Mount Hawthorn - Leederville
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville's population, as of Aug 2025, is approximately 13,223. This figure represents an increase of 1,351 people since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 11,872. The rise is inferred from ABS data showing an estimated resident population of 13,168 as of June 2024 and an additional 139 validated new addresses since the Census date. This results in a population density ratio of 3,390 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile compared to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. The area's growth rate of 11.4% since the 2021 census exceeds the national average of 8.6%, indicating it as a region with significant population growth. Overseas migration contributed approximately 74.9% of overall population gains in recent periods, driving this growth.

AreaSearch employs ABS/Geoscience Australia projections for each SA2 area, released in 2024 with a base year of 2022. For areas not covered by this data and post-2032 estimates, 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). Future population projections indicate above median growth for statistical areas analysed by AreaSearch. The area is expected to expand by 2,175 persons to 2041, with an overall increase of 16.0% over the 17-year period.

Recent residential development output has been above average within Mount Hawthorn - Leederville when compared nationally

Mount Hawthorn-Leederville has seen approximately 63 new homes approved annually. The Australian Bureau of Statistics produces development approval data on a financial year basis, with 317 dwellings approved over the past five years (between FY21 and FY25), and 6 recorded so far in FY26. On average, 4.2 people move to the area for each dwelling built annually over these five years. This demand outpaces supply, exerting upward pressure on prices and increasing competition among buyers.

New dwellings are developed at an average expected construction cost of $880,000, indicating a focus on the premium market segment with higher-end properties. In FY26, $54.3 million in commercial approvals have been registered, demonstrating high levels of local commercial activity. Compared to Greater Perth, Mount Hawthorn-Leederville has around two-thirds the rate of new dwelling approvals per person and places among the 26th percentile nationally, resulting in relatively constrained buyer choice and supporting interest in existing dwellings.

New development consists predominantly of detached houses (88.0%) and townhouses or apartments (12.0%), sustaining the area's suburban identity with a concentration of family homes suited to buyers seeking space. Notably, developers are building more traditional houses than the current mix suggests (64.0% at Census), indicating continued strong demand for family homes. With around 701 people per approval, Mount Hawthorn-Leederville shows a mature, established area. By 2041, it is expected to grow by approximately 2,120 residents. Construction maintains a reasonable pace with projected growth, although buyers may encounter growing competition as population increases.

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 8thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch identified 26 projects likely influencing the region. Key initiatives include Scarborough Beach Road Streetscape Upgrade, Sullivan Logistics Stadium (Leederville Oval) Redevelopment, Underground Power Project North Perth/Mt Hawthorn, and Smart Parking Technology Trial. The following list details those most relevant.

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

While Mount Hawthorn - Leederville retains a healthy unemployment rate of 3.6%, recent employment declines have impacted its national performance ranking

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville has an educated workforce with strong professional services representation and a low unemployment rate of 3.6% as of June 2025. The area's employment rate is 0.2% below Greater Perth's rate of 3.9%, with a workforce participation rate of 74.4%.

Key industries include health care & social assistance, professional & technical services, and education & training. The area specializes in professional & technical services with an employment share 1.8 times the regional level, while manufacturing has limited presence at 2.9% compared to the regional 5.5%. There are 0.8 workers per resident, indicating above-average local employment opportunities. Between Jun-24 and Jun-25, labour force decreased by 1.4% and employment by 2.3%, raising unemployment by 0.9 percentage points.

In comparison, Greater Perth had employment growth of 3.7%. State-level data to Sep-25 shows WA employment contracted by 0.82%, with an unemployment rate of 4.3% compared to the national rate of 4.5%. National employment forecasts project a 6.6% increase over five years and 13.7% over ten years, but local growth may differ based on industry-specific projections.

The economic profile demonstrates exceptional strength, placing the area among the top 10% nationally based on comprehensive AreaSearch income analysis

AreaSearch's aggregation of ATO data for financial year 2022 shows Mount Hawthorn - Leederville had a median taxpayer income of $70,474 and an average income of $98,941. Nationally, these figures rank in the top percentile. In Greater Perth, the median and average incomes are $58,380 and $78,020 respectively. Based on Wage Price Index growth from financial year 2022 to March 2025 (an increase of 11.61%), estimated current incomes would be approximately $78,656 (median) and $110,428 (average). Census 2021 income data ranks Mount Hawthorn - Leederville between the 93rd and 94th percentiles nationally for household, family, and personal incomes. The area has a high proportion of residents in the $4000+ income bracket, with 30.4% (4,019 people), differing from surrounding regions where the $1,500 - 2,999 bracket is predominant at 32.0%. Notably, 44.5% of residents earn more than $3,000 weekly, indicating strong purchasing power. Housing expenses account for 13.5% of income, and residents rank in the 94th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

Mount Hawthorn-Leederville dwelling structure, as per the latest Census, had 64.4% houses and 35.6% other dwellings. In comparison, Perth metro had 37.1% houses and 62.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Mount Hawthorn-Leederville was at 27.9%, with mortgaged dwellings at 39.2% and rented ones at 33.0%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,383, above Perth metro's $2,167. Median weekly rent was $425 compared to Perth metro's $390. Nationally, Mount Hawthorn-Leederville's mortgage repayments were higher at $1,863 and rents were substantially above the national figure of $375.

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville features high concentrations of group households, with a higher-than-average median household size

Family households compose 68.0% of all households, including 32.7% couples with children, 25.9% couples without children, and 8.1% single parent families. Non-family households account for the remaining 32.0%, with lone person households at 26.9% and group households comprising 5.0%. The median household size is 2.4 people, which is larger than the Greater Perth average of 2.1.

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Mount Hawthorn-Leederville exceeds broader benchmarks. 52.6% of residents aged 15 and above hold university qualifications, compared to 27.9% in Western Australia and 30.1% in Greater Perth. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 34.1%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (12.8%) and graduate diplomas (5.7%). Vocational pathways account for 23.0% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas at 9.9% and certificates at 13.1%.

Educational participation is high, with 30.0% of residents currently enrolled in formal education: 9.7% in primary, 7.6% in secondary, and 7.3% pursuing tertiary education. There are 8 schools operating within Mount Hawthorn-Leederville, educating approximately 2,270 students. The area demonstrates above-average socio-educational conditions (ICSEA: 1072). The educational mix includes 3 primary, 4 secondary, and 1 K-12 school. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to the parent campus.

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

Mount Hawthorn-Leederville has 68 active public transport stops, all bus routes. Eight different routes serve these stops, offering a total of 1,737 weekly passenger trips. Residents enjoy excellent transport accessibility, with an average distance of 152 meters to the nearest stop.

Service frequency stands at 248 trips per day across all routes, translating to about 25 weekly trips per individual stop.

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

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville's health outcomes show excellent results, with younger cohorts having a very low prevalence of common health conditions. Approximately 71% of its total population of 9,388 people have private health cover, significantly higher than the national average of 55.3%.

The most prevalent medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and asthma, affecting 8.6 and 6.9% of residents respectively. A majority, 74.6%, report being completely free from medical ailments, comparable to Greater Perth's 74.5%. The area has a lower proportion of seniors aged 65 and over at 12.8% (1,685 people) compared to Greater Perth's 15.1%. However, health outcomes among seniors require more attention than the broader population.

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville 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

Mount Hawthorn-Leederville showed higher cultural diversity than most local areas, with 15.3% speaking a language other than English at home and 28.6% born overseas. Christianity dominated the religious landscape, at 41.5%. Judaism was overrepresented at 0.7%, compared to 0.6% in Greater Perth.

In ancestry, English (26.2%), Australian (21.8%), and Irish (9.1%) were the top groups. Italian (7.7%) was notably higher than regional levels (5.3%). Welsh (0.8%) and Polish (1.0%) also showed slight overrepresentation.

Mount Hawthorn - Leederville's population is slightly younger than the national pattern

Mount Hawthorn-Leederville has a median age of 37, which is equal to Greater Perth's figure and comparable to Australia's median age of 38. The age group of 35-44 is strongly represented at 17.2%, compared to Greater Perth, while the 75-84 cohort is less prevalent at 3.5%. Between 2021 and present, the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 10.4% to 11.5% of the population. Conversely, the 45 to 54 age group has declined from 15.0% to 13.6%, and the 0 to 4 age group has dropped from 6.6% to 5.5%. Looking ahead to 2041, demographic projections show significant shifts in Mount Hawthorn-Leederville's age structure. The 75 to 84 age group is projected to grow by 104%, adding 485 people and reaching a total of 952 from the current figure of 466. Meanwhile, both the 0 to 4 and 5 to 14 age groups are expected to decrease in numbers.