St Peters - Marden

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, St Peters - Marden's population is around 14,675 as of Feb 2026. This reflects an increase of 1,160 people (8.6%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 13,515 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 14,231 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 87 validated new addresses since the Census date. This population level equates to a density ratio of 2,454 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. St Peters - Marden's 8.6% growth since the census positions it within 0.4 percentage points of the state (9.0%), demonstrating competitive growth fundamentals. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration, which contributed approximately 92.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, and for years post-2032, the SA State Government's Regional/LGA projections by age category, released in 2023 and based on 2021 data, are adopted with adjustments made employing a method of weighted aggregation of population growth from LGA to SA2 levels. Regarding demographic trends, a population increase just below the median of national areas is expected, with the area expected to expand by 1,619 persons to 2041 based on the latest annual ERP population numbers, recording a gain of 8.0% in total over the 17 years.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within St Peters - Marden when compared nationally

St Peters - Marden has seen around 54 new homes approved annually, with 273 homes approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) and 40 so far in FY-26. With an average of 2 people per year moving to the area per new home constructed over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), suggesting solid demand that supports property values, new homes are being built at an average value of $562,000, demonstrating a developer focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. There have also been $65.1 million in commercial approvals this financial year, indicating strong commercial development momentum.

When measured against Greater Adelaide, St Peters - Marden has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person while it places among the 44th percentile of areas assessed nationally, meaning more limited choices for buyers, supporting demand for existing dwellings. New development consists of 60.0% detached houses and 40.0% attached dwellings, featuring an increasing blend of attached housing types offering choices across price ranges, from spacious family homes to more accessible compact options. The location has approximately 380 people per dwelling approval, reflecting an established area.

Future projections show St Peters - Marden adding 1,175 residents by 2041 (from the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate). At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

St Peters - Marden has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 30thth percentile nationally

Nothing can influence an area's performance as much as changes to local infrastructure, major projects, and planning initiatives. In total, 14 projects have been identified by AreaSearch that are likely to have an impact on the area. Key projects include the Broad Street Reserve Playground Upgrade, East Park Development, Marden Connect Development, and Osmond Terrace Mixed-Use Development, with the list below detailing those likely to be of most relevance.

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.

The exceptional employment performance in St Peters - Marden places it among Australia's strongest labour markets

St Peters - Marden possesses a highly educated workforce, with professional services showing strong representation, an unemployment rate of just 2.3%, and 5.4% in estimated employment growth over the past year. As of December 2025, 8,463 residents are in work while the unemployment rate is 1.5% below Greater Adelaide's rate of 3.8%, and workforce participation is fairly standard (70.8% compared to Greater Adelaide's 67.2%). Based on Census responses, a moderate 14.0% of residents were found to work from home, though Covid-19 lockdown impacts should be considered.

The key industries of employment among residents are health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. The area has particular employment specialization in professional & technical, with an employment share of 1.8 times the regional level. In contrast, construction employs just 5.9% of local workers, below Greater Adelaide's 8.7%. While local employment opportunities exist in the area, it appears many residents commute elsewhere for work, based on the count of Census working population to local population.

Based on AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data, during the year to December 2025, employment levels increased by 5.4% and labour force increased by 5.3%, with unemployment remaining essentially unchanged. This contrasts with Greater Adelaide, where employment rose by 4.2%, the labour force grew by 3.9%, and unemployment fell 0.3 percentage points. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 can offer further insight into potential future demand within St Peters - Marden. These projections, covering five and ten-year periods, have been mapped against the local employment profile to estimate growth patterns. While national employment is forecast to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, growth rates differ significantly between industry sectors. Applying these industry-specific projections to St Peters - Marden's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.2% over five years and 14.8% over ten years (please note this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes and does not take into account localised population projections).

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 FY-23 reveals that income in the St Peters - Marden SA2 is extremely high nationally, with the median assessed at $60,635 while the average income stands at $88,653. This contrasts to Greater Adelaide's figures of a median income of $54,808 and an average income of $66,852. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.8% since FY-23, current estimates would be approximately $65,971 (median) and $96,454 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 income data shows personal income ranks at the 74th percentile ($954 weekly), while household income sits at the 57th percentile. Income brackets indicate the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 28.0% of residents (4,109 people), consistent with broader trends across the metropolitan region showing 31.8% in the same category. A significant 31.1% earn above $3,000 weekly, reflecting pockets of prosperity that drive robust local economic activity. After housing costs, residents retain 86.7% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power and the area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

St Peters - Marden displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Dwelling structure within St Peters - Marden, as evaluated at the latest Census, comprised 61.6% houses and 38.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings), in comparison to Adelaide metro's 75.2% houses and 24.9% other dwellings. Meanwhile, the level of home ownership within St Peters - Marden was well beyond that of Adelaide metro, at 37.1%, with the remainder of dwellings either mortgaged (30.0%) or rented (32.9%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was well above the Adelaide metro average at $2,080, while the median weekly rent figure was recorded at $320, compared to Adelaide metro's $1,562 and $320. Nationally, St Peters - Marden's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are substantially below the national figure of $375.

St Peters - Marden features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Family households dominate at 63.8% of all households, comprising 28.6% couples with children, 26.3% couples without children, and 7.8% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 36.2%, with lone person households at 31.8% and group households comprising 4.5% of the total. The median household size of 2.3 people is smaller than the Greater Adelaide average of 2.5.

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

Educational attainment in St Peters - Marden significantly surpasses broader benchmarks, with 48.6% of residents aged 15+ holding university qualifications compared to 25.7% in SA and 28.9% in Greater Adelaide. This substantial educational advantage positions the area strongly for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees lead at 30.5%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.3%) and graduate diplomas (4.8%). Vocational pathways account for 21.9% of qualifications among those aged 15+ – advanced diplomas (9.3%) and certificates (12.6%).

Educational participation is notably high, with 29.2% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.1% in tertiary education, 8.4% in primary education, and 7.2% pursuing secondary education.

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

Public transport analysis reveals 57 active transport stops operating within St Peters - Marden, comprising a mix of buses. These stops are serviced by 29 individual routes, collectively providing 2,669 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 216 meters from the nearest transport stop. As a primarily residential area, most residents commute outward; the car remains the dominant mode at 79%, with 10% by bus and 4% cycling. Vehicle ownership averages 1.2 per dwelling, which is below the regional average. Some 14.0% of residents work from home (2021 Census; may reflect COVID-19 conditions).

Service frequency averages 381 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 46 weekly trips per individual stop.

St Peters - Marden's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data demonstrates outstanding results across St Peters - Marden, based on AreaSearch's assessment of mortality rates and chronic condition prevalence. Younger cohorts in particular see very low prevalence of common health conditions, and the rate of private health cover is found to be exceptionally high at approximately 65% of the total population (9,568 people). This compares to 52.7% across Greater Adelaide. The national average is 55.7%.

The most common medical conditions in the area were found to be mental health issues and arthritis, impacting 7.7 and 7.3% of residents, respectively, while 71.3% declared themselves as completely clear of medical ailments compared to 67.9% across Greater Adelaide. Working-age residents are notably healthy with low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 20.3% of residents aged 65 and over (2,981 people). Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, though ranking lower nationally than the broader population.

The level of cultural diversity witnessed in St Peters - Marden was found to be above average when compared nationally for a number of language and cultural background related metrics

St Peters - Marden was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets, with 28.8% of its population born overseas and 24.0% speaking a language other than English at home. The main religion in St Peters - Marden is Christianity, which makes up 46.3% of the population. However, the most apparent overrepresentation was in Other, which comprises 1.5% of the population, compared to 1.8% across Greater Adelaide.

In terms of ancestry (country of birth of parents), the top three represented groups in St Peters - Marden are English, comprising 24.7% of the population, Australian, comprising 19.6% of the population, and Italian, comprising 10.0% of the population. Additionally, there are notable divergences in the representation of certain other ethnic groups: Greek is notably overrepresented at 3.2% of St Peters - Marden (vs 2.0% regionally), German at 5.1% (vs 5.1%) and Polish at 0.9% (vs 1.0%).

St Peters - Marden's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The 40-year median age in St Peters - Marden is similar to Greater Adelaide's average of 39 and similarly somewhat older than Australia's 38 years. The 15 - 24 age group shows strong representation at 14.4% compared to Greater Adelaide, whereas the 5 - 14 cohort is less prevalent at 9.6%. Post-2021 Census data shows the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 12.0% to 14.4% of the population, while the 35 to 44 cohort increased from 12.4% to 13.5%. Conversely, the 45 to 54 cohort has declined from 12.8% to 11.2% and the 5 to 14 group dropped from 10.8% to 9.6%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes for St Peters - Marden. Leading the demographic shift, the 85+ group will grow by 82% (390 people), reaching 865 from 474. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 64% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, the 5 to 14 and 55 to 64 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.