Birkenhead
At 1,975 residents per square kilometre packed into 0.91 km2, Birkenhead is one of inner Adelaide's denser pockets, yet 87.6% of its 1,798 residents live in separate houses rather than apartments, a combination you rarely find in such a compact suburb. Separate house dominance, a car-dependent travel pattern (88.5% drive), and an Anglo-leaning ancestry profile point to a deeply established, owner-occupier character. The area drew 29 development applications in 12 months, suggesting incremental improvement activity rather than large-scale redevelopment.
Local council: Port Adelaide Enfield
Population
1,798
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,598/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
34
Median House
$840K
First quarter 2026
Separate houses dominate at 87.6% of the stock, with semi-detached at 8.0% and apartments at just 4.4%, so buyers seeking a detached home face a market that caters primarily to that demand. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 56.9% of all homes and four-plus-bedroom for 14.4%, meaning the typical purchase is a family-sized house. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,543, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.3%, below the 30% stress threshold. Outright owners at 26.0% and mortgage holders at 46.3% together represent more than 72% of households, reflecting an owner-occupier leaning that tends to stabilise local prices.
For Buyers
Separate houses dominate at 87.6% of the stock, with semi-detached at 8.0% and apartments at just 4.4%, so buyers seeking a detached home face a market that caters primarily to that demand. Three-bedroom dwellings account for 56.9% of all homes and four-plus-bedroom for 14.4%, meaning the typical purchase is a family-sized house. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,543, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.3%, below the 30% stress threshold. Outright owners at 26.0% and mortgage holders at 46.3% together represent more than 72% of households, reflecting an owner-occupier leaning that tends to stabilise local prices.
For Investors
Rental demand is moderate: 27.7% of households rent, and the weekly median rent is $315, lower than many comparable inner-Adelaide suburbs. The vacancy rate of 6.2% is elevated compared to the national rental market average and warrants caution for investors banking on low vacancy to maintain rents. Development activity reached 29 applications in 12 months, mostly smaller works such as decking and spa installations, showing incremental reinvestment rather than new dwelling supply. With house stock accounting for 87.6% of dwellings and apartments at just 4.4%, the investment profile is almost entirely detached-house landlords rather than apartment investors.
Development Activity
Total DAs
146
Last 12 Months
34
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+126.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Birkenhead
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Le Fevre Peninsula Primary School
Demographics
The median age of 39 is 1.0 year below the national figure, placing Birkenhead in a slightly younger cohort than the country as a whole. Overseas-born residents make up 16.5% of the population, which is 5.1 percentage points below the national average, giving the suburb a predominantly locally-born character. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic, with English (796), Irish (244) and Scottish (202) the three largest groups, followed by German (130) and Italian (101). University qualifications at 29.0% sit 1.1 percentage points below the national rate, suggesting a working-to-middle-class professional mix rather than a knowledge-economy concentration. Average household size is 2.3, slightly below the national average, consistent with a couples-without-children profile: 28.7% of families are couples with no children and 478 are couples with children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
87.6%
Houses
8.0%
Townhouse
4.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is heavily owner-oriented: 26.0% own outright and 46.3% carry a mortgage, putting combined owner-occupier households at 72.3%, well above the national renter share. Renters account for 27.7%, and at $315 a week rent-to-income sits at 19.7%, below the 30% stress threshold. Three-bedroom dwellings dominate at 56.9% and two-bedroom at 26.5%, while 4-plus bedrooms reach 14.4%. The stock is almost entirely detached: 87.6% are separate houses, 8.0% semi-detached and 4.4% apartments, which is a higher house concentration than most inner-metropolitan suburbs nationally. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.3% is manageable compared to many capital-city markets.
Mortgage / mo
$1,543
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$315
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$858
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.2%
Unoccupied
50
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
36.0%
Couples with children
39.4%
Couples, no children
22.2%
Single parent
505
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employer at 17.9% of the local workforce (115 workers), followed by Education at 12.9% (83) and Public Administration at 12.6% (81), meaning roughly 43% of employed residents work in government-oriented or publicly funded sectors. Manufacturing at 9.5% (61) and Construction at 8.7% (56) add a blue-collar layer, reflecting Birkenhead's proximity to Port Adelaide's industrial history. By occupation, Professionals lead (194), then Clerical/Admin (149) and Community/Personal (139). The unemployment rate is 5.7%, above the national headline rate, and the full-time employment rate is 66.6%. Household income at the 52.5th percentile nationally puts the suburb squarely in the middle of the income distribution, consistent with its mix of public-sector and trades employment.
Unemployment
5.4%
Labour Force
1,039
Unemployed
56
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.7%
Part-time
31.4%
Participation
69.5%
Employed
983
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
29.0%
Postgraduate
7.4%
Born Overseas
16.5%
Dwellings
767
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high: 88.5% of employed residents drive to work, against national benchmarks that show significantly higher public transport use in comparable inner-metropolitan areas. Walking or cycling accounts for 2.9% and public transport for 4.8%, both low figures. The crime rate is 53.9 reported incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 97 total incidents, which is a measurable rate but needs comparison to SA suburban averages for full context. SEIFA scores are unavailable for this suburb, limiting the formal disadvantage ranking. Rent-to-income at 19.7% and mortgage-to-income at 22.3% both sit below stress thresholds, indicating that housing costs are relatively affordable for current residents. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in the dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring postcodes, which is a practical consideration for buyers with children.
Drive
81.8%
Public Transport
4.4%
Walk / Cycle
2.7%
Work from Home
7.6%
Growth Outlook
Birkenhead's data covers only two price quarters (Q1 2025 to Q1 2026), showing a 3.6% decline, so long-run trend assessment is limited. The suburb's density of 1,975 people per km2 within a 0.91 km2 boundary means meaningful population expansion requires either infill or densification rather than greenfield growth. Annual residential mobility is relatively low: 80.0% of residents stayed in the same address in the prior year, and only 20.0% moved, a turnover rate below many comparable metropolitan suburbs. Development applications in the past 12 months numbered 29, weighted toward small-scale improvements rather than new dwellings, consistent with incremental reinvestment in an established suburb. The 6.2% vacancy rate is higher than typical suburban averages, which could indicate some softness in demand relative to supply.
Population trend: Port Adelaide Enfield council area
Birkenhead sits in the Port Adelaide Enfield council area. These are the council area's residents, not Birkenhead's.
Residents 2025
143,022
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.5%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.2%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
97
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
53.9
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Birkenhead compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Birkenhead a good suburb to live in?
Birkenhead has a strong owner-occupier base, with 72.3% of households either owning outright or paying a mortgage, and housing costs remain below stress thresholds (mortgage-to-income 22.3%, rent-to-income 19.7%). The median age of 39 is 1 year below national, and 80% of residents stayed in the same address over the prior year, pointing to stability. The main trade-offs are high car dependence (88.5% drive) and a 5.7% unemployment rate above the national headline.
What schools are in Birkenhead?
No schools are recorded within the Birkenhead suburb boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in adjacent suburbs within postcode 5015 and nearby Port Adelaide areas. The local university qualification rate of 29.0% is 1.1 percentage points below the national average.
Is Birkenhead safe?
Birkenhead recorded 97 crime incidents in the dataset period, giving a rate of 53.9 per 1,000 residents. Detailed breakdown by category is not available, so this rate should be compared to SA state and council-level averages for full context. The residential stability rate of 80% staying in the same address suggests a settled community.
How is Birkenhead's population changing?
The suburb has a population of 1,798 within 0.91 km2 at a density of 1,975 people per km2. Annual residential mobility is low, with 80.0% of residents staying in the same address, and 20.0% turnover. The compact boundary limits greenfield growth, and the 29 development applications in 12 months are mostly small improvements, not new dwellings.
How much development is happening in Birkenhead?
There were 29 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Recent examples include new decking, a spa installation, and a proposed hospitality venue for a cafe and private event space. Activity is incremental improvement-focused rather than large-scale new dwelling construction, consistent with an established, house-dominant suburb.
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), SA Department for Housing and Urban Development (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications).
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