West Beach

West Beach has seen population growth performance typically on par with national averages when looking at short and medium term trends

West Beach's population was around 5,447 as of November 2025. This reflected an increase of 272 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 5,175. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 5,438 in June 2024 and an additional 26 validated new addresses since the Census date. This resulted in a density ratio of 1,207 persons per square kilometer, above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. West Beach's growth rate of 5.3% since the Census positioned it within 1.8 percentage points of the state's growth rate of 7.1%. The population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 82.1% of overall population gains during 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 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. Considering projected demographic shifts, West Beach was expected to increase by 564 persons to 2041, reflecting an increase of 10.2% in total over the 17 years based on the latest annual ERP population numbers.

Residential development activity is slightly higher than average within West Beach when compared nationally

West Beach has averaged approximately 26 new dwelling approvals per year. Over the past five financial years, from FY-21 to FY-25131 homes were approved, with an additional 10 approved so far in FY-26. On average, about two people have moved to the area for each dwelling built over these years, indicating a balanced supply and demand dynamic that maintains stable market conditions.

The average expected construction cost value of new homes is around $455,000, suggesting developers are targeting the premium market with high-end developments. This financial year has seen $3.9 million in commercial development approvals, further emphasizing the area's residential character. Compared to Greater Adelaide, West Beach shows about 75% of the construction activity per person and ranks among the 67th percentile nationally based on areas assessed.

Recent construction comprises approximately 76.0% detached houses and 24.0% townhouses or apartments, preserving the area's traditional suburban character with a focus on family homes. The location has around 234 people per dwelling approval, reflecting a low-density market. According to the latest AreaSearch quarterly estimate, West Beach is projected to grow by 555 residents through to 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing favorable conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

West Beach has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 4thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified three projects expected to influence the region: Adelaide Airport Industrial Development, West Beach Surf Life Saving Club Rebuild, Apex Park Stage 2 Redevelopment, and River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project.

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

West Beach has an educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate is 1.4%, lower than Greater Adelaide's 3.9%.

Employment growth over the past year was estimated at 4.4%. As of September 2025, 3,080 residents are employed and the unemployment rate is 2.5% below Greater Adelaide's. Workforce participation is similar to Greater Adelaide's 61.7%.

Health care & social assistance, education & training, and construction are leading employment industries among residents. However, health care & social assistance employs only 16.3% of local workers compared to Greater Adelaide's 17.7%. The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities based on Census data comparison between working population and resident population. In the 12-month period ending September 2025, employment increased by 4.4% while labour force grew by 4.1%, reducing the unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points. By contrast, Greater Adelaide recorded employment growth of 3.0%, labour force growth of 2.9%, and a reduction in unemployment by 0.1 percentage points. State-level data up to 25-Nov-25 shows South Australian 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 SA's employment growth outpacing the national average of 0.14%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May-25 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years nationally, but growth rates vary significantly between industry sectors. Applying these projections to West Beach's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.7% over five years and 13.8% over ten years.

The economic profile demonstrates above-average performance, with income metrics exceeding national benchmarks based on AreaSearch comparative assessment

The West Beach SA2 had a median taxpayer income of $54,139 and an average of $70,158 in the financial year 2022, according to postcode level ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This is higher than the national averages of $52,592 for median income and $64,886 for average income. Based on a Wage Price Index growth rate of 12.83% since financial year 2022, estimated incomes as of September 2025 would be approximately $61,085 (median) and $79,159 (average). The 2021 Census reported personal income at the 66th percentile ($896 weekly) and household income at the 49th percentile. In West Beach SA2, 28.2% of locals (1,536 people) fell into the $1,500 - 2,999 income category, similar to the broader area where 31.8% occupied this bracket. After housing expenses, 86.2% of income remained for other expenses. The SEIFA income ranking placed West Beach SA2 in the 7th decile.

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

In West Beach, as per the latest Census, 66.0% of dwellings were houses while 34.0% consisted of other types such as semi-detached homes, apartments, and 'other' dwellings. This is compared to Adelaide metro's 63.9% houses and 36.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in West Beach stood at 39.6%, with mortgaged properties at 33.4% and rented ones at 27.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,000, higher than Adelaide metro's average of $1,745. Median weekly rent in West Beach was recorded at $320 compared to Adelaide metro's $310. Nationally, West Beach's mortgage repayments were above the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially lower at $375.

West Beach has a typical household mix, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households constitute 69.2% of all households, including 31.4% couples with children, 29.4% couples without children, and 7.5% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 30.8%, with lone person households at 28.5% and group households comprising 2.2%. The median household size is 2.4 people, larger than the Greater Adelaide average of 2.3.

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

The area's educational profile is notable regionally, with university qualification rates of 33.1% among residents aged 15+, surpassing the South Australian average of 25.7% and that of Greater Adelaide at 28.9%. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 22.4%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (7.1%) and graduate diplomas (3.6%). Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 31.5% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas comprise 10.8% and certificates account for 20.7%.

Educational participation is high, with 25.8% of residents currently enrolled in formal education, including 8.8% in primary, 6.6% in secondary, and 5.7% pursuing tertiary education.

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

The analysis of public transport in West Beach indicates that there are currently 50 operational transport stops within the area. These stops serve a variety of bus routes, with a total of 15 individual routes providing service to the community. The combined weekly passenger trips facilitated by these routes amount to 627.

Residents enjoy excellent accessibility to public transport, with an average distance of 133 meters to the nearest stop. The service frequency across all routes is approximately 89 trips per day, which translates to about 12 weekly trips per individual stop.

West Beach'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

West Beach's health metrics closely match national benchmarks with common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts. The rate of private health cover is very high at approximately 54% of the total population (~2,963 people), compared to 51.8% across Greater Adelaide.

The most common medical conditions are arthritis and asthma, impacting 8.6% and 6.5% of residents respectively. 69.7% of residents declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 70.9% across Greater Adelaide. 21.1% of residents are aged 65 and over (1,148 people), higher than the 17.6% in Greater Adelaide. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, performing better than the general population in health metrics.

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

West Beach's cultural diversity was above average, with 23.7% born overseas and 15.4% speaking languages other than English at home. Christianity dominated West Beach's religion at 52.4%. Other religions were overrepresented at 1.1%, compared to Greater Adelaide's 3.1%.

Top ancestry groups included English (28.5%), Australian (23.9%), and Other (7.3%). Notably, Greek (4.2% vs regional 6.1%), Polish (1.1% vs 0.9%), and Russian (0.6% vs 0.3%) were overrepresented.

West Beach hosts a notably older demographic compared to the national average

The median age in West Beach is 44 years, which is higher than Greater Adelaide's average of 39 and the Australian median of 38. Compared to Greater Adelaide, West Beach has a notably higher proportion of individuals aged 55-64 (13.2%) and a lower proportion of those aged 25-34 (11.6%). Between the 2021 Census and now, the population aged 35-44 has increased from 12.3% to 13.5%, while the percentage of those aged 75-84 has decreased from 8.3% to 7.4%. By 2041, West Beach's population is projected to see significant growth in the 85+ age group, with an increase of 104 people (57%) from 185 to 290. The 0-4 age group is expected to grow by 5%, adding only 10 residents.