Subiaco - Shenton Park
Statistical Area - sa2

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

Based on AreaSearch's analysis, Subiaco-Shenton Park's population was around 20,873 as of November 2025. This reflected an increase of 3,346 people (19.1%) since the 2021 Census, which reported a population of 17,527 people. The change was inferred from the estimated resident population of 20,025 from the ABS as of June 2024 and an additional 919 validated new addresses since the Census date. This level of population equated to a density ratio of 2,676 persons per square kilometer, placing it in the upper quartile relative to national locations assessed by AreaSearch. Subiaco-Shenton Park's 19.1% growth since the 2021 census exceeded the national average (8.9%), along with the state, marking it as a growth leader in the region. Population growth for the area was primarily driven by overseas migration that contributed approximately 83.2% of overall population gains during recent periods, although all drivers including interstate migration and natural growth 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). As we examine future population trends, an above median population growth of statistical areas across the nation is projected, with the area expected to expand by 3,713 persons to 2041 based on the latest population numbers, reflecting an increase of 13.3% in total over the 17 years.

AreaSearch assessment of residential development activity positions Subiaco - Shenton Park among the top 25% of areas assessed nationwide

Subiaco-Shenton Park averaged approximately 386 new dwelling approvals annually. Between FY21-FY25, 1,932 homes were approved, with 117 more expected in FY26. Over these five years, an average of 1.1 people moved to the area per dwelling built.

This balance suggests stable market conditions, with new homes valued at around $290,000 on average. In FY26, commercial development approvals totalled $173.0 million, indicating robust commercial activity. Compared to Greater Perth, Subiaco-Shenton Park has 177.0% more construction activity per person. Recent construction comprises 17.0% detached houses and 83.0% townhouses or apartments, a shift from the current 46.0% houses. This change reflects evolving lifestyle preferences and housing affordability needs, with around 283 people per dwelling approval. By 2041, Subiaco-Shenton Park is projected to gain 2,784 residents. At current development rates, new housing supply should meet demand comfortably, supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Looking ahead, Subiaco - Shenton Park is expected to grow by 2,784 residents through to 2041. At current development rates, new housing supply should comfortably meet demand, providing good conditions for buyers and potentially supporting growth beyond current population projections.

Subiaco - Shenton Park has limited levels of nearby infrastructure activity, ranking in the 12thth percentile nationally

Changes to local infrastructure significantly impact an area's performance. AreaSearch has identified 46 projects likely to affect this region. Notable projects include St John of God Subiaco Hospital Redevelopment, Arco Subiaco, Rupert Street Pocket Park (former Subiaco Community Centre site), and Bob Hawke College Facilities Enhancement. The following details those expected to be most relevant.

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

Denotes AI-based impression for illustrative purposes only, not to be taken as definitive under any circumstances. Please follow links and conduct other investigations from the project's source for actual imagery. Developers and project owners wishing us to use original imagery please Contact Us and we will do so.

The labour market in Subiaco - Shenton Park shows considerable strength compared to most other Australian regions

Subiaco-Shenton Park has a highly educated workforce with strong professional services representation and an unemployment rate of 2.4% as of June 2025. It has 11,608 residents in work, with an unemployment rate 1.4% below Greater Perth's rate of 3.9%.

Workforce participation is on par with Greater Perth at 65.2%. The dominant employment sectors are health care & social assistance, professional & technical, and education & training. The area specializes in professional & technical jobs, with a share 2.2 times the regional level. Conversely, construction shows lower representation at 4.1% versus the regional average of 9.3%.

With 1.2 workers per resident, it functions as an employment hub hosting more jobs than residents and attracting workers from surrounding areas. Between June 2024 and June 2025, labour force decreased by 1.4%, employment declined by 2.1%, causing unemployment to rise by 0.8 percentage points. In contrast, Greater Perth experienced employment growth of 3.7% and labour force growth of 3.8%. National employment forecasts from Jobs and Skills Australia (May 2025) project national employment expansion by 6.6% over five years and 15.4% over ten years. Applying these projections to Subiaco-Shenton Park's employment mix suggests local growth of approximately 7.5% over five years and 15.4% over ten years.

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

AreaSearch's latest postcode level ATO data for financial year 2022 shows that Subiaco - Shenton Park has exceptionally high national median income of $71,040 and average income of $114,286. This contrasts with Greater Perth's median income of $58,380 and average income of $78,020. Based on Wage Price Index growth of 14.2% since financial year 2022, estimated current incomes as of September 2025 are approximately $81,128 (median) and $130,515 (average). According to 2021 Census figures, individual earnings in Subiaco - Shenton Park stand at the 91st percentile nationally ($1,203 weekly). Income brackets indicate that 27.0% of locals (5,635 people) fall into the $4000+ category, unlike Greater Perth where 32.0% fall within the $1,500 - 2,999 range. Notably, 37.0% earn above $3,000 weekly. Housing accounts for 15.1% of income. Strong earnings rank residents within the 76th percentile for disposable income. The area's SEIFA income ranking places it in the 9th decile.

Subiaco - Shenton Park displays a diverse mix of dwelling types, with above-average rates of outright home ownership

In Subiaco-Shenton Park, as recorded in the latest Census, 46.0% of dwellings were houses, with the remaining 54.0% being semi-detached, apartments, or other types. This contrasts with Perth metro's 37.1% houses and 62.9% other dwellings. Home ownership in Subiaco-Shenton Park stood at 32.5%, with mortgaged properties at 25.8% and rented ones at 41.7%. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,585, higher than Perth metro's average of $2,167. Median weekly rent in the area was $405, compared to Perth metro's $390. Nationally, Subiaco-Shenton Park's mortgage repayments were significantly higher than the Australian average of $1,863, while rents exceeded the national figure of $375.

Subiaco - Shenton Park features high concentrations of lone person households and group households, with a fairly typical median household size

Family households account for 58.3% of all households, consisting of 23.9% couples with children, 26.4% couples without children, and 7.1% single parent families. Non-family households comprise the remaining 41.7%, with lone person households at 37.6% and group households making up 4.0% of the total. The median household size is 2.1 people, which aligns with the Greater Perth average.

Subiaco - Shenton Park shows strong educational performance, ranking in the upper quartile nationally when assessed across multiple qualification and achievement indicators

Educational attainment in Subiaco-Shenton Park is notably high, with 61.4% of residents aged 15 and above holding university qualifications. This compares to 27.9% in Western Australia and 30.1% in Greater Perth. Bachelor degrees are the most common at 36.9%, followed by postgraduate qualifications (19.1%) and graduate diplomas (5.4%). Vocational pathways account for 18.0% of qualifications among those aged 15 and above, with advanced diplomas at 9.1% and certificates at 8.9%.

Educational participation is high, with 29.7% of residents currently enrolled in formal education. This includes 9.3% in tertiary education, 8.5% in primary education, and 7.3% pursuing secondary education. There are approximately 10 schools operating within Subiaco-Shenton Park, educating around 8,040 students. The area has significant socio-educational advantages and academic achievement (ICSEA: 1123). It includes 3 primary, 6 secondary, and 1 K-12 school. As an education hub, Subiaco-Shenton Park offers 38.9 school places per 100 residents, significantly above the regional average of 17.2, attracting students from surrounding communities. Note: where schools show 'n/a' for enrolments, please refer to parent campus.

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

Subiaco-Shenton Park has 106 active public transport stops offering a mix of train and bus services. These are served by 45 unique routes that facilitate 9,611 weekly passenger trips in total. Residential accessibility to these stops is rated excellent, with residents typically located 155 meters from the nearest stop.

Across all routes, service frequency averages 1,373 trips per day, which equates to approximately 90 weekly trips per individual stop.

Subiaco - Shenton Park's residents are extremely healthy with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions

Analysis of health metrics shows strong performance throughout Subiaco-Shenton Park, with both young and old age cohorts seeing low prevalence of common health conditions. The rate of private health cover is exceptionally high at approximately 78% of the total population (16,176 people), compared to 69.8% across Greater Perth and a national average of 55.3%. The most common medical conditions in the area are mental health issues and arthritis, impacting 8.3 and 6.7% of residents respectively, while 72.0% declare themselves completely clear of medical ailments compared to 74.5% across Greater Perth.

The area has 22.4% of residents aged 65 and over (4,671 people), which is higher than the 15.1% in Greater Perth. Health outcomes among seniors are particularly strong, performing even better than the general population in health metrics.

Subiaco - Shenton Park 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

Subiaco-Shenton Park, as per data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census 2016, showed higher cultural diversity than most local areas. Here, 18.3% spoke languages other than English at home, and 36.8% were born overseas. Christianity was the predominant religion, accounting for 40.9%.

Notably, Judaism was slightly overrepresented at 0.5%, compared to Greater Perth's 0.6%. The top three ancestry groups were English (28.5%), Australian (19.9%), and Other (10.2%). Some ethnic groups showed notable differences: French (1.2% vs regional 0.8%), Polish (1.0% vs 1.0%), and South African (0.7% vs 0.7%) were equally represented or overrepresented in Subiaco-Shenton Park compared to the Greater Perth region.

Subiaco - Shenton Park's median age exceeds the national pattern

Subiaco-Shenton Park's median age is 41 years, significantly higher than Greater Perth's average of 37 and Australia's median of 38. The 2021 Census shows that the 75-84 age group comprised 8.3% of Subiaco-Shenton Park's population, up from 6.7%, while the 0-4 cohort decreased to 3.9% from 4.7%. The 5-14 year-olds are under-represented at 10.3%. By 2041, demographic modeling projects significant changes in Subiaco-Shenton Park's age profile. The 75-84 cohort is expected to grow by 62% to 2,810 residents. Residents aged 65 and older are projected to represent 71% of the population growth. Conversely, population declines are anticipated for the 0-4 and 5-14 cohorts.