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 around 20,998 as of May 2021. By June 2025, it had increased to an estimated 22,225. This growth of 1,231 people (5.9%) since the 2021 Census was primarily driven by overseas migration. The population density in Unley - Parkside is 3,144 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch's assessment. This area's growth rate exceeded that of its SA3 region (5.4%), making it a growth leader. For projections post-2032, AreaSearch adopts the SA State Government's Regional/LGA projections adjusted using weighted aggregation from LGA to SA2 levels.

Based on latest annual ERP population numbers, Unley - Parkside is expected to increase by 2,402 persons to reach 25,397 by 2041, reflecting a total increase of 10.8% over the 16-year period.

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

Unley - Parkside recorded approximately 73 residential properties granted approval annually over the past five financial years, totalling 367 homes. As of FY-26133 approvals have been recorded. Over these five years, an average of 1.9 new residents per year per dwelling was observed. However, recent data shows this figure has increased to 5.8 people per dwelling over the past two financial years. New homes are constructed at an average value of $465,000.

In FY-26, commercial approvals amounted to $39.8 million. Compared to Greater Adelaide, Unley - Parkside's new home approvals per person are comparable, indicating stable market conditions in line with regional patterns. The area shows a mix of detached houses (57.0%) and attached dwellings (43.0%), offering medium-density options across various price brackets. Unley - Parkside has approximately 346 people per dwelling approval, reflecting its established nature.

Population forecasts indicate an increase of 2,398 residents by 2041. Construction pace is maintaining with projected growth, but buyers may face increasing competition as population grows.

Unley - Parkside has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 33rdth percentile nationally

Changes in local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 19 projects that may affect the region. Key initiatives 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.

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.

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Unley - Parkside performing better than 85% of local markets assessed across Australia

Unley - Parkside has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 2.3%. In the past year, estimated employment growth was 5.2%.

As of December 2025, 12,231 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 1.5% below Greater Adelaide's rate of 3.8%, and workforce participation at 66.0%. Census responses indicate that 16.4% of residents work from home. Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. The area has a strong specialization in professional & technical services, with an employment share 1.9 times the regional level.

Construction employs only 5.3% of local workers, below Greater Adelaide's 8.7%. The worker-to-resident ratio is 0.6, indicating above-normal local employment opportunities. Between December 2024 and December 2025, employment levels increased by 5.2%, labour force grew by 5.3%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Adelaide saw employment grow by 4.2% and unemployment fall by 0.3 percentage points. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia project national growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Unley - Parkside's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.3% over five years and 14.9% over ten years.

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

Unley - Parkside SA2 has one of the highest income levels nationally, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data for financial year 2023. The median income among taxpayers in Unley - Parkside is $62,189, with an average income of $97,610. These figures compare to Greater Adelaide's median and average incomes of $54,808 and $66,852 respectively. Based on a 10.17% increase in wages since financial year 2023 (as per the Wage Price Index), estimated incomes for March 2026 would be approximately $68,514 (median) and $107,537 (average). Census data shows household, family, and personal incomes in Unley - Parkside are at the 70th percentile nationally. In this area, 27.2% of individuals earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, mirroring the national figure of 31.8%. Notably, 32.9% of residents earn above $3,000 per week, indicating strong economic capacity. After housing costs, 86.6% of income remains for other expenses. Unley - Parkside's SEIFA income ranking places 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, 57.2% of dwellings were houses while 42.7% were other types such as semi-detached and apartments. In comparison, Adelaide metro had 75.2% houses and 24.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Unley - Parkside stood at 38.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 30.0% and rented ones at 31.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,167, higher than Adelaide metro's average of $1,562. The median weekly rent in Unley - Parkside was $370 compared to Adelaide metro's $320. Nationally, Unley - Parkside's mortgage repayments were significantly higher at $2,167 against the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were lower at $370 than the national figure of $375.

Unley - Parkside features high concentrations of group households and lone person households, with a lower-than-average 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 is smaller than the Greater Adelaide average of 2.5.

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. Specifically, 50.8% of residents aged 15+ hold university qualifications, compared to 25.7% in South Australia and 28.9% in Greater Adelaide. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 31.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (14.0%) and graduate diplomas (5.0%). Vocational pathways account for 20.1% of qualifications among those aged 15+, with advanced diplomas at 9.9% and certificates at 10.2%.

Educational participation is high, 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

Public transport analysis indicates 79 active stops operating within Unley-Parkside. These include lightrail and bus services. There are 57 individual routes servicing these stops, collectively facilitating 3,781 weekly passenger trips. Transport accessibility is rated good, with residents typically located 205 meters from the nearest stop. Most residents commute outward due to the area's residential nature. Car remains the dominant mode at 77%, followed by bus at 8% and walking at 6%.

Vehicle ownership averages 1.2 per dwelling, below the regional average. According to the 2021 Census, 16.4% of residents work from home, which may reflect COVID-19 conditions. Service frequency averages 540 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 47 weekly trips per stop.

Unley - Parkside'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

Unley - Parkside residents have relatively positive health outcomes according to data analysed by AreaSearch. Mortality rates and health conditions are largely in line with national benchmarks, with common health issues seen across both young and old age groups. Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 70% of the total population (15,493 people), compared to 52.7% across Greater Adelaide and a national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues and arthritis, affecting 8.3 and 7.8% of residents respectively. 68.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 67.9% across Greater Adelaide. Working-age residents have low chronic condition prevalence. The area has 23.8% of residents aged 65 and over (5,292 people), higher than the 19.2% in Greater Adelaide, with national rankings broadly in line with the general population.

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 cultural diversity was higher than most local areas, with 27.5% of its population born overseas and 21.3% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the dominant religion in Unley-Parkside, making up 45.2%. Judaism was overrepresented compared to Greater Adelaide, comprising 0.3% versus 0.1%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (26.8%), Australian (20.8%), and Other (8.2%). Notably, Greek (3.8%) and German (5.5%) were overrepresented in Unley-Parkside compared to regional averages of 2.0% and 5.1%, respectively. Italian representation was similar regionally at 5.1%.

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

The median age in Unley-Parkside is 44 years, which is higher than Greater Adelaide's average of 39 years and also above Australia's median age of 38 years. In comparison to the Greater Adelaide average, the 75-84 age cohort is notably over-represented at 8.7% in Unley-Parkside, while those aged 25-34 are under-represented at 12.3%. Between the 2021 Census and the present, the population of those aged 15 to 24 has grown from 11.1% to 13.3%, and the 75 to 84 age cohort has increased from 7.6% to 8.7%. Conversely, the population of those aged 85 and above has decreased from 5.3% to 4.4%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Unley-Parkside. The number of people aged 85 and above is projected to increase by 662 individuals (68%), rising from 975 to 1,638. The aging population trend is evident, with those aged 65 and above accounting for 52% of the projected growth. Conversely, the populations of those aged 65 to 74 and 5 to 14 are expected to decline.