East Devonport
Low income and high renting define East Devonport more than lifestyle branding: household income sits in the 7.6th percentile, while 42.6% of homes are rented and 85.7% are separate houses. The 4,384 residents are older than the national norm, with a median age of 44, and the suburb reads more working-class and detached than nearby Devonport across the Mersey or Latrobe. Because incomes are lower, the low $235 weekly rent and $1,059 monthly mortgage settings matter more than price growth headlines.
Population
4,384
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$900/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Homebuyers are looking at a house-dominant market rather than apartment choice: 85.7% of dwellings are separate houses, 9.6% are semi-detached and 55.4% have 3 bedrooms. The cost base is modest, with median rent at $235 a week and typical mortgage payments of $1,059 a month, but household income is also low at $900 a week. Because mortgage costs take 27.2% of income, budgets can be workable, though borrowing capacity is below higher-income suburbs.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are looking at a house-dominant market rather than apartment choice: 85.7% of dwellings are separate houses, 9.6% are semi-detached and 55.4% have 3 bedrooms. The cost base is modest, with median rent at $235 a week and typical mortgage payments of $1,059 a month, but household income is also low at $900 a week. Because mortgage costs take 27.2% of income, budgets can be workable, though borrowing capacity is below higher-income suburbs.
For Investors
East Devonport has a large rental pool, with 42.6% of households renting compared with 33.8% owned outright and 22.6% under mortgage. Median rent is $235 a week and rent-to-income is 26.1%, which suggests affordability is not stretched because local incomes are modest. The 8.4% vacancy rate is the main caution; it is higher than a tight rental market, and 0 recorded development approvals over 12 months point to limited new-supply pressure.
Demographics
East Devonport is older and less university-credentialed than the national benchmark: median age is 44, 4.0 years above national, while 15.1% hold a university qualification, 15.0 percentage points below national. Overseas-born residents are 13.3%, 8.3 points below national, and ancestry is led by English at 1,797 people, then Scottish at 375 and Irish at 367. Because the average household is 2.2 people, local demand leans toward smaller established households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
85.7%
Houses
9.6%
Townhouse
0.0%
Apartment
Tenure
The dwelling stock is strongly detached, with separate houses at 85.7% and 3-bedroom homes at 55.4%, a higher share of family-scale stock than the 22.5% in 2-bedroom dwellings. Tenure is mixed: 33.8% own outright, 22.6% are paying a mortgage and 42.6% rent. Compared with central Devonport, East Devonport's housing pattern feels more suburban and lower-density because detached homes dominate the mix.
Mortgage / mo
$1,059
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$235
Census 2021
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$518
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
8.4%
Unoccupied
163
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.2%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
27.5%
Couples with children
41.6%
Couples, no children
29.2%
Single parent
1,126
Total families
Economy & Employment
The economy is service and manual-work oriented. Healthcare is the largest industry at 22.2% or 187 workers, followed by Retail at 8.8%, Agriculture at 8.5%, Hospitality at 7.8% and Construction at 7.6%. Labourers are the largest occupation group at 371, ahead of Community/Personal roles at 224 and Trades at 200. This aligns with lower household incomes because many roles are care, service or manual jobs; unemployment is 9.0%, participation is 45.6%, and IRSAD, IRSD, IEO and IER are all decile 1, below average.
Unemployment
9.0%
Labour Force
1,648
Unemployed
148
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
49.1%
Part-time
42.7%
Participation
45.6%
Employed
1,500
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
15.1%
Postgraduate
3.1%
Born Overseas
13.3%
Dwellings
1,779
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented: 78.9% drive to work, compared with 5.1% using public transport and 2.6% walking or cycling. Working from home is 5.5%, so commuting patterns still matter. The suburb covers 12.14 sq km at 361.1 people per sq km, giving a lower-density setting because detached homes dominate. IRSAD decile 1 signals fewer local advantages than average, and the published crime rate is unavailable, so safety should be checked through current local sources.
Drive
78.9%
Public Transport
5.1%
Walk / Cycle
2.6%
Work from Home
5.5%
Population Forecast
+0.32%/yr
(+17 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is slow and ageing rather than expansion-led. The trend runs at 0.32% a year, while the 10-year population change is 3.3% and the migration driver is Balanced. The shift trajectory is Aging: senior share rose 6.4 points, higher than the young share movement of -4.5 points. Gentrification is scored 15 and labelled Not gentrifying, compared with the separate shift signal of 28 for early signs, so change is gradual because turnover is not being driven by a single demand shock.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Balanced
Net Overseas / yr
+26
Net Internal / yr
+12
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Accelerating: -6% → 10%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How East Devonport compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is East Devonport a good suburb to live in?
It can suit households wanting lower-cost, detached living: 85.7% of homes are separate houses and median rent is $235 a week. Trade-offs are lower incomes, with household income in the 7.6th percentile, and high car use at 78.9%.
What is the median house price in East Devonport?
A current median house price is not available, so judge affordability through costs that are available: typical mortgage payments are $1,059 a month, median rent is $235 a week, and mortgage costs sit at 27.2% of income, below acute stress.
What schools are in East Devonport?
There are 0 schools recorded within East Devonport. Families usually need to look to surrounding Devonport-area suburbs for schooling, so travel time matters because 78.9% of workers already commute by car and public transport use is 5.1%.
Is East Devonport safe?
A suburb-level crime rate is not available for East Devonport, so no 1 per 1,000 comparison can be made. For practical safety checks, combine current police maps with on-the-ground visits; the local context is lower-SEIFA, with IRSAD in decile 1.
Is East Devonport good for property investment?
Investment appeal is mainly yield-affordability, not rapid growth: 42.6% of households rent and weekly rent is $235, while rent-to-income is 26.1%. The 8.4% vacancy rate is higher than a tight market and 0 approvals limit new competition.
How is East Devonport's population changing?
East Devonport is changing slowly rather than booming: the annual growth trend is 0.32% and the 10-year population change is 3.3%. The trajectory is Aging, with senior share up 6.4 points and young share down 4.5 points, while migration is Balanced.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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