Unley - Parkside

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

Unley - Parkside's population was 20,998 as of Nov 2021. By Nov 2025, the population is around 22,052, reflecting a 5.0% increase since the 2021 Census. This growth is inferred from ABS estimates and validated new addresses. The population density is 3,119 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile nationally. Unley - Parkside's growth exceeded its SA3 area's 4.5%, marking it as a regional growth leader. Overseas migration primarily drove this growth.

AreaSearch uses 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 are adopted with adjustments made using weighted aggregation methods. Future demographic trends suggest a population increase just below the median for statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch. By 2041, Unley - Parkside is expected to have a population of 25,635, reflecting an 11.8% increase over the 17 years.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Unley - Parkside when compared nationally

Unley - Parkside has recorded approximately 73 residential properties granted approval each year over the past five financial years, totalling 367 homes. In FY-26 so far, 29 approvals have been recorded. Over these five years, an average of 1.9 new residents per dwelling constructed was observed between FY-21 and FY-25. However, recent data shows this has intensified to 5.8 people per dwelling over the past two financial years. New homes are being built at an average expected construction cost value of $465,000.

There have been $39.8 million in commercial approvals in FY-26, indicating strong commercial development momentum. Compared to Greater Adelaide, Unley - Parkside shows comparable new home approvals per person, supporting market stability in line with regional patterns. The area's new development consists of 57.0% detached houses and 43.0% attached dwellings, offering a mix of housing options across price brackets. Unley - Parkside has approximately 346 people per dwelling approval, reflecting its established nature.

Population forecasts indicate the area will gain 2,610 residents by 2041. Construction is maintaining pace with projected growth, though buyers may face growing competition as population increases.

Unley - Parkside has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 30thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 19 projects that could affect the region. Notable ones include Unley Central, 12-16 Glen Osmond Road Mixed-Use Development, 322-324 Fullarton Road Townhouses, and Unley 108 Apartments. The following list details those most likely to be relevant.

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

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Unley - Parkside ranks among the top 25% of areas assessed nationally for overall employment performance

Unley-Parkside has an educated workforce with strong professional services representation. Its unemployment rate was 2.3% in the past year, with estimated employment growth of 3%.

As of September 2025, 12,043 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.7%, below Greater Adelaide's 3.9%. Workforce participation is equal to Greater Adelaide's 61.7%. Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training. The area specializes in professional & technical jobs, with a share 1.9 times the regional level.

Conversely, construction employs only 5.3% of local workers, below Greater Adelaide's 8.7%. The worker-to-resident ratio is 0.6, indicating higher-than-average employment opportunities. Between September 2024 and 2025, employment levels increased by 3.0%, labour force grew by 3.1%, raising the unemployment rate by 0.1 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Adelaide saw employment rise by 3.0% and unemployment fall by 0.1%. State-level data from 25-Nov-25 shows SA employment grew by 1.19% year-on-year, with an unemployment rate of 4.0%, outperforming the national average of 4.3%. National employment forecasts project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Unley-Parkside's industry mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.3% in five years and 14.9% in ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

The area exhibits notably strong income performance, ranking higher than 70% of areas assessed nationally through AreaSearch analysis

The Unley - Parkside SA2 had its income level among the top percentile nationally according to ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch for financial year 2022. The median income among taxpayers was $61,184 and the average income stood at $96,527. These figures compared to Greater Adelaide's of $52,592 and $64,886 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 12.83% since financial year 2022, estimates for September 2025 would be approximately $69,034 (median) and $108,911 (average). Census data showed household, family and personal incomes in Unley - Parkside clustered around the 70th percentile nationally. The earnings profile indicated that 27.2% of the population (5,998 individuals) fell within the $1,500 - 2,999 income range, mirroring the region where 31.8% occupied this bracket. A substantial proportion of high earners, at 32.9%, indicated strong economic capacity throughout Unley - Parkside. After housing, 86.6% of income remained for other expenses. The area's SEIFA income ranking placed it in the 8th decile.

Unley - Parkside displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Unley - Parkside, as per the latest Census evaluation, 57.2% of dwellings were houses with the remaining 42.7% comprising semi-detached homes, apartments, and other types. This compares to Adelaide metro's figures of 59.2% houses and 40.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Unley - Parkside stood at 38.3%, similar to the Adelaide metro average. Mortgaged properties made up 30.0% and rented dwellings accounted for 31.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, aligning with the Adelaide metro average but higher than the national figure of $1,863. Meanwhile, the median weekly rent in Unley - Parkside was recorded at $370, slightly lower than both the Adelaide metro ($350) and national averages ($375).

Unley - Parkside features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 65.5% of all households, including 29.4% couples with children, 26.5% couples without children, and 8.6% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 34.5%, with lone person households at 30.4% and group households comprising 4.1%. The median household size is 2.3 people, which aligns with the Greater Adelaide average.

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

Educational attainment in Unley-Parkside is notably higher than broader benchmarks. As of the latest data, 50.8% of residents aged 15 years and above hold university qualifications, compared to 25.7% in South Australia (SA) and 28.9% in Greater Adelaide. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 31.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 14.0% and graduate diplomas at 5.0%. Vocational pathways account for 20.1% of qualifications among those aged 15 years and above, with advanced diplomas at 9.9% and certificates at 10.2%.

Educational participation is high in the area, with 28.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.3% in primary education, 8.1% in tertiary education, and 6.9% pursuing secondary education.

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

Unley-Parkside has 81 active public transport stops operating within its boundaries. These stops offer a mix of bus services, with a total of 58 individual routes in operation. Collectively, these routes facilitate 4,615 weekly passenger trips.

The accessibility to public transport is rated as good, with residents typically located approximately 205 meters from the nearest transport stop. On average, there are 659 trips per day across all routes, which equates to about 56 weekly trips per individual stop.

Unley - Parkside's residents are relatively healthy in comparison to broader Australia with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Unley-Parkside's health metrics are close to national benchmarks. Common health conditions are seen across both young and old age cohorts at a fairly standard level. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high, at approximately 70% of the total population (15,392 people), compared to 67.1% across Greater Adelaide and the national average of 55.3%.

Mental health issues impact 8.3% of residents, while arthritis affects 7.8%. A total of 68.7% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 69.9% in Greater Adelaide. The area has 23.7% of residents aged 65 and over (5,237 people), which is higher than the 22.6% in Greater Adelaide. This aligns with the general population's health profile.

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

Unley-Parkside's population showed high cultural diversity, with 27.5% born overseas and 21.3% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Unley-Parkside, accounting for 45.2%. Judaism was slightly overrepresented compared to Greater Adelaide (0.3% vs 0.2%).

Top ancestral groups were English (26.8%), Australian (20.8%), and Other (8.2%). Notable divergences existed for Greeks (3.8% vs regional 4.0%), Germans (5.5% vs 5.7%), and Italians (5.1% vs 4.7%).

Unley - Parkside hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in Unley - Parkside is 44 years, which is notably higher than Greater Adelaide's average of 39 years and also above Australia's median age of 38 years. Compared to the Greater Adelaide average, the 75-84 age cohort is over-represented at 8.6% in Unley - Parkside, while the 25-34 age group is under-represented at 11.8%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 11.1% to 13.1%, and the 75 to 84 cohort has grown from 7.6% to 8.6%. Conversely, the 85+ age group has decreased from 5.3% to 4.4%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Unley - Parkside. The 75-84 age cohort is projected to expand by 729 people (38%) from 1,898 to 2,628. The aging population trend is evident, with those aged 65 and above comprising 52% of the projected growth. Conversely, the 65-74 and 5-14 age groups are expected to experience population declines.