Burns Beach
Household income in the 98.9th percentile nationally tells you more about Burns Beach than almost any other number. With a median age of 40 and 53.1% of residents born overseas, 31.5 percentage points above the national figure, this 3.31 km2 coastal suburb north of Perth has drawn a highly paid, internationally mobile population. Nearly all dwellings are separate houses at 98.7%, and 84.4% have 4 or more bedrooms, a profile that matches the above-average family size of 3.2. The IRSAD and IRSD both sit at decile 10 nationally, confirming low disadvantage across the board, and real incomes have grown 10.5% over the decade despite an affordability-to-income squeeze.
Population
4,071
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$3,439/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
2
Median House
$781K
Estimated from rent (2025)
The estimated median house price is $781,000, derived from rent data for 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,890, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.4%, below the 30% stress threshold even at this price point because household incomes rank in the 98.9th percentile nationally. Stock is almost entirely detached houses at 98.7%, with 84.4% having 4 or more bedrooms and only 14.0% with 3 bedrooms, so buyers looking for large family homes face little competition from apartments. Outright owners account for 25.6% of households, while 65.9% carry a mortgage, indicating a relatively recent buyer base rather than long-held wealth. Only 8.4% rent, which limits resale competition from investor stock.
For Buyers
The estimated median house price is $781,000, derived from rent data for 2025. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,890, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.4%, below the 30% stress threshold even at this price point because household incomes rank in the 98.9th percentile nationally. Stock is almost entirely detached houses at 98.7%, with 84.4% having 4 or more bedrooms and only 14.0% with 3 bedrooms, so buyers looking for large family homes face little competition from apartments. Outright owners account for 25.6% of households, while 65.9% carry a mortgage, indicating a relatively recent buyer base rather than long-held wealth. Only 8.4% rent, which limits resale competition from investor stock.
For Investors
The rental market in Burns Beach is thin: only 8.4% of households rent, compared to a national average closer to 30%. Weekly rent sits at $650, and the vacancy rate of 4.0% is elevated enough to warrant caution. Against the $781,000 median, that rent implies a gross yield around 4.3%, above typical low-vacancy Perth coastal benchmarks. Overseas migration is the main demand driver, adding an average of 224 residents per year, far outpacing internal migration of 30 net per year. Population has grown 57.9% over 10 years, reaching 4,071 residents, and medium forecasts project the broader SA2 population climbing from 11,228 in 2025 to 13,272 by 2031. Development is minimal at 1 application in the past 12 months, so new supply is not a near-term dilution risk.
Development Activity
Total DAs
2
Last 12 Months
2
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Burns Beach iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Burns Beach Primary School
K-6 · 425 students
Demographics
At 40, the median age matches the national figure exactly, but the composition is shifting: the senior share has risen 5.8 percentage points over the decade while the youth share has dropped 4.6 points, classifying Burns Beach as aging. Overseas-born residents at 53.1% sit 31.5 points above the national average, and the top ancestry groups are English (2,018), Irish (478), and Scottish (472), with South African residents numbering 197, reflecting a notable Afrikaans-speaking community of 72 speakers. University qualifications reach 40.3%, which is 10.2 points above national, consistent with a suburb where professionals and managers make up the two largest occupation groups. Average household size of 3.2 is 0.7 above the national figure, and 49.5% of families are couples with children.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.7%
Houses
1.3%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Separate houses account for 98.7% of dwellings, with semi-detached homes making up the remaining 1.3% and no apartment stock recorded. The bedroom profile skews large: 84.4% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms and 14.0% have 3 bedrooms, matching the above-average household size of 3.2 and the couples-with-children majority. Tenure splits heavily toward mortgage holders at 65.9%, with 25.6% owning outright and only 8.4% renting, well below state and national averages. Affordability has tightened from 83.4% of the income benchmark in 2011 to 61.4% in 2021, though the trend is now classified as improving. Monthly mortgage repayments of $2,890 against household income in the 98.9th percentile nationally keeps mortgage stress absent for most households.
Mortgage / mo
$2,890
Rent / wk
$650
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$1,153
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.0%
Unoccupied
53
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.9%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
21.6%
Couples, no children
3,763
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads employment at 15.0% of the local workforce (247 workers), followed by Construction at 13.1% (216), and Professional/Technical Services and Education tied at 11.1% each (183 workers each). Mining accounts for 8.2% (135 workers), reflecting proximity to Perth's resources sector. By occupation, Professionals dominate at 578 workers, with Managers second at 429, a pattern consistent with the decile 10 IEO score for education and occupation advantage. Full-time employment runs at 64.1% and unemployment at 4.6%, with a 71.5% participation rate. The suburb sits at IRSD decile 10 nationally, meaning it is among the least disadvantaged communities in Australia, and real income growth of 10.5% over the decade has reinforced that standing.
Unemployment
1.2%
Labour Force
7,093
Unemployed
88
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.1%
Part-time
31.3%
Participation
71.5%
Employed
2,188
Occupations
Top Industries
University
40.3%
Postgraduate
8.6%
Born Overseas
53.1%
Dwellings
1,261
Transport to Work
Burns Beach is heavily car-dependent: 87.6% of residents drive to work, compared to the national average, while only 6.6% use public transport and 1.1% walk or cycle. The suburb scores decile 10 on both IRSAD and IRSD, the highest nationally, and decile 10 on IER, placing it in the top tier for economic resources as well. Only 2.2% of residents need daily assistance, one of the lower rates nationally. Volunteering reaches 14.3%. Housing stress is absent on both measures: mortgage-to-income at 19.4% and rent-to-income at 18.9% both sit well below the 30% stress threshold. No schools are recorded inside the Burns Beach boundary in this dataset, so families rely on facilities in neighbouring suburbs such as Kinross and Currambine.
Drive
87.6%
Public Transport
6.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.1%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+2.81%/yr
(+316 people/yr)
EstablishedBurns Beach has grown 57.9% over 10 years, reaching 4,071 residents, and adds roughly 316 people per year at a 2.81% annual rate. Overseas migration dominates at an average net gain of 224 per year, far above the 30 net internal migration figure. The broader SA2 population reached 11,228 in 2025 and medium projections put it at 13,272 by 2031, an increase of 18.3% in six years. The suburb did not experience a COVID dip, suggesting structural demand held firm through the pandemic. The gentrification score of 10 and stage of not gentrifying reflect a suburb already at advantage decile 10, with limited upside from socioeconomic upgrading. The affordability trend is classified as improving, though it has compressed from 83.4% to 61.4% since 2011.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+224
Net Internal / yr
+30
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Strong overseas inflow +224/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Burns Beach compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Burns Beach a good suburb to live in?
Burns Beach ranks at decile 10 on IRSAD and IRSD, the top national tier for both advantage and low disadvantage, with household income in the 98.9th percentile. University qualifications at 40.3% are 10.2 points above national. The main trade-off is car dependence, with 87.6% driving to work and limited public transport at 6.6%.
What is the median house price in Burns Beach?
The estimated median house price is $781,000, based on 2025 rent data. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,890, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 19.4%, well below the 30% stress threshold. Weekly rent is $650.
What schools are in Burns Beach?
No schools are recorded inside the Burns Beach boundary in this dataset. Families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs including Kinross and Currambine. Locally, 40.3% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 10.2 points above the national figure.
Is Burns Beach safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Burns Beach in this dataset. As indirect indicators, the suburb sits at decile 10 on IRSD, the lowest disadvantage tier nationally, and only 2.2% of its 4,071 residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a low-disadvantage, low-crime profile.
Is Burns Beach good for property investment?
A 4.3% estimated gross yield (weekly rent $650 against a $781,000 median) is reasonable, but the vacancy rate of 4.0% warrants monitoring. Demand is strong, driven by overseas migration averaging 224 net residents per year. Population grew 57.9% over 10 years and medium forecasts project continued growth through 2031.
How is Burns Beach's population changing?
Burns Beach is growing at 2.81% per year, adding around 316 residents annually. The 10-year population change is 57.9%. Overseas migration is the primary driver, averaging 224 net arrivals per year. The trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 5.8 points and the youth share down 4.6 points over the decade.
What languages are spoken in Burns Beach?
Some 53.1% of residents were born overseas, 31.5 percentage points above the national average. Afrikaans is the most common non-English language with 72 speakers, followed by Mandarin (20), Arabic (19), Gujarati (17), and Polish (13), reflecting a South African migrant community alongside Asian and European groups.
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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