Brighton (SA)

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

Brighton (SA) population is estimated at around 4,062 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 228 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 3,834 people. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of resident population being 3,882 following examination of ABS ERP data release in Jun 2024 and validation of six new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,654 persons per square kilometer, placing Brighton (SA) in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Over the past decade, Brighton (SA) has demonstrated resilient growth patterns with a compound annual growth rate of 1.1%, outpacing its SA3 area. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration.

AreaSearch adopts ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 with a base year of 2022, and for areas not covered or years post-2032, it uses SA State Government's Regional/LGA projections by age category released in 2023 based on 2021 data. Moving forward, demographic trends suggest a population increase just below the median of national areas, with Brighton (SA) expected to grow by 449 persons to 2041, reflecting an overall gain of 8.0% over the 17 years.

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

AreaSearch analysis shows Brighton had approximately 12 new homes approved annually over the past five financial years, totalling around 60 homes. In FY-26 so far, 10 approvals have been recorded. On average, each home built between FY-21 and FY-25 accommodated about 3.5 new residents. This indicates a significant demand exceeding supply, often leading to price growth and increased buyer competition.

The average construction value of new properties was $713,000, suggesting a focus on the premium segment with upmarket properties. In this financial year, Brighton has registered $6.9 million in commercial approvals, reflecting its primarily residential nature. Compared to Greater Adelaide, Brighton had roughly half the rate of new dwelling approvals per person as of FY-25. Nationally, it ranked around the 45th percentile for areas assessed, indicating more limited choices for buyers and supporting demand for existing dwellings.

This is below the national average, suggesting an established area with potential planning limitations. New building activity showed 69.0% standalone homes and 31.0% attached dwellings, offering a range of housing types across price ranges. With around 373 people per dwelling approval, Brighton appears to have a developed market. AreaSearch's latest quarterly estimate projects Brighton to add approximately 325 residents by 2041, aligning with current development levels and maintaining stable market conditions without significant price pressures.

Brighton has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 27thth percentile nationally

No factor affects an area's performance more than changes to local infrastructure. AreaSearch has identified 0 projects that could impact this area. Notable projects include Tram Grade Separation at Morphett Road, Morphettville, River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project, Adelaide Public Transport Capacity and Access, and Adelaide's Inner And Outer Ring Route Capacity Improvements. The following list details those most relevant.

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AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Brighton performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Brighton has a well-educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 1.7% as of the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 3.3%.

As of September 2025, 2,114 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 2.3%, below Greater Adelaide's rate of 3.9%. Workforce participation is 58.1%, compared to Greater Adelaide's 61.7%. Employment is concentrated in health care & social assistance, education & training, and public administration & safety, notably so in education & training at 1.3 times the regional average. Manufacturing shows lower representation at 4.2% versus the regional average of 7.0%.

Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census data. In the past year, employment increased by 3.3%, labour force by 3.5%, raising unemployment by 0.1 percentage points. This contrasts with Greater Adelaide's employment growth of 3.0% and falling unemployment rate. State-level data to 25-Nov shows SA employment grew by 1.19% year-on-year, with a state unemployment rate of 4.0%. Jobs and Skills Australia forecasts national employment growth at 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Brighton's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.9% over five years and 14.2% over ten years, though this is a simple extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

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

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released on 30 June 2023, Brighton had a median income among taxpayers of $57,591 with an average level of $76,602. This is higher than the national averages of $54,808 and $66,852 across Greater Adelaide respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 8.8% since financial year 2023, current estimates would be approximately $62,659 (median) and $83,343 (average) as of September 2025. From the Census conducted in August 2021, personal income ranks at the 63rd percentile ($875 weekly), while household income sits at the 46th percentile. Income analysis shows that 28.5% of Brighton's population (1,157 individuals) fall within the $1,500 - $2,999 income range, which mirrors the region where 31.8% occupy this bracket. Housing costs are manageable with 86.8% retained, but disposable income is below average at the 50th percentile and Brighton's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Brighton's dwelling structures, as per the latest Census data, consisted of 62.3% houses and 37.7% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Adelaide metro had 52.9% houses and 47.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Brighton stood at 45.4%, with the remaining dwellings either mortgaged (30.3%) or rented (24.4%). The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,939, below Adelaide metro's average of $1,950. Median weekly rent in Brighton was $360, compared to Adelaide metro's $340. Nationally, Brighton's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were less than the national figure of $375.

Brighton features high concentrations of lone person households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 65.3% of all households, including 24.7% couples with children, 31.8% couples without children, and 7.8% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 34.7%, with lone person households at 32.2% and group households comprising 2.0% of the total. The median household size is 2.2 people, which matches the Greater Adelaide average.

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

Brighton's educational attainment is notably higher than broader averages. Among residents aged 15+, 37.1% have university qualifications, exceeding the South Australian (SA) average of 25.7%, and the SA4 region's average of 28.1%. This high level of attainment positions Brighton favourably for knowledge-based opportunities. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 24.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 8.4% and graduate diplomas at 4.6%.

Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 29.4% of residents aged 15+ holding such qualifications – advanced diplomas at 12.4% and certificates at 17.0%. Additionally, 24.5% of the population is actively engaged in formal education, including 7.6% in primary education, 7.5% in secondary education, 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

Brighton has 21 active public transport stops operating currently. These include a mix of train and bus services. There are 17 individual routes servicing these stops, collectively providing 1,331 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents typically located 204 meters from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency averages 190 trips per day across all routes, equating to approximately 63 weekly trips per individual stop.

Health performance in Brighton is lower than average with common health conditions somewhat prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts

Brighton faces significant health challenges with common health conditions prevalent across both younger and older age cohorts.

The rate of private health cover is high at approximately 57% of the total population (around 2,325 people). The most common medical conditions are arthritis and mental health issues, affecting 10.2 and 7.3% of residents respectively. Sixty-six percent declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments, compared to 65.9% across Greater Adelaide. Twenty-seven point two percent of residents are aged 65 and over (1,104 people), lower than the 28.3% in Greater Adelaide. Health outcomes among seniors are strong, performing better than the general population in health metrics.

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

Brighton's cultural diversity is above average, with 8.5% speaking a language other than English at home and 24.5% born overseas. Christianity is the predominant religion in Brighton, comprising 48.6%. Judaism is overrepresented in Brighton at 0.2%, compared to 0.1% across Greater Adelaide.

The top three ancestry groups are English (34.3%), Australian (24.1%), and Irish (8.7%). Notably, Welsh (0.8%) is slightly overrepresented compared to the regional average of 0.7%. Polish (1.0%) and German (4.9%) also show slight variations from their respective regional averages of 0.9% and 5.5%.

Brighton hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

Brighton's median age is 49 years, which exceeds Greater Adelaide's median age of 39 years by a significant margin. This is also considerably older than the national norm of 38 years. Compared to the Greater Adelaide average, Brighton has a notably higher percentage of individuals aged 65-74 (13.5% locally), while those aged 25-34 are under-represented at 9.4%. Between 2021 and the present day, the proportion of individuals aged 75 to 84 has increased from 8.6% to 10.0%, while the percentage of those aged 15 to 24 has risen from 10.4% to 11.6%. Conversely, the proportion of individuals aged 55 to 64 has decreased from 16.1% to 14.7%. Demographic modeling suggests that Brighton's age profile will undergo significant changes by the year 2041. The number of individuals aged 85 and above is projected to grow significantly, increasing by 141 people (94%) from 150 to 292. Notably, the combined age groups of 65 and above are expected to account for 72% of total population growth, reflecting Brighton's aging demographic profile. In contrast, population declines are projected for individuals aged 0 to 4 and 5 to 14.