Wulagi

An assessment of population growth drivers in Wulagi reveals an overall ranking slightly below national averages considering recent, and medium term trends

The population of the Wulagi statistical area (Lv2) was estimated at around 2,687 as of Nov 2025. This reflects an increase of 177 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 2,510. The change is inferred from AreaSearch's estimation following examination of the latest ERP data release by the ABS (June 2024) and address validation since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 2,132 persons per square kilometer, above the average seen across national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The Wulagi's growth rate of 7.1% since census positions it within 0.3 percentage points of the SA3 area (7.4%). Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration contributing approximately 52.0% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For areas not covered by this data and post-2032 growth estimation, AreaSearch applies growth rates by age cohort to each area, as provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Future population trends project an above median growth for statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch. The Wulagi (SA2) is expected to increase by 434 persons to 2041, reflecting a gain of 16.1% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Wulagi is very low in comparison to the average area assessed nationally by AreaSearch

Wulagi has seen no residential development approvals since 2017. This indicates that the area is largely built out with minimal vacant land for new developments. Established areas like Wulagi often experience steady demand for existing properties due to limited new-build alternatives.

Compared to Greater Darwin, Wulagi records significantly lower building activity, which typically reinforces demand and pricing for existing properties. Nationally, this level of activity reflects market maturity and suggests potential development constraints.

Wulagi has emerging levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 24thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified two projects likely impacting the area: Royal Darwin Hospital Mental Health Inpatient Unit and CSSD Upgrade, Northern Suburbs Youth Hub. Other key projects include Casuarina Square Redevelopment and Leanyer Primary School. The following list details those most 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.

Employment performance in Wulagi exceeds national averages across key labour market indicators

Wulagi has a skilled workforce with prominent representation in essential services sectors. Its unemployment rate was 3.5% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 1.8%.

As of September 2025, 1,439 residents were employed, and the unemployment rate was 0.3% higher than Greater Darwin's rate of 3.1%. Workforce participation was lower at 66.9%, compared to Greater Darwin's 69.7%. Employment is concentrated in public administration & safety, health care & social assistance, and education & training, with a particular specialisation in the latter, being 1.3 times the regional level. However, accommodation & food services have limited presence at 5.4%, compared to the regional average of 8.0%.

The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, as indicated by the difference between Census working population and resident population numbers. Over a 12-month period ending in September 2025, employment increased by 1.8% alongside labour force growth of 1.8%, keeping the unemployment rate relatively stable. In contrast, Greater Darwin experienced employment growth of 1.9% with a marginal rise in unemployment. State-level data up to November 25 shows NT employment contracted by 1.13%, losing 4,100 jobs, with an unemployment rate of 4.4%, closely aligned with the national rate of 4.3%. National employment forecasts from May-25 indicate a projected growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Wulagi's employment mix suggests local employment should increase by 6.4% over five years and 13.3% over ten years, though this is a simplified extrapolation for illustrative purposes 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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2023 shows Wulagi had a median income of $67,033 and an average income of $74,729. Nationally, the median was $51,849 with an average of $74,650. In Greater Darwin, the median was $66,956 and the average was $77,199. Based on Wage Price Index growth since financial year 2023, current estimates for Wulagi would be approximately $72,691 (median) and $81,036 (average) as of September 2025. Census 2021 data ranks Wulagi's household, family, and personal incomes between the 82nd and 85th percentiles nationally. The $1,500 - 2,999 earnings band captures 38.8% of Wulagi residents (1,042 individuals), similar to the broader area where 36.7% fall into this range. High earners make up 34.2% of Wulagi's population, indicating strong economic capacity. Housing accounts for 14.9% of income, and residents rank within the 85th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 5th decile.

Wulagi is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Wulagi, as per the latest Census evaluation, 98.2% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 1.8% being semi-detached, apartments, or other types. This contrasts with Darwin metro's composition of 68.4% houses and 31.6% other dwellings. Home ownership in Wulagi stood at 22.7%, higher than Darwin metro's level. The majority of dwellings were mortgaged (48.5%) or rented (28.8%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area was $2,000, lower than Darwin metro's average of $2,028. The median weekly rent figure in Wulagi was $425, compared to Darwin metro's $350. Nationally, Wulagi's mortgage repayments were higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Wulagi features high concentrations of family households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households account for 82.4% of all households, including 39.3% couples with children, 24.5% couples without children, and 17.2% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 17.6%, with lone person households at 13.4% and group households comprising 3.6%. The median household size is 2.9 people, larger than the Greater Darwin average of 2.7.

Educational outcomes in Wulagi fall within the lower quartile nationally, indicating opportunities for improvement in qualification attainment

In Wulagi trail, 26.2% of residents aged 15 and above hold university degrees, compared to 36.1% in the SA3 area. This indicates a gap highlighting potential for educational development and skills enhancement. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 17.2%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (6.2%) and graduate diplomas (2.8%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 38.1% of residents aged 15 and above holding vocational credentials – advanced diplomas (11.5%) and certificates (26.6%).

Educational participation is high, with 37.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 14.8% in primary education, 11.2% in secondary education, and 4.9% pursuing tertiary education.

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

Transport analysis shows 10 active stops in Wulagi served by buses. These stops are covered by 36 routes offering 1,906 weekly passenger trips. Residents' average distance to the nearest stop is 148 meters.

Daily service averages 272 trips across all routes, equating to about 190 weekly trips per stop.

Wulagi's residents boast exceedingly positive health performance metrics with younger cohorts in particular seeing very low prevalence of common health conditions

Health outcomes data shows excellent results in Wulagi, with younger age groups experiencing particularly low prevalence of common health conditions.

Approximately 56% (~1,512 people) of the total population has private health cover. The most prevalent medical conditions are asthma and arthritis, affecting 5.6% and 5.4% of residents respectively. A significant majority, 77.9%, report being completely free from medical ailments, compared to 77.0% in Greater Darwin. Wulagi has 11.7% (314 people) of its population aged 65 and over. While health outcomes among seniors are above average, they require more attention than the broader population.

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

Wulagi's population was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 25.0% born overseas and 21.5% speaking a language other than English at home. Christianity was the predominant religion in Wulagi as of 47.1%. However, Buddhism showed an overrepresentation at 4.0%, compared to Greater Darwin's 4.1%.

The top three ancestral groups were Australian (25.2%), English (18.4%), and Other (14.8%). Notably, Australian Aboriginal was overrepresented at 10.1% in Wulagi versus the regional average of 7.4%, Filipino at 3.4% compared to 4.7%, and Maori at 0.9% against the region's 0.5%.

Wulagi's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Wulagi's median age is 36, which is slightly higher than Greater Darwin's figure of 34 but lower than Australia's median age of 38. Compared to Greater Darwin, Wulagi has a higher proportion of residents aged 5-14 years (17.6%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 years (11.3%). This 5-14 concentration is well above the national average of 12.2%. Between the 2021 Census and now, the proportion of Wulagi's population aged 15 to 24 has grown from 11.3% to 12.9%, while the proportion of residents aged 75 to 84 has increased from 3.0% to 4.4%. Conversely, the proportion of residents aged 45 to 54 has declined from 15.6% to 14.4%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate significant demographic changes in Wulagi. The 45 to 54 age group is projected to grow by 23%, adding 87 residents and reaching a total of 474. Meanwhile, the 85+ age cohort is forecasted to remain unchanged with no growth (0 people).