Glen Forrest - Darlington
Statistical Area - sa2

Glen Forrest - Darlington is positioned among the lower quartile of areas assessed nationally for population growth based on AreaSearch's assessment of recent, and medium term trends

Glen Forrest - Darlington's population is around 7,715 as of Aug 2025. This reflects an increase of 492 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 7,223 people. The change is inferred from the estimated resident population of 7,697 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 9 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equates to a density ratio of 136 persons per square kilometer. Glen Forrest - Darlington's growth rate of 6.8% since the census positions it close to the national average of 8.6%. Population growth was primarily driven by overseas migration, contributing approximately 61.2% of overall population gains during recent periods.

AreaSearch is adopting ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, as released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and to estimate growth post-2032, AreaSearch uses growth rates by age cohort provided by the ABS in its latest Greater Capital Region projections (released in 2023, based on 2022 data). Based on current demographic trends, Glen Forrest - Darlington is expected to grow by 327 persons to reach a population of around 8,042 by 2041, with an overall increase of approximately 4.0% over the 17-year period.

Residential development activity is lower than average in Glen Forrest - Darlington according to AreaSearch's national comparison of local real estate markets

Glen Forrest - Darlington has recorded approximately 8 residential properties granted approval annually. Development approval data is produced by the ABS on a financial year basis, totalling 40 approvals across the past five financial years from FY21 to FY25, with no approvals so far in FY26. An average of 8.7 people have moved to the area per dwelling built over these five years, indicating high demand outpacing supply, which typically influences prices upwards and intensifies competition among buyers. New homes are being constructed at an average value of $631,000, suggesting developers target premium market segments with higher-end properties.

In FY26, $3.0 million in commercial approvals have been registered, reflecting the area's residential character. Compared to Greater Perth, Glen Forrest - Darlington has significantly lower building activity, 76.0% below the regional average per person, which usually reinforces demand and pricing for existing dwellings. This is also below national averages, indicating maturity and possible planning constraints in the area. Recent development has exclusively consisted of detached dwellings, preserving its low-density nature and attracting space-seeking buyers. There are an estimated 1743 people in the area per dwelling approval, reflecting a quiet, low-activity development environment.

Population forecasts suggest Glen Forrest - Darlington will gain 309 residents by 2041, with building activity keeping pace with growth projections despite potential heightened competition among buyers as population grows.

Glen Forrest - Darlington has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 10thth percentile nationally

No changes were made to the infrastructure in the area as identified by AreaSearch. Zero projects are expected to impact this region. Notable initiatives include City of Swan Water Upgrades, Perth Active Transport Improvements, EastLink WA, and METRONET. The following details those considered most relevant.

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

AreaSearch analysis of employment trends sees Glen Forrest - Darlington performing better than 90% of local markets assessed across Australia

Glen Forrest - Darlington has a highly educated workforce with significant representation in essential services sectors. The unemployment rate was 1.5% as of June 2025, with an estimated employment growth of 4.1% over the past year.

In June 2025, 4,532 residents were employed while the unemployment rate was 2.4 percentage points lower than Greater Perth's rate of 3.9%. Workforce participation in Glen Forrest - Darlington was on par with Greater Perth's rate of 65.2%. Key industries employing residents included education & training, health care & social assistance, and professional & technical services. Notably, employment levels in education & training were at 1.5 times the regional average, while accommodation & food services showed lower representation at 4.5% compared to the regional average of 6.8%.

AreaSearch analysis of SALM and ABS data indicated that during the year to June 2025, employment levels increased by 4.1%, with labour force increasing by 4.2%, keeping unemployment relatively stable. In comparison, Greater Perth recorded employment growth of 3.7% and labour force growth of 3.8%, with unemployment rising slightly by 0.1 percentage points. State-level data to Sep-25 showed WA employment contracted by 0.82% (losing 14,590 jobs), with the state unemployment rate at 4.3%. This compared favourably to the national unemployment rate of 4.5%, but lagged behind the national employment growth of 0.26%. Jobs and Skills Australia's national employment forecasts from May 2025 projected national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 13.7% over ten years, with differing growth rates between industry sectors. Applying these projections to Glen Forrest - Darlington's employment mix suggested local growth of approximately 6.3% over five years and 13.4% over ten years.

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

Glen Forrest - Darlington's median income among taxpayers was $60,112 and average income stood at $85,665 in the financial year 2022, according to ATO data aggregated by AreaSearch. This compares to Greater Perth's figures of $58,380 and $78,020 respectively. By March 2025, estimated median income would be approximately $67,091 and average income $95,611, based on Wage Price Index growth of 11.61% since financial year 2022. Census figures from 2021 place Glen Forrest - Darlington's household, family, and personal incomes between the 69th and 83rd percentiles nationally. Income distribution shows that 29.8% of residents (2,299 people) fall into the $1,500 - $2,999 bracket, mirroring regional levels where 32.0% occupy this bracket. The area demonstrates affluence with 36.0% earning over $3,000 per week, supporting premium retail and service offerings. After housing costs, residents retain 88.5% of income, reflecting strong purchasing power. Glen Forrest - Darlington's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 8th decile.

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

In Glen Forrest-Darlington, as per the most recent Census, 98.7% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 1.3% being semi-detached homes, apartments, or other types. This contrasts with Perth metropolitan area's figures of 94.8% houses and 5.1% other dwellings. Home ownership in Glen Forrest-Darlington stood at 42.4%, with mortgaged properties making up 51.3% and rented dwellings comprising 6.2%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,015, surpassing Perth metro's average of $1,950. Weekly rent in Glen Forrest-Darlington averaged $400, higher than the Perth metro figure of $330 but lower than the national averages for mortgage repayments ($1,863) and rents ($375).

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

Family households account for 81.6% of all households, including 39.4% couples with children, 32.6% couples without children, and 8.6% single parent families. Non-family households make up the remaining 18.4%, with lone person households at 17.0% and group households comprising 1.6% of the total. The median household size is 2.7 people, which is larger than the Greater Perth average of 2.6 people.

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

Educational attainment in Glen Forrest - Darlington is notably high, with 37.3% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This figure exceeds the SA3 area average of 21.3% and the SA4 region average of 24.3%. The most common university qualification is a bachelor degree, held by 24.3% of residents, followed by postgraduate qualifications (8.3%) and graduate diplomas (4.7%). Vocational credentials are also prevalent, with 34.0% of residents aged 15 and above holding such qualifications.

This includes advanced diplomas (13.0%) and certificates (21.0%). Educational participation is high, with 29.5% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes primary education (10.1%), secondary education (9.1%), and tertiary education (4.9%). Glen Forrest - Darlington's five schools have a combined enrollment of 1,508 students. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions, with an ICSEA score of 1088. The educational mix includes three primary schools and two K-12 schools. School capacity exceeds typical residential needs, with 19.6 places per 100 residents compared to the regional average of 14.5, indicating that the area serves as an educational center for the broader region. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

Glen Forrest - Darlington has 84 active public transport stops. These are served by buses via four routes that offer a combined total of 378 weekly passenger trips. The area's transport accessibility is rated as moderate, with residents located an average of 450 meters from the nearest stop.

Services run on average 54 times daily across all routes, translating to roughly four weekly trips per individual stop.

The level of general health in Glen Forrest - Darlington is notably higher than the national average with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Glen Forrest - Darlington showed superior health outcomes for both younger and older residents, with low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 63% of its total population of 4,883 had private health cover, higher than Greater Perth's 56.3% and the national average of 55.3%. The most prevalent medical conditions were arthritis (affecting 8.6%) and mental health issues (8.4%).

A significant portion, 70.1%, reported being free from medical ailments, compared to Greater Perth's 67.2%. As of a certain date, 22.4% of residents were aged 65 and over, totaling 1,732 people, higher than Greater Perth's 21.2%. Despite this, health outcomes among seniors were particularly strong, outperforming the general population in various health metrics.

In terms of cultural diversity, Glen Forrest - Darlington records figures broadly comparable to the national average, as found in AreaSearch's assessment of a number of language and cultural background related metrics

Glen Forrest-Darlington's cultural diversity aligns with the broader regional average, with 71.8% of residents born in Australia, 90.9% being citizens, and 94.4% speaking English only at home. Christianity is the predominant religion (39.0%), but Judaism is overrepresented at 0.4%, compared to 0.1% regionally. The top three ancestry groups are English (35.7%), Australian (25.6%), and Scottish (8.1%).

Notably, Welsh (1.1%) and Dutch (2.5%) are also overrepresented in Glen Forrest-Darlington compared to regional averages of 0.9% and 2.0%, respectively.

Glen Forrest - Darlington hosts an older demographic, ranking in the top quartile nationwide

The median age in Glen Forrest - Darlington is 45 years, which is significantly higher than Greater Perth's average of 37 years and Australia's average of 38 years. Compared to Greater Perth, Glen Forrest - Darlington has a higher proportion of residents aged 55-64 (15.4%) but fewer residents aged 25-34 (6.3%). According to the 2021 Census, the population aged 75-84 has increased from 6.5% to 8.2%, while the 45-54 age group has decreased from 15.6% to 14.3%. By 2041, demographic projections indicate significant shifts in Glen Forrest - Darlington's age structure. The 75-84 age group is expected to grow by 47%, reaching 931 people from 631. Notably, the combined age groups of 65 and above will account for 92% of total population growth, reflecting the area's aging demographic profile. In contrast, both the 25-34 and 0-4 age groups are projected to decrease in numbers.