Fremantle - South
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Fremantle - South's population was approximately 16,959 as of August 2025. This figure represents a growth of 1,587 people since the 2021 Census, which recorded a population of 15,372. The increase is inferred from the ABS estimated resident population of 16,920 in June 2024 and an additional 37 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 2,323 persons per square kilometer, placing Fremantle - South in the upper quartile nationally according to AreaSearch's assessment. The area's growth rate of 10.3% since the 2021 census surpassed the national average of 8.6%, indicating it as a region with significant population growth. Overseas migration accounted for approximately 74.9% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all factors including natural growth and interstate migration contributed positively to this growth.

AreaSearch is using ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area released in 2024 based on data from 2022, and for areas not covered by this data, they are employing the growth rates by age cohort provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections released in 2023 using 2022 data. Future demographic trends suggest an above median population growth across statistical areas nationally, with Fremantle - South projected to grow by 2,599 persons by 2041 based on current population numbers, indicating a total increase of 15.1% over the seventeen-year period.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Fremantle - South among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Fremantle - South has recorded approximately 52 residential properties granted approval annually. Development approval data is produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on a financial year basis, showing 261 homes over the past five financial years from FY-21 to FY-25, with three approved so far in FY-26. On average, 5.8 people moved to the area annually for each dwelling built between FY-21 and FY-25, indicating supply lagging demand and potentially heightened buyer competition. New properties are constructed at an average expected cost of $557,000, slightly above the regional average, suggesting a focus on quality developments.

This financial year has seen $14.9 million in commercial development approvals, demonstrating moderate levels of commercial development. Compared to Greater Perth, Fremantle - South has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and ranks among the 52nd percentile nationally when assessed for new dwelling approvals, suggesting a developed market with established nature and potential planning limitations. Recent construction comprises 67.0% standalone homes and 33.0% medium to high-density housing, offering options across different price points. With around 380 people per dwelling approval, Fremantle - South is projected to add 2,560 residents by 2041.

If current construction levels persist, housing supply may lag population growth, potentially intensifying buyer competition and underpinning price growth.

Fremantle - South has moderate levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 44thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly influence an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 17 projects likely impacting the area. Notable projects are Stockland Nara, Nightingale Fremantle, OneOneFive Hamilton Hill, and Monument East. The following details those most relevant.

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

The labour market in Fremantle - South demonstrates typical performance when compared to similar areas across Australia

Fremantle - South has a highly educated workforce with essential services sectors well represented. Its unemployment rate was 4.2% in the past year, with an estimated employment growth of 5.0%.

As of June 2025, 9,799 residents are employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.2%, which is 0.3% higher than Greater Perth's rate of 3.9%. Workforce participation in Fremantle - South is lower at 62.8%, compared to Greater Perth's 65.2%. Employment among residents is concentrated in health care & social assistance, education & training, and professional & technical services. Notably, employment levels in education & training are at 1.5 times the regional average, while retail trade employs only 7.0% of local workers, below Greater Perth's 9.3%.

The area appears to offer limited local employment opportunities, indicated by the Census working population vs resident population count. During the year to June 2025, employment levels increased by 5.0%, and labour force increased by 5.8%, causing the unemployment rate to rise by 0.7 percentage points. In comparison, Greater Perth recorded employment growth of 3.7% and a slight rise in unemployment. State-level data from Sep-25 shows WA employment contracted by 0.82%, with an unemployment rate of 4.3%. Nationally, the unemployment rate was 4.5%, with national employment growth at 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years. Applying these projections to Fremantle - South's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 6.7% over five years and 13.9% over ten years, based on simple weighting extrapolation for illustrative purposes.

Income analysis reveals strong economic positioning, with the area outperforming 60% of locations assessed nationally by AreaSearch

According to AreaSearch's aggregation of the latest postcode level ATO data released on June 30, 2022, Fremantle - South had a median income among taxpayers of $57,888 with an average level of $80,603. These figures are significantly higher than national levels and compare to median and average incomes of $58,380 and $78,020 across Greater Perth respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.61% since June 30, 2022, current estimates for Fremantle - South would be approximately $64,609 (median) and $89,961 (average) as of March 2025. Census data indicates that household, family, and personal incomes in Fremantle - South cluster around the 58th percentile nationally. Income analysis shows that the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket dominates with 27.4% of residents, reflecting similar patterns seen across the region where 32.0% occupy this income range. After housing expenses, 85.0% of income remains for other expenses. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 7th decile.

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

Dwelling structure in Fremantle - South, as per the latest Census, consists of 76.9% houses and 23.1% other dwellings (semi-detached, apartments, 'other' dwellings). In comparison, Perth metro has 61.2% houses and 38.8% other dwellings. Home ownership in Fremantle - South is at 36.2%, similar to Perth metro's level. The remaining dwellings are either mortgaged (37.2%) or rented (26.6%). The median monthly mortgage repayment in the area is $2,071, below Perth metro's average of $2,167. The median weekly rent figure is $350, compared to Perth metro's $379. Nationally, Fremantle - South's mortgage repayments are higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents are lower than the national figure of $375.

Fremantle - South features high concentrations of group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 65.8% of all households, consisting of 27.2% couples with children, 26.5% couples without children, and 11.1% single parent families. Non-family households constitute the remaining 34.2%, with lone person households at 29.2% and group households comprising 4.9% of the total. The median household size is 2.3 people, which aligns with the Greater Perth average.

The educational profile of Fremantle - South exceeds national averages, with above-average qualification levels and academic performance metrics

Educational attainment in Fremantle - South shows that 40.3% of residents aged 15 and above hold university qualifications, compared to 27.9% in Western Australia and 28.6% in the SA4 region. Bachelor degrees are most prevalent at 25.7%, followed by postgraduate qualifications at 9.9% and graduate diplomas at 4.7%. Vocational credentials are also prominent, with 29.0% of residents holding such qualifications, including advanced diplomas (10.8%) and certificates (18.2%). Educational participation is high, with 27.6% of residents currently enrolled in formal education.

This includes 8.2% in primary education, 7.1% in secondary education, and 7.0% pursuing tertiary education. There are 8 schools operating within Fremantle - South, educating approximately 4,526 students. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions with an ICSEA score of 1054. Education provision is balanced with 6 primary and 2 secondary schools serving distinct age groups. School capacity exceeds typical residential needs, with 26.7 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 19.8, indicating that Fremantle - South serves as an educational center for the broader region.

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

Fremantle-South has 106 active public transport stops, all serving buses. These are covered by 18 different routes, offering a total of 3,393 weekly passenger trips. The average distance to the nearest stop for residents is 163 meters.

On average, there are 484 bus trips daily across all routes, equating to about 32 weekly trips per individual stop.

Fremantle - South's residents are relatively healthy in comparison to broader Australia with a fairly standard level of common health conditions seen across both young and old age cohorts

Fremantle's health metrics closely align with national benchmarks. Common health conditions are seen across both younger and older age groups.

Private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 60% of the total population (10,141 people), compared to 67.0% across Greater Perth. Mental health issues and arthritis are the most common medical conditions, affecting 8.9% and 8.2% of residents respectively. 69.1% of residents report no medical ailments, compared to 69.6% in Greater Perth. The area has 20.7% (3,512 people) of residents aged 65 and over. Health outcomes among seniors are above average, outperforming the general population in health metrics.

Fremantle - South 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

Fremantle-South was found to be more culturally diverse than most local markets, with 14.6% of its population speaking a language other than English at home as of the 2016 Census. It also had a higher proportion of overseas-born residents, at 30.6%. Christianity was the predominant religion in Fremantle-South, comprising 38.8% of the population.

However, Judaism was notably overrepresented compared to Greater Perth, making up 0.3% versus 0.2%. In terms of ancestry, the top three groups were English (29.7%), Australian (20.4%), and Irish (9.6%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: Croatian was slightly overrepresented at 1.7% compared to the regional figure of 1.4%, while French and Welsh populations were roughly equal across Fremantle-South and Greater Perth, at 1.0%.

Fremantle - South hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Fremantle - South is 42 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Perth's average of 37 years and older than Australia's median age of 38 years. The 55-64 age group constitutes 12.9% of the population compared to Greater Perth, while the 25-34 cohort makes up 12.3%. According to post-2021 Census data, the 75 to 84 age group has increased from 6.2% to 7.0%, whereas the 0 to 4 cohort has decreased from 6.2% to 5.3%. Population forecasts for 2041 indicate substantial demographic changes in Fremantle - South. The 75 to 84 age group is projected to grow by 62% (736 people), reaching 1,929 from 1,192. Notably, the combined 65+ age groups will account for 58% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. Conversely, the 5 to 14 and 0 to 4 cohorts are expected to experience population declines.