Glengowrie
This is a settled, owner-dominated pocket of Adelaide's bayside south where 39.0% own outright and only 22.9% rent, well below the national rental share. Detached homes make up 58.6% of dwellings and apartments just 3.0%, so the housing market trades on family houses rather than units. University qualifications reach 39.9%, which is 9.8 points above national, and household income lands in the 65.7th percentile. Crime runs low at 27.7 incidents per 1,000 residents across a compact 1.87 km2.
Population
5,767
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,821/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
62
Median House
$1.5M
First quarter 2026
Stock favours families: three-bedroom homes are 52.0% of dwellings and four-plus-bedroom homes 22.8%, while separate houses account for 58.6% against just 3.0% apartments. That scarcity of units means most purchases are detached houses competing for limited turnover, with 77.1% of residents having stayed put. Affordability is more workable than the headline price suggests, because the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 24.7%, below the 30% stress threshold, helped by household income in the 65.7th percentile and average monthly repayments near $1,950.
For Buyers
Stock favours families: three-bedroom homes are 52.0% of dwellings and four-plus-bedroom homes 22.8%, while separate houses account for 58.6% against just 3.0% apartments. That scarcity of units means most purchases are detached houses competing for limited turnover, with 77.1% of residents having stayed put. Affordability is more workable than the headline price suggests, because the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 24.7%, below the 30% stress threshold, helped by household income in the 65.7th percentile and average monthly repayments near $1,950.
For Investors
The 7.0% vacancy rate points to softer rental demand than an owner-occupier suburb might suggest. Development activity is moderate at 62 applications in 12 months, mostly single detached dwellings, pools and sheds rather than new rental supply, so unit stock stays scarce at 3.0%. The case here rests on capital growth, supported by the 5.3% annual price move, more than on rental income, because the rent-to-income ratio of 20.3% caps how far rents can stretch.
Development Activity
Total DAs
376
Last 12 Months
62
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+12.7%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 45 runs 5.0 years above the national figure, and an owner-occupier base of 39.0% outright reinforces a settled, older profile. Overseas-born residents sit at 18.9%, which is 2.7 points below national, so this is a less migrant-heavy area than most metro suburbs. Ancestry leans Anglo-Celtic, led by English (2,633), Irish (733) and Scottish (614), and the largest non-English languages are small: Greek (19), Hindi (16) and Cantonese (15). University qualifications at 39.9% run 9.8 points above national, consistent with a Professionals-led workforce of 814. Average household size is 2.3, which is 0.2 below national, fitting a mix where couples without children make up 30.2% of families.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
58.6%
Houses
38.2%
Townhouse
3.0%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts heavily to ownership: 39.0% own outright and 38.2% carry a mortgage, leaving only 22.9% renting, well below the national rental share. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders signals long-held, debt-free housing rather than recent churn. The stock is 58.6% separate houses and 38.2% semi-detached, with apartments at just 3.0%, which keeps detached-house prices firm through limited supply. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 52.0% and four-plus-bedroom at 22.8%. Mortgage-to-income at 24.7% and rent-to-income at 20.3% both sit below the 30% stress threshold, so housing costs are manageable relative to the 65.7th-percentile household income.
Mortgage / mo
$1,950
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$370
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$856
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.0%
Unoccupied
176
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
42.9%
Couples with children
42.4%
Couples, no children
13.9%
Single parent
1,570
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in services: Healthcare leads at 18.7% (384 workers), Education follows at 14.0% (287), Public Admin at 10.3% (212), Professional/Tech at 9.7% (200) and Construction at 9.1% (186). By occupation, Professionals (814) and Managers (422) form the top tier, which aligns with university qualifications running 9.8 points above national. Unemployment is low at 3.3% and the full-time employment rate reaches 61.3%. Participation reads 59.1%, held down because the older age profile leaves 1,754 residents not in the labour force. Personal income averages $856 weekly and household income $1,821, placing the suburb in the 65.7th percentile nationally.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
3,018
Unemployed
95
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.2%
Part-time
36.8%
Participation
62.1%
Employed
2,923
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
39.9%
Postgraduate
8.8%
Born Overseas
18.9%
Dwellings
2,337
Transport to Work
Daily life here is car-centred: 89.4% drive to work, while only 2.3% use public transport and 2.4% walk or cycle, well above the national reliance on private vehicles. Crime is low at 27.7 incidents per 1,000 residents, with 160 total recorded, consistent with the settled owner-occupier base. Volunteering runs at 17.8% and 8.3% of residents (471 people) need daily assistance, which tracks the older median age of 45. No schools are recorded inside the 1.87 km2 boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs, a trade-off offset by the quiet, low-density setting at 3,091 residents per km2 and a 22.9% renter share below the national average.
Drive
72.9%
Public Transport
6.6%
Walk / Cycle
1.9%
Work from Home
13.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
160
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
27.7
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Glengowrie compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Glengowrie?
No schools are recorded inside the 1.87 km2 Glengowrie boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring bayside suburbs. The resident base is well educated, with university qualifications at 39.9%, which is 9.8 points above the national figure.
Is Glengowrie safe?
Glengowrie records low crime, with 160 incidents in total or 27.7 per 1,000 residents, which is consistent with its settled, owner-occupier profile where 39.0% own their homes outright. The compact 1.87 km2 footprint and high stay-put rate of 77.1% both point to a quiet, low-turnover area.
How is Glengowrie's population changing?
Glengowrie is a slow-turnover, aging market: the median age of 45 sits 5.0 years above national, and 77.1% of residents stayed put with turnover at just 22.9%. Couples without children make up 30.2% of families, and 8.3% of the 5,767 residents need daily assistance, reflecting the older profile.
How much development is happening in Glengowrie?
There were 62 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, moderate for a 1.87 km2 suburb. Most are single detached dwellings, pools and sheds rather than new estates, which keeps the dwelling mix anchored at 58.6% separate houses and just 3.0% apartments.
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). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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