Subiaco

Population growth drivers in Subiaco are strong compared to national averages based on AreaSearch's ranking of recent, and medium to long-term trends

Drawing from ABS population revisions for the surrounding region and subsequent address validations by AreaSearch following the Census, the suburb of Subiaco is home to approximately 11,701 people as of May 2026. This indicates a growth of 1,761 residents (17.7%) compared to the 2021 Census, which counted 9,940 individuals. This projection stems from a resident base of 11,475 estimated by AreaSearch using the ABS ERP release from June 2025, combined with 616 validated new addresses verified after the Census. This population scale translates to a density of 3,738 persons per square kilometer, placing the locality in the top quartile of all areas evaluated by AreaSearch. The suburb of Subiaco's 17.7% expansion rate since the 2021 census was faster than both the state and national averages (9.3%), indicating its position as a regional growth leader. This expansion was mostly powered by overseas migration, which accounted for roughly 84.0% of the total population gains in recent times, though interstate migration and natural increase also made positive contributions.

For projected data, AreaSearch incorporates ABS and Geoscience Australia forecasts at the SA2 level, published in 2024 with a baseline of 2022. For regions where this data is unavailable, or to model projections beyond 2032, growth trajectories across age categories are drawn from the 2023 release of the ABS Greater Capital Region projections, which utilize 2022 figures. Looking ahead, the suburb of Subiaco is anticipated to experience population expansion exceeding the national median, rising by 1,427 residents by 2041 under consolidated SA2-level modeling, which equates to an overall gain of 10.3% over the 16 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Subiaco among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Based on AreaSearch's collation of ABS building approval statistics mapped from statistical boundaries, Subiaco averages approximately 248 residential approvals annually, with a total of 1,240 dwellings approved over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25) alongside 101 registered in FY-26 to date. Given that only a single new resident has arrived for each completed dwelling over the past 5 financial years (between FY-21 and FY-25), the volume of new construction matches or exceeds incoming demand, widening options for purchasers and facilitating population gains that may outpace current projections. The typical expected construction cost of these new properties stands at $515,000, which highlights a focus by developers on premium, higher-end projects. Furthermore, commercial approvals totaling $107.6 million have been registered during this financial year, reflecting substantial local commercial investment.

Per resident, development activity in Subiaco is 219.0% higher than the Greater Perth average, expanding options for prospective buyers despite a recent cooling in approval volumes. This level of activity is also considerably above the national benchmark, demonstrating clear developer interest. Approved projects consist of 20.0% detached houses and 80.0% multi-unit dwellings such as townhouses or apartments. This preference for medium and high-density formats provides more affordable points of entry and draws interest from downsizers, investors, and first-time buyers. This represents a distinct departure from the established housing stock (which currently consists of 39.0% houses), driven by scarce development sites and changing preferences for affordability and lifestyle. With a ratio of approximately 77 people for every building approval, Subiaco shows the hallmarks of a developing area.

Future projections indicate Subiaco will add 1,201 residents by 2041 (calculated from the most recent AreaSearch quarterly figures). With building activity continuing at its current pace, future housing supply is expected to easily accommodate this demand, supporting favorable purchasing conditions and potentially paving the way for growth to outstrip current demographic forecasts.

Subiaco has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the top 50% nationally

Local infrastructure updates, major construction projects, and zoning amendments play a significant role in shaping real estate markets and community development. In total, 39 projects have been identified by AreaSearch as having a potential impact on this area. Major projects include the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Emergency Department Redevelopment, the St John of God Subiaco Hospital Redevelopment, the St John of God Subiaco Hospital Redevelopment, and Regal Subiaco, with the subsequent list outlining the most relevant developments.

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

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AreaSearch analysis places Subiaco well above average for employment performance across multiple indicators

The local workforce is characterized by high levels of education, with a strong presence of professional services, an unemployment rate of just 3.1%, and a modest annual job growth rate of 0.7%, based on AreaSearch aggregations of local statistical areas. As of March 2026, there are 6,732 employed residents, with the local jobless rate sitting 1.1% lower than the Greater Perth figure of 4.2%, and labor force participation matching the Greater Perth rate of 70.2% closely. Census records show that a low proportion of residents (13.4%) worked from home, though this figure should be interpreted in the context of COVID-19 restrictions.

The primary sectors employing local residents are healthcare & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training. Professional & technical services are especially prominent locally, employing residents at 2.2 times the average rate for the wider region. In contrast, construction workers are underrepresented, accounting for 4.3% of the workforce compared to the regional average of 9.3%. Given the ratio of 1.0 workers for every local resident at the time of the Census, the locality operates as a key employment hub, supporting more jobs than it has residents and drawing workers from nearby suburbs.

AreaSearch's analysis of SALM and ABS figures across local statistical boundaries indicates that in the year ending March 2026, the count of employed individuals rose by 0.7% while the overall labor force grew by 1.7%, pushing the unemployment rate up by 1.0 percentage point. This diverged from Greater Perth, which saw employment expand by 2.0%, the labor force increase by 2.5%, and unemployment tick up by 0.4 percentage points. National forecasts released by Jobs and Skills Australia in May-25 offer additional context regarding future occupational demand within Subiaco. These five and ten-year projections have been applied to the local workforce structure to model potential growth. Across the nation, total employment is projected to rise by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, though individual industries will grow at varying speeds. Weighting these sectoral forecasts against the local employment profile indicates that local jobs could grow by 7.5% over five years and 15.3% over ten years (representing a basic weighted extrapolation for comparison rather than a forecast integrated with local population trends).

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis of postcode-level tax data from the ATO for the 2023 financial year, taxpayers in Subiaco recorded a median income of $78,667 and an average income of $126,501. These figures rank in the top percentile nationwide, comparing to Greater Perth averages of $60,748 and $80,248. Adjusted for a Wage Price Index increase of 10.93% since the 2023 financial year, current estimates would sit at roughly $87,265 for the median and $140,328 for the average as of March 2026. The 2021 Census confirms high earnings, with individual weekly income ranking in the 95th percentile nationally at $1,330. Income brackets are dominated by the $1,500 - 2,999 range, which contains 28.3% of residents (3,311 people), closely matching the wider metropolitan rate of 32.0%. A high level of affluence is evident, with 38.2% of residents earning more than $3,000 weekly, driving local demand for high-end retail and services. While housing costs consume 15.5% of income, strong earning power keeps disposable incomes in the 79th percentile, and the area ranks in the 9th decile for SEIFA relative financial advantage.

Subiaco features a more urban dwelling mix with significant apartment living, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

The mix of housing types in Subiaco at the time of the latest Census stood at 38.8% detached houses and 61.2% other types of dwellings (including townhouses, apartments, and alternative structures), compared to 77.8% houses and 22.1% other dwellings across the broader Perth metropolitan area. Meanwhile, the home ownership rate in Subiaco was recorded at 29.3%, matching the Perth metropolitan average, with the remaining properties being purchased under a mortgage (24.6%) or occupied by tenants (46.1%). Homeowners with mortgages faced a median monthly repayment of $2,498, which is much higher than the Perth metro median of $1,907, while median weekly rent was $438, compared to $350 in the wider metro area. Nationwide, Subiaco's mortgage repayments are significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, and weekly rents are also well above the national median of $375.

Subiaco features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a lower-than-average median household size

Families make up the largest share of local households at 56.6%, consisting of couples with children (20.8%), couples without children (27.9%), and single-parent households (6.8%). The remaining 43.4% are non-family households, which are predominantly single-person households (39.1%) alongside group households at 4.5%. The median household size is 2.1 persons, which is smaller than the Greater Perth average of 2.6.

Educational achievement in Subiaco places it within the top 10% nationally, reflecting strong academic performance and high qualification levels across the community

The level of education in Subiaco is significantly higher than broader geographic averages, with 62.5% of residents aged 15+ holding a tertiary degree, compared to 27.9% across WA and 30.1% in Greater Perth. This educational profile leaves the area well-placed for professional and knowledge-based employment. Bachelor degrees are the most common qualification at 38.8%, followed by postgraduate degrees at 18.8% and graduate diplomas at 4.9%. Vocational qualifications are held by 18.4% of those aged 15+, consisting of advanced diplomas (9.1%) and certificates (9.3%).

Enrollment rates in education are high, with 28.2% of local residents participating in formal study. This is composed of 9.2% studying at the tertiary level, 7.5% attending primary schools, and 6.7% enrolled in secondary education.

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

Public transport connectivity is supported by 67 active bus and train stops located within Subiaco. These stops are serviced by 35 different routes, which together accommodate 7,651 weekly passenger journeys. Access to transport is rated as excellent, with residents living an average of 143 meters from their nearest transit stop. Given the suburb's residential focus, the majority of working residents travel outwards, with cars being the primary mode of travel for 58% of commuters, followed by bus at 13% and train at 12%. Average motor vehicle ownership stands at 0.9 per dwelling, which is below the wider metropolitan average. A relatively low proportion of residents (13.4%) worked from home at the time of the 2021 Census, which may have been influenced by COVID-19 conditions.

Transit services average 1,093 scheduled runs per day across all local routes, which translates to approximately 114 weekly services for each individual stop.

Subiaco's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with very low prevalence of common health conditions across all age groups

Health indicators for Subiaco show exceptional outcomes based on AreaSearch's evaluation of mortality data and the prevalence of chronic illnesses, with a very low incidence of common health issues across all demographics. Furthermore, the rate of private health insurance coverage is exceptionally high, encompassing approximately 77% of the population (9,057 people). This is considerably higher than the 59.0% recorded across Greater Perth and the national average of 55.7%.

The most prevalent health issues recorded locally were mental health conditions and arthritis, affecting 8.3% and 6.2% of residents respectively. Conversely, 73.4% of the population reported no chronic health issues, exceeding the Greater Perth average of 71.9%. The local working-age demographic shows strong health indicators with a low incidence of chronic disease. Residents aged 65 and over make up 20.1% of the population (2,351 people), which is higher than the Greater Perth share of 16.1%. The health status of local seniors is particularly high, with national comparisons surpassing those of the general population.

Subiaco 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

Subiaco displays higher levels of cultural diversity than most benchmark markets, with 19.8% of residents speaking a non-English language at home and 39.2% born outside Australia. The most common religion is Christianity, accounting for 41.8% of the local population. However, the most pronounced religious concentration relative to the wider city is Judaism, which accounts for 0.4% of local residents compared to 0.3% across Greater Perth.

Looking at ancestral backgrounds based on parent country of birth, the three most common ancestries in Subiaco are English at 27.9%, Australian at 17.7%, and Other at 10.7%. There are also distinct concentrations of certain European ancestries, with French background overrepresented at 1.3% of the population (compared to 0.5% across the region), Welsh at 0.8% (compared to 0.7%), and Russian at 0.6% (compared to 0.2%).

Subiaco's population is slightly older than the national pattern

The median age of 39 years in Subiaco is slightly above the Greater Perth average of 37 and very close to the national median of 38. Compared to the wider Perth metropolitan area, there is a notable concentration of residents aged 25 - 34, who make up 19.9% of the local population, compared to a lower proportion of 5 - 14 year-olds at 9.4%. This high proportion of young adults aged 25 - 34 is also well above the national share of 14.6%. Post-2021 Census data indicates the 15 to 24 cohort has increased from 9.6% to 11.6% of the population, and the 75 to 84 cohort rose from 6.0% to 7.8%. In contrast, the 45 to 54 cohort fell from 11.8% to 10.5% and the 65 to 74 group decreased from 11.3% to 10.0%. Long-term forecasts for 2041 point to significant changes in local demographics. Leading this transition, the 75 to 84 age bracket is projected to expand by 51% (466 people), growing from 912 to 1,379. This demographic aging trend is highlighted by the fact that seniors aged 65 and over will account for 62% of all projected population growth. Conversely, the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 age cohorts are projected to contract over this period.