Chidlow

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

Demographics

The median age of 44 is 4 years above the national figure, reflecting an established, family-and-empty-nester mix. University qualifications reach 18.2%, which is 11.9 percentage points below the national average, consistent with a workforce concentrated in healthcare, mining and construction rather than professional services. Overseas-born residents account for 24%, slightly above the national comparison. Ancestry is Anglo-Celtic dominated, led by English (877), Scottish (202) and Irish (161). Average household size is 2.7, marginally above national, and 39.4% of families are couples with children. The volunteering rate of 18.7% points to a community that is engaged locally, and the participation rate of 59.4% is moderate.

Every dwelling in Chidlow is a separate house, an unusual uniformity that drives average household sizes and bedroom counts well above state norms. More than half of homes (55.1%) have four or more bedrooms, and only 7.8% have two bedrooms, meaning the suburb skews heavily toward large family homes. Tenure is split between outright ownership at 31.4% and mortgaged at 58%, with renters at just 10.6%, lower than most WA suburbs. Mortgage stress is contained: monthly repayments average $1,950 and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 22.8% is below the 30% threshold. The median house price of $486,000, estimated from rent data for 2025, reflects an accessible price point relative to Perth's western and northern corridors.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare leads local employment at 14% of workers (85 people), followed by Education (11.7%, 71 workers), Mining (11.3%, 69 workers) and Public Administration (10.5%, 64 workers). By occupation, Professionals (146) top the list but Machinery and Drivers (91) rank fifth, indicating a workforce that mixes white-collar roles with trades and driving occupations. The unemployment rate of 4.1% sits slightly above the typical metropolitan benchmark, and the full-time employment rate is 62.4%. SEIFA tells a layered story: IER decile 9 for economic resources reflects strong household assets and income at the 74.1st percentile, while IEO decile 4 reflects lower formal qualifications compared to the national distribution.

Transport to Work

Chidlow is almost entirely car-dependent: 91.8% of residents drive to work and only 2% use public transport, reflecting limited rail access from the eastern hills. The suburb spans 42.96 km2 at a low density of 42.4 people per km2, so distances between amenities are longer than in urban Perth. IRSAD decile 5 places it in the mid-range nationally for relative socio-economic advantage, while IRSD decile 7 confirms modest disadvantage levels. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary, so families rely on facilities in nearby centres. Only 5.1% of residents need daily assistance, below the level you might expect given the older median age of 44, and housing stress is low with rent-to-income at 19.3% and mortgage-to-income at 22.8%.

Population Forecast

Population rose 33% between 2011 and 2021, one of the stronger long-run gains in the Perth hills corridor, and current annual growth is 1.43%, adding roughly 81 people per year. Net internal migration drives the intake at 168 arrivals per year, supplemented by 21 net overseas arrivals annually. Medium forecasts project the broader SA2 reaching 5,833 by 2031 from 5,661 in 2025. The gentrification score of 32 sits at early signs stage, supported by sustained population inflow and improving affordability: the affordability ratio improved from 49.3% in 2011 to 45.5% in 2021. Rent grew 22.3% over the period and real incomes rose 7.9%, indicating genuine purchasing power growth rather than just headline price inflation.

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

How Chidlow compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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