Harrisdale

Schools in Harrisdale

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Demographics

Harrisdale has a young but changing population: the median age is 33, which is 7 years below the national comparison, while the trajectory is Aging. Families dominate, with 64.4% couples with children, 23.5% couples without children and an average household size of 3.2, or 0.7 above national. Cultural diversity is pronounced: 51.9% were born overseas, 30.3 percentage points above national, and the largest recorded ancestries include English at 2,747 people, Indian at 1,954 and Chinese at 1,281. Punjabi is the most common listed language at 423 people, followed by Mandarin at 293 and Malayalam at 218. Christianity counts 4,309 and no religion 3,525, while Hinduism reaches 1,440. Compared with nearby Piara Waters and Canning Vale, these features position Harrisdale as a strongly migrant-majority, family-led suburb with 78.3% of residents staying at the same address over the reference period.

Harrisdale is overwhelmingly a detached-house market, with 98.6% separate houses and 1.4% semi-detached dwellings. Large homes dominate: 64.8% have 4 or more bedrooms, while 34.3% have 3 bedrooms. Tenure is tilted toward active mortgages, with 67.7% mortgaged, compared with 11.6% owned outright and 20.2% rented. The mortgage indicator is $2,000 monthly against household income of $2,412 weekly, and mortgage stress is flagged false at a 19.1% mortgage-to-income measure. Rent is $420 weekly and vacancy is 3.8%, giving renters a different affordability test from owners. A current median house price should be checked against live listings, with nearby Canning Vale and Southern River useful comparison markets for dwelling size, land component and asking prices. Harrisdale’s 2,020.4 people per sq km also means its detached format is relatively dense compared with a low-density outer suburb.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Harrisdale combines high household earning capacity with a concentrated service economy. Household income is $2,412 weekly, at the 90.8th percentile nationally, while labour-force participation is 78.3% and unemployment is 4.3%. Healthcare is the largest industry at 20.2% and 919 workers, followed by Education at 10.0% and 456, Professional/Tech at 8.8% and 398, Construction at 7.4% and 338, and Retail at 7.2% and 328. Occupations reinforce this mix: Professionals number 1,558, Trades 864 and Clerical/Admin 794. The IER decile is 10 and IRSAD decile 8, compared with lower socioeconomic deciles nationally, indicating strong economic resources but not uniform advantage. Full-time employment is 64.5%, with 3,999 full-time workers, so household spending power is supported by substantial workforce attachment. Compared with more established parts of the City of Armadale, Harrisdale has a higher-income, professional-family profile.

Source: ABS Census 2021

Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021

Transport to Work

Harrisdale is practical for car-based households: 81.9% travel as car drivers, compared with 3.8% using public transport, 1.0% walking or cycling and 8.5% working from home. That split reflects a suburban layout where daily trips are more likely to rely on roads than active or public transport. Four schools operate locally, including 3 government schools across primary and senior-high years and 1 non-government college, giving families a mix of sector and age options. Check enrolment zones against the exact address because they can cross suburb boundaries. Safety decisions should use current WA Police incident data and the exact street context. Socioeconomic conditions are comparatively strong: IRSAD is 1,059 at decile 8, while IRSD is decile 9 and IER reaches decile 10. Compared with the national position, these deciles indicate less disadvantage and greater economic resources, although car dependence may matter more than headline liveability for households without a vehicle.

Population Forecast

Harrisdale sits in a high-growth phase, with an annual trend of 4.8% and wider-area population change of 206.7% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, consistent with a suburb where 51.9% of residents were born overseas and 3.2 people occupy the average household. The shift profile is Aging, with senior share up 3.3 percentage points and working share down 3.4 points, even though the young share increased 2.8 points. Affordability improved from 47.9 in 2011 to 39.3 in 2021, while real income growth was -9.6%, suggesting access conditions remain important as the suburb matures. Gentrification score is 0 and the stage is New development, rather than an established gentrifying market. Compared with established Canning Vale, Harrisdale’s 4.8% annual pace is more expansion-led, but the aging trajectory means future demand may broaden beyond young families.

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

How Harrisdale compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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