Portarlington

Portarlington has an estimated 10,882 residents, up from 9,536 at the 2021 Census — a change of 1,346 people, or 14.1%. Growth has averaged 4.1% a year over five years, faster than 83% of areas nationally. 598 new addresses have been validated here since Census night. Interstate and internal migration accounts for 93.4% of that increase. That puts 151 residents on each square kilometre. Population is estimated from ABS Estimated Resident Population releases and GNAF address data, re-based from the 2021 Census and updated annually.

1,413 new dwellings have been approved in Portarlington over the past five years, an average of 282 a year. That places the area in the 90th percentile for residential development activity nationally, about 26 approvals per 1,000 residents a year. Of the 204 dwellings approved in the latest reporting year, 75% were detached houses and the rest townhouses or apartments. Approvals are currently running at an annualised 208, well below that longer-run average. Figures come from ABS building approvals aggregated to this SA2 boundary and are updated monthly as the ABS releases them.

AreaSearch tracks 19 current infrastructure and development projects inside Portarlington, worth an estimated $552 million. A further 134 sit in the immediately surrounding suburbs, taking the tracked pipeline within reach of the area to $33.7 billion. 51 are already under construction and 48 are due for completion within three years. The pipeline spans residential development, communities, precincts & urban renewal and transport & logistics. Records are compiled from Infrastructure Australia, state agencies, council planning portals and public announcements, reviewed and updated daily, then ranked by proximity, construction stage, completion horizon and project scale.

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4,227 residents of Portarlington are employed, from a labour force of 4,500. Unemployment sits at 6.1%, with participation at 46.1%. Weighted for its industry mix, the area's sectors are forecast to grow about 6.7% nationally over five years. That reflects industry composition only and makes no allowance for local population growth, so in an area growing as fast as this one it understates the likely rise in local jobs. The working-day population is estimated at 9,589, about 88% of the resident population, so more people leave the area for work than travel in. Unemployment and labour force come from ABS Small Area Labour Markets, updated quarterly; the industry and occupation profile is from the 2021 Census.

Median household income in Portarlington is $1,139 a week (about $59,000 a year), with median personal income at $605 a week. ATO records put median taxable income at $45,132 a year against an average of $59,460. Household income is from the 2021 Census; taxable income is from ATO Taxation Statistics for the latest financial year available, indexed forward using the ABS Wage Price Index.

Portarlington had 4,135 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, 93% detached houses and 0% apartments. 24% are owned with a mortgage, 22% rented and 55% owned outright. At that Census the median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,667 a month. Rent absorbs 29.9% of household income here and mortgage repayments 33.8%. Dwelling stock, tenure and housing costs are 2021 Census measures — the only source that counts dwellings at this boundary size.

Portarlington counted 4,135 households at the 2021 Census, an estimated 4,719 today, averaging 2.1 people each. 16% are couples with children, fewer than in 93% of areas nationally, against 42% couples without children. 31% of households are people living alone, and families average 1.9 children. Household and family composition is measured only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.

22.4% of adults in Portarlington hold a university qualification, including 14.0% with a bachelor degree and 5.0% with postgraduate qualifications. A further 26.5% hold a vocational qualification. 2 schools serve the area, with 337 enrolment places and an average ICSEA of 990 against a national benchmark of 1,000. Qualifications come from the 2021 Census; school enrolments, ICSEA and results come from ACARA's current release.

Public transport in Portarlington reaches 91 stops on 4 routes, timetabled for about 460 services a week. The typical home sits about 280 m from its nearest stop. Households keep an average of 1.4 vehicles. Stop and service counts are built from operators' published GTFS timetables and refresh with each timetable release; vehicle ownership is from the 2021 Census.

56.4% of residents in Portarlington report no long-term health condition. 7.3% need daily assistance with core activities, and 48.9% hold private health cover. The standardised death rate runs at 4.9 per 1,000 residents. Health conditions, assistance needs and insurance are 2021 Census measures; the death rate comes from current ABS releases.

Portarlington is largely Australian-born, at 82.2% of residents, with 7.4% speaking a language other than English at home. The largest reported ancestries are English (31.1%) and Australian (25.5%). Ancestry, language and country of birth are counted only by the Census, so these are 2021 figures.

The median resident of Portarlington is 59, older than 98% of areas nationally. 13.5% of residents are aged 15 to 34. Age cohorts are not raw Census counts: the Census split is re-based to the latest ABS population estimates and state projections.