Baldivis
Few Australian suburbs have remade themselves as fast as Baldivis. Population climbed 184.5% in a decade, and the trend forecast still adds 816 residents a year through 2031, putting it on the same Perth-fringe trajectory as Ellenbrook but with a younger, higher-earning intake. Median age sits at 31, nine years below the national figure, while household income reaches the 79th percentile nationally on $2,096 a week. The contradiction is what defines the suburb: SEIFA economic-resources rank in the 8th decile (dual-income paypackets), yet education-occupation only the 4th, signalling a mortgage-belt of trade, mining and healthcare workers rather than university professionals. With 95.6% of dwellings detached and 70.3% built with four or more bedrooms, Baldivis is a child-rearing factory where Afrikaans now ranks as the most-spoken non-English language ahead of Punjabi.
Population
37,697
Median Age
31.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,096/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$467K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Baldivis is structured almost entirely for family buyers stepping out of Rockingham or Mandurah rentals. 70.3% of homes have four or more bedrooms, only 0.4% are apartments, and the typical mortgage runs $1,900 a month on a household income of $2,096 a week, putting repayments at 20.9% of income compared with the 30% stress threshold. That comfort is rare on Perth's southern fringe and reflects WA's historically softer prices versus the eastern capitals; 60.9% of households are paying down a loan while only 16.3% own outright, a ratio that screams first-mover estate buyers rather than long-tenured residents. The catch is product uniformity. With 95.6% separate houses on cookie-cutter estate lots, buyers chasing character stock, walkable village layouts or sub-600sqm infill must look north to Hamilton Hill or accept Secret Harbour's coastal premium. Affordability has actually improved, with the price-to-income ratio falling from 44.2 in 2011 to 36.9 in 2021, the opposite of most national markets.
For Buyers
Baldivis is structured almost entirely for family buyers stepping out of Rockingham or Mandurah rentals. 70.3% of homes have four or more bedrooms, only 0.4% are apartments, and the typical mortgage runs $1,900 a month on a household income of $2,096 a week, putting repayments at 20.9% of income compared with the 30% stress threshold. That comfort is rare on Perth's southern fringe and reflects WA's historically softer prices versus the eastern capitals; 60.9% of households are paying down a loan while only 16.3% own outright, a ratio that screams first-mover estate buyers rather than long-tenured residents. The catch is product uniformity. With 95.6% separate houses on cookie-cutter estate lots, buyers chasing character stock, walkable village layouts or sub-600sqm infill must look north to Hamilton Hill or accept Secret Harbour's coastal premium. Affordability has actually improved, with the price-to-income ratio falling from 44.2 in 2011 to 36.9 in 2021, the opposite of most national markets.
For Investors
Baldivis is a yield play, not a capital-growth one, and current numbers say tread carefully. Vacancy sits at 6.2%, more than triple the 2% benchmark Perth investors expect in tight markets, and weekly rents around $360 actually fell 2.8% over the recent shift period, the wrong direction when WA mining wages are rising. Only 22.8% of dwellings are rented compared with roughly 31% nationally, so tenant demand is shallower than headline population growth implies; new owner-occupier estates keep absorbing supply faster than rental stock turns over. Internal migration averages 818 net annually and is the dominant driver versus 296 from overseas, meaning your tenant pool is interstate movers and Perth upgraders rather than skilled-visa renters who tolerate higher rents. For comparable yields with lower vacancy and harder land scarcity, Secret Harbour's coastal cap and Rockingham's transit access tend to outperform; Baldivis works only if you buy below replacement build cost, near the Stockland town centre, and hold through the next mining cycle.
Schools in Baldivis iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Tranby College
PP-12 · 865 students
Mother Teresa Catholic College
PP-12 · 1526 students
Rockingham John Calvin School
PP-6 · 137 students
Makybe Rise Primary School
K-6 · 805 students
Settlers Primary School
K-6 · 661 students
Demographics
The demographic signature is young migrant-family mortgage belt. Median age is 31, a full nine years below the national 40, and household size of 2.9 sits 0.4 above the national average, both reflecting the four-bedroom estate format. 33.5% of residents were born overseas, 11.9 percentage points above the national figure, but the source mix is unusual for outer Perth: Afrikaans tops non-English languages with 228 speakers, ahead of Punjabi (186) and Mandarin (79), pointing to South African and Indian middle-class migration rather than the Vietnamese or Cantonese communities common in Sydney's mortgage-belt equivalents. University attainment runs 9.4 percentage points below the national rate at 20.7%, but household income still hits the 79th percentile, evidence that trade, mining-services and healthcare wages are doing the heavy lifting. Volunteering of 12.4% and 75.6% address-stability suggest social roots are forming despite the suburb being barely a decade old at scale.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
95.6%
Houses
3.3%
Townhouse
0.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Baldivis housing reads as a single product class executed at scale. 95.6% of dwellings are detached, 0.4% apartments, and 70.3% carry four-plus bedrooms; three-bed stock is just 22.6% and anything smaller virtually nonexistent. Tenure tells the same story: 60.9% mortgaged, 22.8% rented, only 16.3% owned outright, the inverse of established suburbs like Bayswater where outright ownership exceeds 30%. Mortgage repayments average $1,900 a month or 20.9% of household income, well below the 30% stress flag, and rent claims a comfortable 17.2% of income. Critically, the price-to-income ratio improved from 44.2 in 2011 to 36.9 in 2021, going against the Sydney and Melbourne trend and reflecting WA's lost decade of flat prices through the post-mining-boom correction. Buyers should expect minimal price differentiation across the suburb's estates because lot sizes, build years and floorplans cluster tightly within each release.
Mortgage / mo
$1,900
Rent / wk
$360
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$941
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.2%
Unoccupied
816
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
19.3%
Couples, no children
31,603
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce blends two WA archetypes: the resources-services worker and the public-sector family. Healthcare leads at 16.8% (2,005 jobs), followed by education at 11.0%, public administration and construction tied at 9.6%, and mining at 9.5%. Mining's share is striking because Baldivis sits 50 kilometres from Perth CBD with no mines nearby, meaning these are FIFO operators commuting to Pilbara rosters, who explicitly choose four-bedroom homes near Perth Airport access. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 2,836, but community/personal-service workers (2,648) and clerical/admin (2,314) outnumber managers (1,882), confirming the suburb is built on dual-income operational households rather than executive earners. Unemployment of 5.4% runs slightly above the national 3.8%, and SEIFA economic-resources sits in the 8th decile while education-and-occupation is only the 4th, the classic signature of well-paid trades-and-services work without postgraduate density.
Unemployment
4.6%
Labour Force
9,251
Unemployed
427
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
67.9%
Part-time
26.7%
Participation
66.1%
Employed
17,247
Occupations
Top Industries
University
20.7%
Postgraduate
3.5%
Born Overseas
33.5%
Dwellings
12,385
Transport to Work
Liveability is tuned for school-age families with two cars in the garage, not commuters or non-drivers. 87.9% of journeys to work are by car driver, only 4.6% by public transport, and 1.6% walked or cycled, similar to other car-dependent fringe estates. The school grid is unusually deep for a young suburb: ten institutions including Tranby College (independent, ICSEA 1060, 865 students), the 1,526-student Mother Teresa Catholic College (ICSEA 1034) and Ridge View Secondary College (ICSEA 989, 982 enrolments), giving genuine choice across sectors without leaving the postcode. Government primaries cluster tightly in the 979-1002 ICSEA band, slightly below the 1000 national average but consistent with mortgage-belt demographics. SEIFA disadvantage decile 6 places Baldivis comfortably mid-pack nationally, neither flagged for social risk nor in the affluent top tier. Headline weakness is car dependency and the absence of an established town-centre nightlife, both Mandurah and Rockingham still pull residents for dining and recreation.
Drive
87.9%
Public Transport
4.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.6%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+4.67%/yr
(+816 people/yr)
High GrowthFew suburbs in Australia carry growth credentials this aggressive. Population rose 184.5% over the past decade, the historical series jumps from 14,199 in 2023 to 17,460 in 2025, and the medium trend forecast continues at 4.67% annually or 816 persons a year through 2031, reaching 20,961. Internal migration drives 818 of those net adds versus 296 from overseas, so the engine is interstate and intra-Perth movers rather than skilled-visa intake; that profile makes population growth more sensitive to interest-rate cycles than Sydney migrant suburbs. Importantly, gentrification score sits at zero with stage flagged as new development, meaning the growth is greenfield expansion rather than displacement-led repricing, more akin to Ellenbrook in Perth's northeast than to inner-belt suburbs like Maylands. Real income actually fell 5.4% over the shift period despite the influx, a warning that demand-driven price acceleration is not yet structural and that capital growth will lag population growth until the suburb finishes its build-out cycle.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+296
Net Internal / yr
+818
Gentrification Signal
New development
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Baldivis compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Baldivis a good suburb to live in?
Yes for school-age families wanting a four-bedroom detached home on a manageable mortgage. Household income hits the 79th national percentile and repayments take just 20.9% of income, well under the 30% stress mark. Less suited to non-drivers (87.9% drive to work) or buyers wanting walkable village layouts.
What is the median house price in Baldivis?
Recent price data is not available in the brief, but the price-to-income ratio fell from 44.2 in 2011 to 36.9 in 2021, going against the national trend. Mortgage repayments average $1,900 monthly, suggesting borrowing comfortably below Perth's tighter-supply coastal suburbs like Secret Harbour.
What schools are in Baldivis?
Ten schools span the postcode. Standouts include Tranby College (independent, ICSEA 1060, 865 students), Mother Teresa Catholic College (1,526 enrolments, ICSEA 1034) and Ridge View Secondary College (982 enrolments). Government primaries cluster in the 979-1002 ICSEA band, near the 1000 national average.
Is Baldivis safe?
Local crime data was not in the brief, so direct comparisons are not possible. Indirect indicators look favourable though: SEIFA disadvantage decile sits at 6 (mid-pack nationally), volunteering rate runs 12.4%, and 75.6% of residents stayed at the same address year on year, all signals of settled household stability.
Is Baldivis good for property investment?
It is a mixed proposition. Vacancy sits at 6.2%, more than triple Perth's 2% benchmark, and weekly rents fell 2.8% in the recent shift period. Only 22.8% of stock is rented versus roughly 31% nationally, so tenant pools are thinner than the 184.5% population growth headline suggests.
How is Baldivis's population changing?
Population grew 184.5% over the past decade and the trend forecast adds 816 persons annually through 2031 at 4.67% growth, reaching about 20,961. Internal migration drives 818 net annual moves versus 296 from overseas, making it more sensitive to interest-rate cycles than visa-driven inner-Perth suburbs.
What languages are spoken in Baldivis?
33.5% of residents were born overseas, 11.9 percentage points above the national figure. Afrikaans tops non-English languages with 228 speakers, ahead of Punjabi (186), Mandarin (79), Hindi (51) and Italian (47), reflecting strong South African and Indian middle-class migration rather than East Asian flows.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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