census and the present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 12.7% to 14.5%, while the 75 to 84 cohort has risen from 6.8% to 8.3%. Conversely, the 35 to 44 age group has decreased from 11.8% to 10.6%, and the 55 to 64 group has dropped from 13.8% to 12.6%. Population forecasts for Mitcham indicate substantial demographic changes by 2041, with the 85+ age cohort projected to surge dramatically, expanding by 592 people (113%) from 523 to 1,116. The aging population trend is clear, with those aged 65 and above comprising 83% of projected growth. Conversely, the 0 to 4 and 65 to 74 age cohorts are expected to experience population declines.