Kalamunda
With a median age of 49, fully 9 years above the national figure, Kalamunda reads as a settled hills town rather than a growth corridor. Half of all dwellings (50.1%) are owned outright, far above the renter share of 15.2%, which explains why the IER reaches decile 9 even though personal incomes ($773/week) sit at only the 53.2nd household percentile. The $490,000 median house price is affordable by Perth standards, and the housing stock is overwhelmingly detached at 89.4%, with 49.2% carrying four or more bedrooms. Born-overseas residents make up 33.2%, which is 11.6 points above national, but ancestry is led by English (3,636), Scottish and Irish, marking it as long-established Anglo-Celtic rather than recently arrived.
Population
7,163
Median Age
49.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,622/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$490K
Estimated from rent (2025)
At $490,000 the median house price is comfortably below most metropolitan Perth benchmarks, and because 89.4% of dwellings are separate houses on the Darling Range escarpment, buyers are paying for land and space rather than density. Family-sized stock dominates: 49.2% of homes have four or more bedrooms and another 37.4% have three, so the suburb skews strongly toward established households rather than first-home apartment buyers, with apartments at just 1.3%. Monthly mortgage repayments of $2,100 translate to a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.9%, which sits just under the 30% stress threshold and is the main affordability watch-point given personal incomes of only $773/week. The reward is a low-churn community, with 82.1% of residents having stayed put and only 34.6% still carrying a mortgage.
For Buyers
At $490,000 the median house price is comfortably below most metropolitan Perth benchmarks, and because 89.4% of dwellings are separate houses on the Darling Range escarpment, buyers are paying for land and space rather than density. Family-sized stock dominates: 49.2% of homes have four or more bedrooms and another 37.4% have three, so the suburb skews strongly toward established households rather than first-home apartment buyers, with apartments at just 1.3%. Monthly mortgage repayments of $2,100 translate to a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.9%, which sits just under the 30% stress threshold and is the main affordability watch-point given personal incomes of only $773/week. The reward is a low-churn community, with 82.1% of residents having stayed put and only 34.6% still carrying a mortgage.
For Investors
Kalamunda is a poor fit for yield-focused investors and a slow play for capital growth. Renters are only 15.2% of households, the thinnest tenant pool of any tenure, because 50.1% own outright and another 34.6% hold mortgages. Weekly rent of $360 against the $490,000 median produces a gross yield near 3.8%, modest but better than inner-city Perth, and rents have grown 13.6% recently. The vacancy rate of 6.9% is on the higher side and signals soft rental demand rather than scarcity. Population growth of just 0.46% per year (about 75 persons) and a gentrification score of 0 mean there is no near-term catalyst for outsized appreciation. Net overseas migration of 142 per year is the primary demand driver, with internal migration adding only 24, so this is a hold-for-stability rather than momentum thesis.
Schools in Kalamunda iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Kalamunda Primary School
K-6 · 368 students
Kalamunda Senior High School
7-12 · 1156 students
Demographics
The median age of 49 is 9 years above the national median, and the senior share has grown 6.8 points while the working-age share fell 4.0 points, confirming a clear aging trajectory. Couples with children (2,071) and couples without children (2,049) are almost evenly split across 5,839 families, so the household structure straddles maturing families and empty-nesters rather than young singles, with an average household size of 2.4. University qualifications at 34.7% run 4.6 points above national. Ancestry is heavily Anglo-Celtic, led by English (3,636), Scottish (885) and Irish (851), with Italian (482) the largest continental European group. Born-overseas residents at 33.2% exceed the national rate by 11.6 points, yet the top non-English languages are small in number, with Italian (37) and German (29) leading, pointing to long-settled migration rather than a recent wave.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
89.4%
Houses
9.3%
Townhouse
1.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure here is owner-dominated to an unusual degree: 50.1% own outright and 34.6% are mortgaged, leaving renters at just 15.2%, well below the national pattern. The dwelling mix is 89.4% separate houses with only 1.3% apartments and 9.3% semi-detached, and bedroom counts confirm the family-home character, with 49.2% of homes at four or more bedrooms and just 2.1% at zero to one. The $490,000 median is affordable relative to Perth, which is why the IRSD reaches decile 9 despite mid-range incomes. Both stress ratios stay below threshold, with mortgage-to-income at 29.9% and rent-to-income at 22.2%, so although repayments absorb a meaningful share of the $773 weekly personal income, neither flag trips. High outright ownership is the structural reason aggregate wealth (IER decile 9) outranks the household income percentile of 53.2.
Mortgage / mo
$2,100
Rent / wk
$360
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$773
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.9%
Unoccupied
210
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
29.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
35.1%
Couples, no children
5,839
Total families
Economy & Employment
Education leads employment at 15.9% (372 workers), followed closely by Healthcare at 15.5% (363), then Professional/Tech at 9.6% (224), Construction at 9.5% (221) and Mining at 8.1% (190), a public-service and resource mix typical of an outer Perth hills suburb rather than a CBD knowledge hub. Professionals (862) are the largest occupation group, with Managers (501) second. The unemployment rate of 4.9% sits near the national average, but the participation rate of just 54.4% is low, a direct consequence of the aging population, with 2,296 residents not in the labour force. SEIFA is internally consistent with this profile: IER decile 9 reflects high asset wealth from outright ownership, while IEO decile 7, the lowest of the four indexes, mirrors the more modest education and occupation mix.
Unemployment
2.6%
Labour Force
8,793
Unemployed
230
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
60.6%
Part-time
34.5%
Participation
54.4%
Employed
3,112
Occupations
Top Industries
University
34.7%
Postgraduate
7.4%
Born Overseas
33.2%
Dwellings
2,815
Transport to Work
Kalamunda is built for cars, with 89.0% of commuters driving and only 3.5% using public transport and 2.5% walking or cycling, reflecting its position on the Darling Range away from rail. The trade-off is space and stability: 82.1% of residents stayed put over the period and 89.4% of homes are detached. The volunteering rate of 23.5% is a strong civic-engagement signal for a hills community, and only 5.1% of residents need assistance with core activities despite the older age profile. SEIFA confirms broad advantage, with IRSD at decile 9 and IRSAD at decile 8, both well above the median band. Housing cost pressure is contained, with rent-to-income at 22.2% comfortably below the stress line, though the low 54.4% labour participation rate underscores the retiree-heavy character.
Drive
89.0%
Public Transport
3.5%
Walk / Cycle
2.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.46%/yr
(+75 people/yr)
EstablishedKalamunda is a slow-growth, established suburb with population rising about 0.46% per year, roughly 75 persons, and a 10-year change of only 4.2%, well below the pace of typical Perth growth corridors. The medium projection moves from 16,226 in 2026 to 16,603 by 2031 at the SA2 level, a near-flat trajectory. Overseas migration of 142 per year is the primary driver, far higher than net internal migration at just 24, so growth depends on arrivals rather than local family formation. The aging shift is structural: senior share up 6.8 points while working-age share fell 4.0 points, and a gentrification score of 0 places it firmly in the not-gentrifying category. Affordability improved slightly from 48.1% in 2011 to 45.3% in 2021, but real income fell 2.0% over the decade, an unusual headwind for an otherwise wealthy, asset-rich suburb.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+142
Net Internal / yr
+24
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Kalamunda compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kalamunda a good suburb to live in?
Kalamunda suits owner-occupiers who value space and stability over commuting convenience. It sits at IRSD decile 9 and IRSAD decile 8, both well above the median, 50.1% of homes are owned outright, and 82.1% of residents stayed put. The trade-offs are heavy car dependence at 89.0% and a low 54.4% labour participation rate driven by the median age of 49.
What is the median house price in Kalamunda?
The median house price is approximately $490,000 (estimated from 2025 rents), affordable by metropolitan Perth standards. Weekly rent averages $360 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,100, giving a gross rental yield near 3.8% and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 29.9%.
What schools are in Kalamunda?
School-level data is not available in this dataset for Kalamunda, so no individual schools can be listed here. For context, 34.7% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 4.6 points above the national average, and Education is the top employment industry at 15.9% with 372 local workers.
Is Kalamunda safe?
Crime statistics are not available in this dataset for Kalamunda. As proxy indicators of stability, the suburb sits at IRSD decile 9 and IRSAD decile 8, both well above the national median, with a low residential turnover rate of 17.9% and 82.1% of residents staying put over the period.
Is Kalamunda good for property investment?
It is better suited to stability than yield or growth. The renter pool is thin at 15.2%, gross yield is about 3.8% ($360/week on $490,000), and the vacancy rate of 6.9% signals soft demand. Population growth of just 0.46% per year and a gentrification score of 0 mean limited near-term capital upside.
How is Kalamunda's population changing?
Growth is slow at about 0.46% per year, roughly 75 persons, with a 10-year change of only 4.2%. The population is aging, with the senior share up 6.8 points and the working-age share down 4.0 points, while the median age of 49 sits 9 years above national. Overseas migration (+142/year) is the main driver.
Where were Kalamunda residents born?
Born-overseas residents make up 33.2% of the population, which is 11.6 points above the national average. Despite this, ancestry is heavily Anglo-Celtic, led by English (3,636), Scottish (885) and Irish (851), with Italian (482) the largest continental group. Top non-English languages are small, led by Italian (37) and German (29).
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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