Gordon Park

Development Activity

Demographics

The median age of 36 sits 4 years below the national figure, and the working-age share grew 0.9 points over the decade. University qualifications at 54.4% run 24.3 points above national, one of the suburb's most distinctive signals. Overseas-born residents account for 20.9%, near the national average. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic: English (1,754), Irish (771) and Scottish (559) are the three largest groups. The average household size of 2.4 is marginally below the national figure by 0.1, and 44.3% of families are couples with children, with 27.2% couples without children. Population grew 19% since 2011, compared to more modest growth in many established inner suburbs nationally.

The tenure mix reflects a suburb in transition: 40.3% rent, 37.8% carry a mortgage and only 21.9% own outright, lower than more established or older suburbs. The stock leans toward medium density, with 55.9% separate houses and 32.9% apartments, plus 11.3% semi-detached. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 34.3% and 4-plus bedroom at 28.5%, giving the suburb a stronger family-home character than the apartment ratios alone suggest. Rent-to-income at 16.5% and mortgage-to-income at 23.0% are both below stress thresholds, making Gordon Park more financially accessible than many comparable decile 9 suburbs. The 5.3% vacancy rate is worth monitoring, as it sits above typical tight-market levels.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare is the dominant employer at 20.9% of the workforce (425 workers), followed by Professional/Tech at 16.4% (332) and Education at 11.3% (230), a knowledge-sector concentration that explains the decile 9 IEO score for education and occupation advantage. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 982 workers, with Managers second at 407. The unemployment rate is 3.6%, the full-time employment rate 67.7% and the participation rate 70.2%, all solid compared to national averages. Real incomes grew 14.7% over the decade. The SEIFA IER decile is 6, below the suburb's IRSD decile 9 and IRSAD decile 9, because the 40.3% renter base suppresses aggregate household wealth relative to education and occupation signals.

Transport to Work

Car use at 76.0% is dominant, though 12.7% use public transport and 5.5% walk or cycle, reasonable for a suburb this size. The suburb scores decile 9 on IRSAD nationally, placing it in the top 10% for socioeconomic advantage. Only 3.0% of residents (127 people) need daily assistance, low relative to population size. Volunteering sits at 17.8%. No schools are recorded inside the Gordon Park boundary, so families draw on nearby schools in adjacent suburbs. The 16.5% rent-to-income ratio is comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, keeping housing costs manageable for the 40.3% who rent. Household incomes rank in the 84th percentile nationally, providing a buffer against cost-of-living pressures that affect lower-income suburbs.

Population Forecast

Gordon Park's population grew 14.5% over 10 years and is forecast to grow at 1.1% annually, adding about 172 residents per year. The SA2-level medium forecast reaches 16,597 by 2031 from 15,654 in 2025. Overseas migration is the primary driver at 180 net arrivals annually, partially offset by net internal outflow of 67. The gentrification score registers at an early-signs stage, with affordability improving from 39.8% in 2011 to 33.1% in 2021 while the suburb's SEIFA decile holds at 9. The working-age share grew 0.9 points over the decade and the senior share declined 0.2 points, signalling a suburb that is getting younger rather than aging, unlike many established inner areas.

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

How Gordon Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions