Erskine
At 61, Erskine's median age is 21 years above the national figure, making its mature resident base the suburb's clearest signature. Around 5,429 people live across 3.87 square kilometres, at a density of 1,403.8 people per square kilometre. Housing is predominantly detached, with 79.1% separate houses, while 45.9% own outright. Compared with nearby Mandurah, Erskine reads as a more settled residential pocket, supported by 77.7% staying at the same address. The trade-off is a modest income position: household income sits at the 11.2 percentile, while 33.0% were born overseas, 11.4 points above national. Growth is 2.2% annually and driven primarily by overseas migration.
Population
5,429
Median Age
61.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$957/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Homebuyers should assess Erskine by repayment capacity and housing type because a current median house price is not available. The mortgage figure is $1,701 a month, rent is $320 a week, and mortgage costs reach 41.0% of household income, leaving limited room for rate rises. The 79.1% separate-house share suits buyers seeking conventional family stock; 38.8% of dwellings have 3 bedrooms and 38.6% have 4 or more. Compared with apartment-led markets, Erskine has less compact housing choice: apartments are 1.9% and semi-detached homes 19.1%. Outright ownership is 45.9%, above the 26.9% mortgage share, which supports a settled market but can reduce resale turnover. Buyers should check insurance, accessibility and maintenance alongside price.
For Buyers
Homebuyers should assess Erskine by repayment capacity and housing type because a current median house price is not available. The mortgage figure is $1,701 a month, rent is $320 a week, and mortgage costs reach 41.0% of household income, leaving limited room for rate rises. The 79.1% separate-house share suits buyers seeking conventional family stock; 38.8% of dwellings have 3 bedrooms and 38.6% have 4 or more. Compared with apartment-led markets, Erskine has less compact housing choice: apartments are 1.9% and semi-detached homes 19.1%. Outright ownership is 45.9%, above the 26.9% mortgage share, which supports a settled market but can reduce resale turnover. Buyers should check insurance, accessibility and maintenance alongside price.
For Investors
Erskine's rental case is shaped by a 19.6% renting share, $320 weekly rent and a 9.9% vacancy rate. The vacancy figure is higher than a tightly supplied market would usually be, so investors should stress-test periods without a tenant rather than assume continuous income. Development activity recorded 0 in the past 12 months, reducing an immediate new-supply signal but not removing renovation risk in an established detached-home suburb. Compared with high-turnover rental locations, 77.7% staying at the same address points to a more settled base, while overseas migration is the primary growth driver and the annual trend is 2.2%. Rent growth of 19.4% supports recent momentum, but the 41.0% mortgage-to-income ratio and household income at the 11.2 percentile make affordability a key constraint for leveraged buyers.
Demographics
Erskine has an older and smaller-household profile than national benchmarks: the median age is 61, or 21 years above national, while average household size is 2.0, 0.5 below the national comparison. Overseas-born residents account for 33.0%, 11.4 percentage points above national, adding an international layer to a population whose largest recorded ancestries are English at 2,874, Scottish at 557 and Irish at 552. University attainment is 17.3%, 12.8 points below national, consistent with the leading occupations being trades at 320, professionals at 256 and community/personal roles at 252. Christianity counts 2,731 people and no religion 2,240. With 77.7% staying at the same address and 62.9% of families being couples without children, Erskine is more settled than a highly transient, young-family market.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
79.1%
Houses
19.1%
Townhouse
1.9%
Apartment
Tenure
Erskine's housing mix is firmly detached: 79.1% are separate houses, compared with 1.9% apartments and 19.1% semi-detached homes. The bedroom profile is also generous, with 38.8% of dwellings containing 3 bedrooms and 38.6% containing 4 or more, leaving only 5.8% in the 0 to 1-bedroom group. Tenure is weighted toward stability, as 45.9% own outright, 26.9% hold a mortgage and 19.6% rent. Mortgage stress reaches 41.0% of income, higher than rent stress at 33.4%. A 9.9% vacancy rate is elevated compared with a tightly occupied market. No median sale price is available, so buyers should compare recent sales by bedroom, tenure and dwelling type rather than use false precision.
Mortgage / mo
$1,701
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$320
Census 2021
HH Size
2.0
Personal Income / wk
$549
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
9.9%
Unoccupied
278
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
33.4% stressed
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
41.0% stressed
Community Profile
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.6%
Couples with children
62.9%
Couples, no children
12.6%
Single parent
1,607
Total families
Economy & Employment
Erskine's employment base is led by healthcare at 18.3% or 193 workers, followed by mining at 12.3% and 130, education at 11.3% and 119, construction at 10.8% and 114, and manufacturing at 7.2% and 76. Trades are the largest listed occupation at 320, ahead of professionals at 256 and community/personal roles at 252. The labour force contains 1,850 people, with unemployment at 5.7%, participation at 38.4% and full-time employment at 54.3%; 2,756 people are not in the labour force, consistent with a median age of 61. SEIFA is uneven: IER sits in decile 7, higher than IEO decile 4, IRSD decile 5 and IRSAD decile 4, suggesting household economic resources outpace education, occupation and broad advantage measures.
Unemployment
5.7%
Labour Force
1,850
Unemployed
105
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.3%
Part-time
36.6%
Participation
38.4%
Employed
1,745
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
17.3%
Postgraduate
2.4%
Born Overseas
33.0%
Dwellings
2,522
Transport to Work
Daily mobility is car dependent: 79.0% travel as a car driver, versus 4.6% using public transport and 2.1% walking or cycling. Only 8.3% work from home, so access to employment, shops and services beyond Erskine matters more than in a high-WFH suburb. The 3.87-square-kilometre area and density of 1,403.8 people per square kilometre support a compact residential setting, but the older median age of 61 makes footpath quality, shade, parking and accessible services practical priorities. Volunteering is 15.1%, while 8.8% need assistance, equal to 458 people, so community and support infrastructure can materially affect day-to-day comfort. Compared with more transit-oriented areas, Erskine's 79.0% car-driver share is the key livability constraint. Safety should be assessed through current street-level checks rather than assumed from a suburb-wide ranking.
Drive
79.0%
Public Transport
4.6%
Walk / Cycle
2.1%
Work from Home
8.3%
Population Forecast
+2.2%/yr
(+473 people/yr)
EstablishedErskine's wider-area growth trend is 2.2% annually, with overseas migration identified as the primary driver. Population change across the wider area is 37.6% over 10 years, indicating stronger momentum than a static established suburb. The forecast trajectory is Mixed. Gentrification signals are split, with a current score of 40 at the Active stage, while the shift profile records a score of 33 at the Early signs stage. That mix reflects a mature suburb with a median age of 61, only a 0.2 percentage-point change in the young share and a 1.3-point rise in the senior share. Affordability improved from 41.9 in 2011 to 35.4 in 2021, real income growth was 14.8% and rents grew 19.4%. Compared with a purely retirement-led trajectory, overseas migration and 2.2% annual growth point to a broader, if uneven, transition.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+422
Net Internal / yr
-108
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +45% since 2011, Net internal outflow -108/yr, Strong overseas inflow +422/yr, Accelerating: 16% → 25%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Erskine compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Erskine a good suburb to live in?
Erskine can suit buyers seeking a settled, low-turnover setting: the median age is 61, 77.7% stayed at the same address and 79.1% of homes are separate houses. Compared with a highly mobile suburb, the trade-off is car dependence, with 79.0% driving and only 4.6% using public transport, so inspect access to daily services.
What is the median house price in Erskine?
A current median house price is not available for Erskine. Compared with relying on one suburb-wide estimate, buyers should compare recent sales by dwelling type because 79.1% of homes are separate houses and 38.6% have 4 or more bedrooms. Test repayments against the $1,701 monthly mortgage figure.
What schools are in Erskine?
School access should be checked beyond Erskine's boundary. Compare at least 2 nearby options for year levels, enrolment zones, travel time and sector before buying. Compared with a suburb that has several on-site schools, this makes address-level due diligence more important. Erskine's 79.0% car-driver share also makes the daily school run a transport consideration.
Is Erskine safe?
Erskine cannot be ranked above or below Mandurah on safety from a single suburb figure. Before buying or renting, inspect the immediate street in daylight and after dark, review recent incidents, and check lighting and passive surveillance. The compact 3.87-square-kilometre area has a density of 1,403.8 people per square kilometre, so conditions can vary by pocket.
Is Erskine good for property investment?
Erskine may suit a longer-hold investor who values detached housing and an established base, but the numbers require caution. Compared with a tightly supplied rental market, vacancy is high at 9.9%, while weekly rent is $320, renting is 19.6% and development activity is 0. Rent growth of 19.4% is supportive, yet mortgage stress at 41.0% can limit tenant affordability.
How is Erskine's population changing?
Population change across the wider area is 37.6% over 10 years, with growth running at 2.2% annually and overseas migration the primary driver. The trajectory is Mixed, while the gentrification score is 40 at the Active stage. Compared with a purely young-growth suburb, Erskine's current population of 5,429 and median age of 61 indicate expansion from a mature base.
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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