Kensington Park
The education profile is striking: 60.7% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 30.6 percentage points above the national figure. Household income sits at the 77.2nd percentile nationally, yet monthly mortgage repayments average just $2,300 because the long-held ownership base carries little debt. The crime rate of 19.4 incidents per 1,000 residents is low, and 78.6% of residents stayed in the same dwelling over the prior five years, signalling that those who arrive rarely leave.
Local council: Burnside
Population
2,627
Median Age
42.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,058/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
45
Median House
$2.5M
First quarter 2026
Separate houses account for 68.4% of stock, higher than many inner-ring suburbs at this price point, with semi-detached dwellings at 25.5% and apartments at only 5.5%. The bedroom split favours families: 39.3% of dwellings have three bedrooms and 30.2% have four or more. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.8%, below the 30% stress threshold despite a premium price, because most buyers bring substantial equity. Outright owners account for 43.4% of households, well above the national average.
For Buyers
Separate houses account for 68.4% of stock, higher than many inner-ring suburbs at this price point, with semi-detached dwellings at 25.5% and apartments at only 5.5%. The bedroom split favours families: 39.3% of dwellings have three bedrooms and 30.2% have four or more. Monthly mortgage repayments average $2,300, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 25.8%, below the 30% stress threshold despite a premium price, because most buyers bring substantial equity. Outright owners account for 43.4% of households, well above the national average.
For Investors
The renter share of 28.2% is moderate, and a vacancy rate of 6.4% indicates the rental pool is looser than the ownership market. Rent-to-income at 17% keeps tenants financially comfortable, reducing churn risk. Development activity recorded 36 applications in the past 12 months, moderate for a suburb this size, with recent examples including semi-detached land divisions. The overseas-born share of 33.6% is 12 percentage points above national, and Mandarin is the top non-English language, suggesting continued overseas buyer and tenant demand from that cohort.
Development Activity
Total DAs
202
Last 12 Months
45
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+40.6%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 42 is 2 years above the national figure, reflecting an established, professionally mature population. University qualifications reach 60.7%, which is 30.6 percentage points above the national average, the highest-educated tier in practical terms. The overseas-born share of 33.6% is 12 percentage points above national, led by Chinese ancestry (343 residents) alongside English (872), Italian (266) and Irish (243). Mandarin is spoken by 105 residents. Average household size is 2.5, matching the national figure, but the family composition leans toward couples: 788 couples have children and 550 are couples without children, with 2,038 total families. The volunteering rate of 22% indicates strong community participation.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
68.4%
Houses
25.5%
Townhouse
5.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Despite that, the ownership base is deeply entrenched: 43.4% own outright, 28.5% carry a mortgage and 28.2% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders by a wide margin signals a suburb where most housing wealth is already paid off rather than leveraged. Three-bedroom homes account for 39.3% of stock and four-plus-bedroom for 30.2%, making it family-oriented at the stock level. The vacancy rate of 6.4% is elevated compared to tightly held inner-Adelaide suburbs, pointing to selective demand rather than a broad rental market. Rent at $350 per week is modest relative to the purchase price.
Mortgage / mo
$2,300
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$350
Census 2021
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$888
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.4%
Unoccupied
67
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
17.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
45.8%
Couples with children
40.4%
Couples, no children
13.0%
Single parent
698
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employing industry at 22.2% of workers (224 residents), followed by Education at 15.2% (154) and Professional/Technical services at 14.3% (145), a knowledge-economy cluster that explains why 60.7% of residents hold university qualifications. By occupation, Professionals dominate with 490 workers, and Managers number 207, consistent with a suburb whose household income ranks at the 77.2nd percentile nationally. Public Administration accounts for 7% of employment. The unemployment rate is 5.4% and full-time employment reaches 59% of those employed, with 515 part-time workers. SEIFA decile data is not available for this suburb at the SA2 level in this dataset, but income and occupation structure point to mid-to-high advantage.
Unemployment
5.2%
Labour Force
1,386
Unemployed
72
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.5%
Part-time
39.2%
Participation
62.0%
Employed
1,314
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
60.7%
Postgraduate
20.6%
Born Overseas
33.6%
Dwellings
987
Transport to Work
Car use is high at 77.1% of commuters using a vehicle, while public transport accounts for 8.4% and walking or cycling 8%, which is reasonable for an inner-Adelaide suburb at this density. The crime rate of 19.4 incidents per 1,000 residents is notably low. Only 4.4% of residents (112 people) need daily assistance with core activities, a figure well below national rates typically found in lower-decile suburbs. Rent-to-income at 17% is comfortably below the 30% stress threshold, keeping the renter cohort stable. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on nearby institutions in neighbouring Kensington, Norwood and surrounding suburbs. The 22% volunteering rate is above average nationally.
Drive
64.9%
Public Transport
7.1%
Walk / Cycle
6.7%
Work from Home
15.8%
Growth Outlook
Price and population data show a suburb in a consolidation phase. The stable resident base is evidenced by a turnover rate of just 21.4%, meaning 78.6% of residents remained in the same dwelling over the five-year period, compared to more transient inner-city suburbs. At 2,627 residents across 1.1 square kilometres, density is 2,385 per km2, moderate for an inner-ring suburb. Development at 36 applications in 12 months is measured rather than intensive, with recent activity including semi-detached land divisions rather than high-density infill, suggesting the suburb is managing change incrementally rather than through rapid densification.
Population trend: Burnside council area
Kensington Park sits in the Burnside council area. These are the council area's residents, not Kensington Park's.
Residents 2025
48,257
Growth, 5 yr average
+0.8%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.7%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
51
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
19.4
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Kensington Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Kensington Park?
No schools are recorded within the Kensington Park boundary in this dataset. Families typically access schools in neighbouring suburbs including Kensington, Norwood and Burnside. The local population is highly educated, with 60.7% of residents holding university qualifications, which is 30.6 percentage points above the national average.
Is Kensington Park safe?
Kensington Park has a crime rate of 19.4 incidents per 1,000 residents, which is low by Adelaide inner-ring standards. The suburb's low-crime identity is reinforced by an affluent, stable population: 78.6% of residents remained in the same dwelling over the five-year census period and only 4.4% require daily assistance.
How is Kensington Park's population changing?
The population of 2,627 is stable and slow-moving. A turnover rate of just 21.4% over five years indicates that 78.6% of residents stayed put, well above the national churn rate. Development activity of 36 applications in 12 months is measured, focused on incremental infill such as semi-detached land divisions rather than large-scale densification.
What languages are spoken in Kensington Park?
About 33.6% of residents were born overseas, which is 12 percentage points above the national figure. Mandarin is the most common non-English language with 105 speakers, followed by Italian (35), Cantonese (26) and Greek (13), reflecting the suburb's Chinese and Southern European heritage communities.
How much development is happening in Kensington Park?
There were 36 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, a moderate level for a 1.1 square kilometre suburb. Recent applications include semi-detached land divisions and single-dwelling additions, rather than high-density apartment projects, consistent with a suburb that is densifying gradually through infill.
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).
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