Parkside (SA)

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

Parkside's population was 5,456 as of November 2025, an increase of 330 people (6.4%) since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 5,126. This growth is inferred from AreaSearch's estimate of 5,449 residents following examination of ABS ERP data released in June 2024 and additional validated new addresses since the Census date. The suburb's population density was 3,953 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the top 10% nationally according to AreaSearch. Parkside's growth exceeded its SA3 area's 4.5%, making it 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 2022 base year, and for areas not covered or years post-2032, it adopts SA State Government's Regional/LGA projections by age category from 2023 using adjusted weighted aggregation.

By 2041, Parkside is projected to increase by 522 persons, reflecting a 7.7% total increase over 17 years, just below the national statistical areas' median population growth.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Parkside according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Parkside averaged approximately 34 new dwelling approvals per year. Between FY-21 and FY-25, around 170 homes were approved, with an additional 8 approved in FY-26 to date. This averages out to about 0.8 people moving to the area per dwelling built over these years.

New supply has kept pace with or exceeded demand, offering ample buyer choice and creating capacity for population growth beyond current forecasts. The average construction value of new homes is around $879,000, indicating a focus on the premium market. In FY-26, $35.0 million in commercial development approvals have been recorded, suggesting robust local business investment. Comparatively, Parkside shows 108.0% higher new home approvals per person than Greater Adelaide.

Recent construction comprises 53.0% standalone homes and 47.0% townhouses or apartments, providing options across different price points. With around 248 people per dwelling approval, Parkside indicates a developing market. Looking ahead, Parkside is expected to grow by approximately 419 residents through to 2041, according to 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.

Parkside has strong levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 30% nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified twelve projects likely to influence the area. Notable projects include Unley Central, 12-16 Glen Osmond Road Mixed-Use Development, Unley Road Public Realm Streetscape Upgrade, and Unley 108 Apartments. The following list details those most relevant.

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

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

Parkside has a highly educated workforce with strong representation in professional services. Its unemployment rate is 1.9% and it saw an estimated employment growth of 1.5% over the past year, according to AreaSearch's aggregation of statistical area data.

As of June 2025, 3,184 residents are employed with an unemployment rate of 2.1%, below Greater Adelaide's rate of 4.0%. Workforce participation in Parkside is 68.4% compared to Greater Adelaide's 61.7%. Leading employment industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. Notably, professional & technical employment levels are at 2.1 times the regional average while construction employs only 4.9% of local workers, below Greater Adelaide's 8.7%.

Many residents commute elsewhere for work based on Census working population to local population counts. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment levels increased by 1.5% and labour force increased by 1.4%, leaving unemployment broadly flat in Parkside. In comparison, Greater Adelaide recorded employment growth of 2.1% with unemployment rising marginally. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia for September 2022 project national employment to expand by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Parkside's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 7.3% over five years and 14.9% over ten years, though this is a simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes only and does not account for localised population projections.

Income metrics indicate excellent economic conditions, with the area achieving higher performance than 75% of national locations assessed by AreaSearch

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data released for financial year 2022, Parkside had a median income among taxpayers of $65,608. The average income stood at $103,507. Nationally, Parkside ranks in the top percentile based on these figures. In Greater Adelaide, median and average incomes were $52,592 and $64,886 respectively. As of September 2025, estimated median and average incomes would be approximately $74,026 and $116,787, accounting for a 12.83% Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2022. The 2021 Census indicates that household, family, and personal incomes in Parkside cluster around the 74th percentile nationally. Income brackets show that 30.2% of residents earn between $1,500 and $2,999 weekly, with 31.9% earning more than $3,000 weekly. Housing accounts for 14.6% of income, and residents rank in the 70th percentile for disposable income. Parkside's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

Parkside displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

The dwelling structure in Parkside, as per the latest Census data, consisted of 54.0% houses and 46.0% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Adelaide metro had 59.2% houses and 40.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Parkside was at 32.3%, with mortgaged dwellings at 28.2% and rented ones at 39.5%. The median monthly mortgage repayment in Parkside was $2,167, aligning with the Adelaide metro average, while the median weekly rent figure stood at $395, higher than the Adelaide metro's $350. Nationally, Parkside's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

Parkside features high concentrations of group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households comprise 64.6% of all households, including 27.8% couples with children, 25.7% couples without children, and 9.9% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 35.4%, with lone person households at 29.2% and group households comprising 6.2%. The median household size is 2.3 people, matching the Greater Adelaide average.

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

Educational attainment in Parkside is notably high, with 52.3% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This exceeds the state average of 25.7% and the Greater Adelaide average of 28.9%. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 32.6%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (13.9%) and graduate diplomas (5.8%). Vocational pathways account for 20.4% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas making up 9.8% and certificates 10.6%.

Educational participation is high, with 29.1% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.5% in primary education, 8.3% in tertiary education, and 6.2% pursuing secondary education. Parkside Primary School and St Raphael's School serve a total of 452 students, with an ICSEA score of 1129 indicating significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement. Both schools focus exclusively on primary education, with secondary options available in surrounding areas. The area has 8.3 school places per 100 residents, lower than the regional average of 13.1, suggesting some students may attend schools in nearby areas.

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

Parkside has 17 active public transport stops, all serving buses. These stops are covered by 29 different routes, offering a total of 2,140 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents located an average of 206 meters from the nearest stop.

On average, there are 305 daily trips across all routes, which amounts to about 125 weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Parkside is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Parkside shows better-than-average health outcomes for both younger and older age groups, with low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 68% of Parkside's total population (3,698 people) has private health cover, compared to the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions in Parkside are mental health issues affecting 9.0% of residents and arthritis impacting 6.7%, while 71.1% report being completely free from medical ailments, slightly higher than Greater Adelaide's 69.9%. The area has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 17.2% (938 people), compared to Greater Adelaide's 22.6%. Despite this, health outcomes among Parkside's seniors are above average and generally align with the overall population's health profile.

Parkside was found to be more culturally diverse than the vast majority of local markets in Australia, upon assessment of a range of language and cultural background related metrics

Parkside's population was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 28.4% born overseas and 21.6% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Parkside, accounting for 40.6% of its population. Notably, Judaism was overrepresented in Parkside compared to Greater Adelaide, comprising 0.2% versus 0.2%.

The top three ancestry groups were English (25.5%), Australian (20.0%), and Other (9.2%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: Greek (4.7% vs regional 4.0%), Polish (1.1% vs 1.0%), and Hungarian (0.4% vs 0.3%) were overrepresented in Parkside.

Parkside's population is slightly older than the national pattern

At 39 years, Parkside's median age matches the Greater Adelaide average of 39 and remains aligned with the Australian median of 38. Compared to the Greater Adelaide average, the 45-54 cohort is notably over-represented at 13.4% locally, while the 55-64 year-olds are under-represented at 10.4%. Following the Census conducted on 27 August 2021, the 15 to 24 age group has grown from 10.6% to 12.9% of Parkside's population. Conversely, the 35 to 44 cohort has declined from 15.8% to 14.8%. Demographic modeling suggests that Parkside's age profile will evolve significantly by 2041. The 75 to 84 cohort shows the strongest projected growth at 37%, adding 114 residents to reach a total of 425. Meanwhile, both the 0 to 4 and 35 to 44 age groups are projected to see reduced numbers.