Bertram
A median age of 31 sits 9.0 years below the national figure, and that youth explains almost everything else about Bertram. Population has grown 129.3% over the past decade, classifying it as a high-growth, new-development area in Perth's southern corridor. Housing is overwhelmingly family-scaled: 98.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 70.1% carry four or more bedrooms, with a median house price of $435,000. Only 9.0% of homes are owned outright while 61.0% sit under a mortgage, the signature of recent buyers rather than established owners. Household income lands in the 74.7th percentile nationally, and 37.0% of residents were born overseas, 15.4 points above national.
Population
6,196
Median Age
31.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,997/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$435K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At a $435,000 median house price, Bertram is one of the more affordable detached markets in greater Perth, and the stock is built for families: 70.1% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and a further 24.5% have three, with apartments at just 0.5%. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,686 against household incomes in the 74.7th percentile produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold, so buyers here carry comfortable debt loads compared with most Australian markets. The tenure mix confirms the entry-buyer character: 61.0% of homes are under a mortgage while only 9.0% are owned outright. With 98.7% separate houses on standard lots, this is a market for owner-occupiers seeking space rather than apartment investors.
For Buyers
At a $435,000 median house price, Bertram is one of the more affordable detached markets in greater Perth, and the stock is built for families: 70.1% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and a further 24.5% have three, with apartments at just 0.5%. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,686 against household incomes in the 74.7th percentile produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.5%, well below the 30% stress threshold, so buyers here carry comfortable debt loads compared with most Australian markets. The tenure mix confirms the entry-buyer character: 61.0% of homes are under a mortgage while only 9.0% are owned outright. With 98.7% separate houses on standard lots, this is a market for owner-occupiers seeking space rather than apartment investors.
For Investors
Renters make up 30.0% of households and weekly rent averages $350, which against the $435,000 median implies a gross yield near 4.2%, stronger than the inner-Perth norm and well above premium suburbs. The 6.2% vacancy rate is moderate, leaving some leasing friction but no severe oversupply. Demand support is genuine: the forecast leans on internal migration adding about 457 residents a year and overseas migration a further 366, with annual population growth running at 4.26%. Rent-to-income at 17.5% is low, meaning tenants have headroom and arrears risk stays modest. No development applications were recorded in the past 12 months, so near-term competing supply is limited, and the investment case rests on rental demand from a young, family-forming population rather than rapid capital gains.
Schools in Bertram iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Bertram Primary School
K-6 · 705 students
Demographics
The median age of 31 runs 9.0 years below national, and the household profile follows: average household size is 3.1 people, 0.6 above national, and couples with children make up 3,065 families against 749 couples without. Overseas-born residents reach 37.0%, which is 15.4 points above the national figure, giving Bertram a strongly migrant character. Ancestry is led by English (2,026) and Scottish (447) but with large Filipino (545) and Indian (355) communities, and the top non-English languages are Punjabi (174 speakers), Malayalam (37) and Mandarin (35). University qualifications sit at 26.8%, which is 3.3 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward trades, transport and care roles rather than professional services.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.7%
Houses
0.8%
Townhouse
0.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is dominated by recent buyers: 61.0% of homes carry a mortgage, 30.0% are rented and only 9.0% are owned outright, a split that marks Bertram as a young mortgage belt rather than an established community of debt-free owners. The dwelling stock is 98.7% separate houses with apartments at 0.5% and semi-detached at 0.8%, and bedroom counts skew large, with 70.1% of homes offering four or more bedrooms and 24.5% three. The median house price of $435,000 sits at the affordable end of the Perth market. Mortgage-to-income at 19.5% and rent-to-income at 17.5% both fall well below the 30% stress threshold, so despite the high mortgage share, household budgets here are less stretched than in most Australian suburbs.
Mortgage / mo
$1,686
Rent / wk
$350
HH Size
3.1
Personal Income / wk
$887
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.2%
Unoccupied
130
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
14.2%
Couples, no children
5,261
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in essential and hands-on sectors rather than knowledge industries: Healthcare leads at 18.5% (359 workers), followed by Construction at 10.5% (203), Manufacturing at 7.9% (152), and Education and Transport tied at 7.4% each. By occupation, Clerical and Admin (413), Machinery Operators and Drivers (393), Community and Personal Service (390) and Professionals (389) are closely matched, a flat distribution typical of an outer-suburban labour pool. Full-time employment runs at 66.8% and the participation rate is 69.5%, with unemployment at 6.1%. On SEIFA, Bertram scores decile 8 on economic resources (IER) but only decile 5 on education and occupation (IEO), and that gap is the story: solid household assets from dual-income mortgage families, paired with below-average formal qualifications.
Unemployment
4.4%
Labour Force
13,520
Unemployed
599
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
66.8%
Part-time
27.1%
Participation
69.5%
Employed
2,901
Occupations
Top Industries
University
26.8%
Postgraduate
4.6%
Born Overseas
37.0%
Dwellings
1,963
Transport to Work
Bertram is heavily car-dependent, with 84.3% of residents driving to work against just 8.2% using public transport and 1.1% walking or cycling, a pattern that reflects its outer-suburban, low-density layout at 2,044.9 people per km2 across a 3.03 km2 footprint. On SEIFA the suburb scores decile 6 for relative disadvantage (IRSD) and decile 5 on the combined IRSAD index, placing it mid-table nationally rather than disadvantaged. Only 3.6% of residents (215 people) need daily assistance, low for any area, and volunteering runs at 12.6%. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a common trade-off in newly developed estates where infrastructure follows housing.
Drive
84.3%
Public Transport
8.2%
Walk / Cycle
1.1%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+4.26%/yr
(+988 people/yr)
High GrowthBertram is one of the faster-growing pockets in Perth's south, with population up 129.3% over the past decade and annual growth running at 4.26%, equivalent to roughly 988 additional residents a year. The primary driver is internal migration, adding about 457 people annually, with overseas migration contributing a further 366. Affordability has improved over time, with the price-to-income measure easing from 41.9% in 2011 to 37.2% in 2021, even as the suburb expanded. The gentrification reading is new development rather than displacement, and the demographic shift is broadly stable, with the young-resident share down just 0.1 points. One caution sits in the data: real incomes fell 8.4% over the decade, so growth here is volume-led from new housing supply rather than rising local wealth.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+366
Net Internal / yr
+457
Gentrification Signal
New development
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Bertram compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bertram a good suburb to live in?
Bertram suits young families seeking affordable space: 98.7% of dwellings are separate houses, 70.1% have four or more bedrooms, and the median house price is $435,000. Household income sits in the 74.7th percentile nationally, and both mortgage-to-income (19.5%) and rent-to-income (17.5%) fall below the 30% stress threshold.
What is the median house price in Bertram?
The median house price is $435,000, at the affordable end of the Perth market. Average monthly mortgage repayments are about $1,686, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.5%, while weekly rent averages $350, implying a gross rental yield near 4.2%.
What schools are in Bertram?
No schools are recorded inside the Bertram boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The area is family-heavy, with an average household size of 3.1 (0.6 above national) and 3,065 couple-with-children families, so school access is a key relocation factor.
Is Bertram safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Bertram in this dataset. As an indirect indicator, the suburb scores decile 6 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage and decile 5 on the combined IRSAD index, placing it mid-table nationally, and only 3.6% of residents need daily assistance.
Is Bertram good for property investment?
Weekly rent of $350 against the $435,000 median gives a gross yield near 4.2%, above premium Perth suburbs, with renters at 30.0% of households. The 6.2% vacancy rate is moderate, and demand is backed by internal migration of about 457 people a year and 4.26% annual population growth.
How is Bertram's population changing?
Population has grown 129.3% over the past decade and continues to rise at 4.26% a year, roughly 988 additional residents annually. Growth is led by internal migration of about 457 people a year, with overseas migration adding a further 366, marking Bertram as a high-growth, new-development area.
What languages are spoken in Bertram?
About 37.0% of residents were born overseas, 15.4 points above the national figure. English dominates, with Punjabi (174 speakers), Malayalam (37) and Mandarin (35) the most common non-English languages, reflecting sizeable Filipino (545) and Indian (355) communities.
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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