Harrisdale
Harrisdale's standout number is scale: the resident base grew 206.7% over 10 years and is still tracking at 4.8% a year. This is a young, high income, house dominated pocket beside Piara Waters and Southern River, with 11,667 residents, median age 33 and density of 2,020.4 people per sq km. Household income sits in the 90.8 percentile nationally, while 51.9% born overseas is 30.3 points above national. The suburb feels family and mortgage led because 98.6% of dwellings are separate houses and 68.0% carry a mortgage.
Population
11,667
Median Age
33.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,412/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$519K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Homebuyers are mostly buying space rather than compact dwelling convenience. Separate houses make up 98.6% of dwellings, far higher than the 1.4% semi-detached share, and 64.8% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms compared with 34.3% with 3. The current median house price is not available, so value checks need comparable family house sales. Holding costs look manageable for local incomes: the median mortgage is $2,000 a month and mortgage payments sit at 19.1% of income, below the suburb's $2,412 weekly household income setting.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are mostly buying space rather than compact dwelling convenience. Separate houses make up 98.6% of dwellings, far higher than the 1.4% semi-detached share, and 64.8% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms compared with 34.3% with 3. The current median house price is not available, so value checks need comparable family house sales. Holding costs look manageable for local incomes: the median mortgage is $2,000 a month and mortgage payments sit at 19.1% of income, below the suburb's $2,412 weekly household income setting.
For Investors
For investors, Harrisdale is a yield and tenant depth story more than a redevelopment story. Renters are 20.3% of households, lower than the 68.0% mortgage share, which means rental stock can be limited in a mainly owner occupier market. Median rent is $420 a week and rent takes 17.4% of income, supporting capacity to pay. Vacancy is 3.8%, while development approvals show 0 in the past 12 months. Demand has a population tailwind because overseas migration adds 285 people a year, compared with 84 from internal migration.
Schools in Harrisdale iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Carey Baptist College
PP-12 · 1484 students
Harrisdale Primary School
K-6 · 1028 students
North Harrisdale Primary School
K-6 · 805 students
Harrisdale Senior High School
7-12 · 2303 students
Demographics
Harrisdale skews younger, larger household and more internationally connected than the national profile. The median age is 33, which is 7.0 years below national, and average household size is 3.2, 0.7 above national. Overseas-born residents are 51.9%, 30.3 points above national, with Indian ancestry counted at 1,954 and Chinese at 1,281 alongside English at 2,747. University attainment is 47.3%, 17.2 points above national, helping explain the high incomes and professional workforce.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
98.6%
Houses
1.4%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
Housing form is unusually uniform. Separate houses account for 98.6% of dwellings, much higher than the 1.4% semi-detached share, so buyers comparing Harrisdale with more mixed suburbs closer to Canning Vale should expect fewer compact options. Tenure is mortgage heavy: 68.0% are paying a mortgage, compared with 20.3% renting and 11.7% owned outright. The bedroom mix reinforces the family pattern, with 64.8% at 4 or more bedrooms and 34.3% at 3 bedrooms.
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$420
HH Size
3.2
Personal Income / wk
$1,068
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.8%
Unoccupied
140
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
14.3%
Couples, no children
10,552
Total families
Economy & Employment
The labour market is broad but tilted to services. Healthcare employs 919 people, or 20.2%, above Education at 456 and 10.0%, with Professional/Tech at 398 and 8.8%, Construction at 338 and 7.4%, and Retail at 328 and 7.2%. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 1,558, higher than Clerical/Admin at 794 and Managers at 683. Participation is 74.7%, full-time work is 67.7% and unemployment is 4.6%. SEIFA ranks are strongest for resources in decile 10, then disadvantage decile 9, advantage/disadvantage decile 8 and education/occupation decile 7, suggesting income is ahead of occupational prestige.
Unemployment
1.4%
Labour Force
8,471
Unemployed
122
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
67.7%
Part-time
27.7%
Participation
74.7%
Employed
5,903
Occupations
Top Industries
University
47.3%
Postgraduate
13.9%
Born Overseas
51.9%
Dwellings
3,586
Transport to Work
Daily livability is school and car led. Harrisdale has 4 schools with an ICSEA range from 1072 to 1114, led by Carey Baptist College at 1114 with 1,484 enrolments, Harrisdale Primary at 1092 with 1,028, and North Harrisdale Primary at 1077 with 805. Government, Independent and secondary options are all local, which matters because 64.8% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms. Public transport commuting is 4.2%, far lower than car driving at 89.5%, while walking and cycling are 1.1%. IRSAD decile 8 supports above-average amenity expectations.
Drive
89.5%
Public Transport
4.2%
Walk / Cycle
1.1%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+4.8%/yr
(+678 people/yr)
High GrowthGrowth remains the defining risk and opportunity. The trend forecast is 4.8% a year, equal to 678 extra residents annually, and the medium path rises from 15,269 in 2026 to 18,660 in 2031. Overseas migration is the primary driver, adding 285 people a year, higher than 84 from internal migration. The 10-year population change was 206.7%, but the shift is aging: seniors are up 3.3 points while working-age share is down 3.4. Gentrification score is 0 and stage is New development, so change is about estate maturation rather than price-led displacement.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+285
Net Internal / yr
+84
Gentrification Signal
New development
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Harrisdale compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Harrisdale a good suburb to live in?
Yes for households wanting newer detached housing and schools. Harrisdale has 4 local schools, 98.6% separate houses and a median age of 33, while household income sits in the 90.8 national percentile.
What is the median house price in Harrisdale?
A current median house price is not available for Harrisdale. Buyers should benchmark recent 3 and 4+ bedroom house sales, because 98.6% of dwellings are separate houses and 64.8% have 4 or more bedrooms.
What schools are in Harrisdale?
Harrisdale has 4 schools: Carey Baptist College, Harrisdale Primary School, North Harrisdale Primary School and Harrisdale Senior High School. ICSEA scores run from 1072 to 1114, with enrolments up to 2,303.
Is Harrisdale safe?
Safety should be checked at street level because a suburb-wide crime rate per 1,000 residents is not available. The broader setting is advantaged, with IRSAD decile 8 and IRSD decile 9, but those measures are not crime statistics.
Is Harrisdale good for property investment?
Yes, with a focus on family rentals rather than redevelopment. Rent is $420 a week, vacancy is 3.8%, renters are 20.3% of households and forecast growth is 4.8% a year, but development approvals were 0 in the past 12 months.
How is Harrisdale's population changing?
Harrisdale is still growing quickly. The trend adds 678 residents a year, or 4.8%, and the medium forecast reaches 18,660 by 2031. Overseas migration is the main driver at 285 people annually, above 84 internal.
What languages are spoken in Harrisdale?
Punjabi is the largest listed non-English language with 423 speakers, followed by Mandarin at 293, Malayalam at 218, Hindi at 118 and Sinhal at 117. This matches the 51.9% overseas-born share.
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 Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), 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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