Byford
Statistical Area - sa2

Byford lies within the top 10% of areas nationally in terms of population growth performance according to AreaSearch analysis of short and medium-term trends

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Byford's population is around 26,027 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 5,556 people (27.1%) since the 2021 Census which reported a population of 20,471 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 25,547 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 844 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 885 persons per square kilometer, which is relatively in line with averages seen across locations assessed by AreaSearch. Byford's 27.1% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the national average (8.6%), along with the state, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by interstate migration that contributed approximately 63.8% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers including natural growth and overseas migration were positive factors.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with 2022 as the base year. For any SA2 areas not covered by this data, and to estimate growth across all areas in the years post-2032, AreaSearch is utilising the growth rates by age cohort provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Moving forward with demographic trends, exceptional growth is predicted for Byford over the period, placing it in the top 10 percent of Australian statistical areas. It is expected to expand by 12,699 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, with an increase of 47.0% in total over the 17 years.

The level of residential development activity in Byford was found to be higher than 90% of real estate markets across the country

Byford has recorded approximately 364 residential properties granted approval each year. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, totalling 1,823 approvals across the past five financial years from FY-21 to FY-25, with an additional 75 approvals in FY-26 so far. On average, over these five years, each new home built accommodates around 3.2 new residents per year. This supply significantly lags demand, resulting in heightened buyer competition and pricing pressures.

New homes are being constructed at an average expected cost of $394,000, aligning with broader regional development trends. In FY-26, commercial development approvals have reached $23.5 million, indicating moderate levels of commercial development activity. Compared to Greater Perth, Byford shows moderately higher new home approvals, approximately 23.0% above the regional average per person over the past five years. This preserves reasonable buyer options while sustaining existing property demand.

However, building activity has slowed in recent years. Notably, all recent building activity consists of standalone homes, preserving the area's low-density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. The location currently has approximately 81 people per dwelling approval, indicating an expanding market. Future projections estimate Byford will add around 12,219 residents by 2041. Based on current development patterns, new housing supply should readily meet demand, offering good conditions for buyers and potentially facilitating population growth beyond current projections.

Byford has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 18thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 20 projects likely impacting the region. Notable initiatives include METRONET Byford Rail Extension, Byford Health Hub, Byford Mixed Commercial Development, and Grange Meadows Estate. The following details those most relevant.

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

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

Byford has a balanced workforce comprising both white and blue-collar jobs, with manufacturing and industrial sectors prominently represented. The unemployment rate is 3.3%, indicating strong employment growth of 2.8% over the past year.

As of June 2025, there are 13,745 employed residents, with an unemployment rate of 0.6% below Greater Perth's rate of 3.9%. The workforce participation rate is higher than standard at 72.4%, compared to Greater Perth's 65.2%. Key employment sectors include health care & social assistance, construction, and retail trade. Transport, postal & warehousing stands out with an employment share 1.5 times the regional level.

Conversely, professional & technical employs only 4.4% of local workers, below Greater Perth's 8.2%. Limited local employment opportunities are suggested by the Census working population count compared to resident population. Between June 2024 and June 2025, employment increased by 2.8%, while labour force grew by 3.1%, leading to a rise in unemployment rate of 0.2 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Perth saw employment grow by 3.7% and unemployment rise by 0.1 percentage points. Statewide, WA's employment contracted by 0.82% (losing 14,590 jobs) as of Sep-25, with a state unemployment rate of 4.3%, compared to the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts from May 2025 project growth of 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Byford's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 5.9% over five years and 12.6% over ten years, though these are simple extrapolations for illustrative purposes only.

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

AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Byford had a median taxpayer income of $61,324 and an average income of $74,365. These figures are higher than national averages of $58,380 and $78,020 in Greater Perth respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth from financial year 2022 to March 2025 (11.61%), estimated incomes for Byford would be approximately $68,444 (median) and $82,999 (average). Census data indicates household, family, and personal incomes in Byford are at the 72nd percentile nationally. Income distribution shows that 44.5% of individuals earn between $1,500 - 2,999 annually, which is consistent with broader regional trends (32.0%). Housing costs consume 17.4% of income in Byford, but strong earnings place disposable income at the 69th percentile nationally. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the fifth decile.

Byford is characterized by a predominantly suburban housing profile, with a higher proportion of rental properties than the broader region

Byford's dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, consisted of 98.6% houses and 1.4% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). Perth metro had 97.8% houses and 2.2% other dwellings. Home ownership in Byford was at 15.6%, with mortgaged dwellings at 69.5% and rented dwellings at 14.9%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,914, lower than Perth metro's average of $1,971. The median weekly rent in Byford was $380, matching the Perth metro figure. Nationally, Byford's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,914 compared to the Australian average of $1,863. Rentals in Byford exceeded the national average of $375 with a median weekly rent of $380.

Byford features high concentrations of family households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households constitute 82.9% of all households, consisting of couples with children (46.3%), couples without children (23.3%), and single parent families (12.3%). Non-family households comprise the remaining 17.1%, with lone person households at 15.0% and group households comprising 2.1%. The median household size is 3.0 people, which aligns with the Greater Perth average.

Byford shows below-average educational performance compared to national benchmarks, though pockets of achievement exist

The area's university qualification rate is 15.3%, significantly lower than the Australian average of 30.4%. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for targeted educational initiatives. Bachelor degrees are most common at 10.8%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (2.6%) and graduate diplomas (1.9%). Trade and technical skills are prominent, with 46.0% of residents aged 15+ holding vocational credentials - advanced diplomas (11.6%) and certificates (34.4%).

Educational participation is high at 32.6%, including 14.3% in primary education, 8.4% in secondary education, and 2.9% pursuing tertiary education. Byford has a robust network of 8 schools educating approximately 5,151 students, with typical Australian school conditions (ICSEA: 990) and balanced educational opportunities. The educational mix includes 6 primary, 1 secondary, and 1 K-12 school.

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

The analysis of public transport in Byford shows that there are 90 active transport stops currently operating. These stops offer a mix of train and bus services. The area is served by 5 individual routes in total, which together provide 392 weekly passenger trips.

Transport accessibility is rated as good, with residents on average located just 375 meters away from the nearest transport stop. Service frequency across all routes averages out to 56 trips per day, equating to approximately 4 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Byford's health outcomes data shows excellent results, notably with younger age groups having very low prevalence of common health conditions.

Approximately 56% (~14,705 people) of Byford's total population has private health cover. The most prevalent medical conditions are mental health issues and asthma, affecting 8.3 and 7.9% of residents respectively. About 74.0% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 72.5% in Greater Perth. Only 8.7% (2,256 people) of Byford's population is aged 65 and over, lower than Greater Perth's 11.1%. However, health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population.

Byford 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

Byford's population, as per the Australian Census conducted on the 9th of August 2016, showed a higher level of linguistic diversity with 14.9% speaking a language other than English at home compared to most local markets. Additionally, 28.4% of Byford's residents were born overseas. Christianity was found to be the dominant religion in Byford, comprising 38.6% of its population.

However, the proportion of people identifying with 'Other' religions stood at 3.0%, higher than Greater Perth's average of 2.1%. In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (31.4%), Australian (27.0%), and Other (9.8%). Notably, Dutch ancestry was overrepresented in Byford at 2.8% compared to the regional average of 3.4%, South African ancestry stood at 1.3% versus 1.1% regionally, and New Zealand ancestry was also higher at 1.3% compared to 1.2%.

Byford hosts a very young demographic, ranking in the bottom 10% of areas nationwide

Byford's median age in 2021 was 31 years, which is lower than the Greater Perth average of 37 and significantly below the Australian median of 38. Compared to Greater Perth, Byford had a higher percentage of residents aged 5-14 (18.3%) but fewer residents aged 65-74 (5.4%). This 5-14 age group was well above the national average of 12.2%. Between 2021 and the present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 11.0% to 12.7% of Byford's population. Conversely, the 25 to 34 age group decreased from 17.8% to 15.8%, and the 0 to 4 age group dropped from 10.3% to 8.6%. Demographic projections suggest that Byford's age profile will change significantly by 2041, with the 45 to 54 age cohort expected to expand considerably, increasing from 2,797 people in 2021 to a projected total of 4,971 people by 2041, an increase of 2,173 people or 78%.