Berrimah

Schools in Berrimah iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 32 sits 8 years below the national figure, producing a predominantly working-age population. Overseas-born residents at 45.2% are 23.6 percentage points above national, with Filipino ancestry the largest group at 222 residents, followed by English at 190. University qualifications reach 35.7%, which is 5.6 points above the national average, consistent with the professional and public sector employment base. Average household size is 2.8, slightly above national, reflecting the couples-with-children profile: 395 families are couples with children versus 156 couples without. Population mobility is high, with 45.4% of residents having moved in the previous year, compared to a 54.6% share who stayed, indicating a transient element that likely reflects the defence and government workforce common to Darwin's outer suburbs.

Tenure in Berrimah leans heavily toward mortgaged ownership at 49.1%, with 39.4% renting and only 11.5% owning outright, a profile that reflects the suburb's younger demographic base rather than long-held, debt-free wealth typical of older established areas. The stock is split between separate houses at 47.5% and semi-detached dwellings at 38.5%, with apartments at just 2.3%, so density is low. Three-bedroom dwellings at 52.5% and 4-plus bedroom at 25.2% dominate, meaning the stock suits families rather than singles or couples. Rent-to-income at 18.2% keeps renters comfortable relative to national benchmarks, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.7% avoids the 30% stress threshold, though rent growth of 94.7% over the decade means the affordability margin is narrowing steadily.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the dominant industry at 27.2% of employed residents (100 workers), reflecting proximity to Darwin's major hospital corridor. Public administration follows at 12.3% (45 workers) and hospitality at 10.4% (38 workers), which together represent the government and service economy typical of NT territory centres. Construction at 7.4% (27 workers) points to ongoing infrastructure activity. By occupation, Professionals lead at 103 workers, followed by Community and Personal Service at 88, confirming the healthcare concentration. Full-time employment runs at 71.4% and unemployment at 6.2%, above the 4-5% national range, partly because the labour force participation rate of 56.5% is relatively low. SEIFA IRSD and IER both sit at decile 4, below the national median, while IRSAD at decile 6 indicates moderate relative advantage when both disadvantage and advantage are combined.

Transport to Work

Car dependence is very high at 81.0% of commuters driving, with public transport at just 0.9%, which is characteristic of Darwin's outer suburban geography where bus routes are limited. Walking and cycling accounts for 8.3%, above what the low density might suggest, pointing to internal pathways or proximity to employment precincts. Crime statistics are not available for Berrimah in this dataset. The IRSAD decile of 6 places the suburb at moderate relative advantage nationally, while the IRSD decile of 4 indicates below-median disadvantage-ranking, so the suburb occupies a middle tier rather than either extreme. Volunteering runs at 12.8% and only 3.6% of residents need daily assistance, both reasonable figures for the young demographic profile. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families depend on nearby Darwin institutions.

Population Forecast

Population fell 32.1% over the decade to the 2021 base, a sharp contraction that reflects the outflow of defence and government personnel that characterises Darwin's satellite suburbs. Since then, historical estimates show recovery: from 2,155 in 2023 to 2,871 in 2025. Medium forecasts project gradual growth reaching 2,366 by 2031, averaging 24 additional residents per year at 0.84% annually. Internal migration is the primary driver at an average net 219 arrivals per year, which is a materially stronger signal than the 25 net overseas arrivals. The gentrification stage is Active, with signals including accelerating internal migration turning from negative to positive and the young-share delta rising 8.4 points, suggesting increasing appeal to working-age movers rather than long-term stagnation.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Berrimah compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions