Lake Albert
A $599,000 median house price sits alongside a 70.6th-percentile household income here, and the gap is what defines the suburb. Detached homes make up 95.7% of dwellings, well above any inner-city market, and 57.7% of those have four or more bedrooms, pointing to a settled family base rather than first-home churn. The median age of 43 runs 3.0 years above the national figure, and only 6.8% of residents were born overseas, which is 14.8 points below national, marking an Anglo-leaning, established community spread across 24.54 km2 at just 256 people per km2.
Population
6,291
Median Age
43.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,891/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
143
Median House
$599K
2024-2025 (PSI derived)
The $599,000 median house price keeps Lake Albert affordable by metropolitan standards, and prices moved from $575,000 in 2024 to $630,000 in 2025, a 9.6% one-year rise. Buyers get space rather than scarcity: 95.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 57.7% carry four or more bedrooms, with only 9.7% at two bedrooms. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,625, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 19.8%, far below the 30% stress threshold. That low ratio, combined with household income in the 70.6th percentile, means a typical family carries the loan comfortably, which is why owner-occupiers dominate. Outright owners (43.7%) outnumber mortgage holders (39.9%), a sign of long-held, debt-free ownership rather than recent speculative buying.
For Buyers
The $599,000 median house price keeps Lake Albert affordable by metropolitan standards, and prices moved from $575,000 in 2024 to $630,000 in 2025, a 9.6% one-year rise. Buyers get space rather than scarcity: 95.7% of dwellings are separate houses and 57.7% carry four or more bedrooms, with only 9.7% at two bedrooms. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,625, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 19.8%, far below the 30% stress threshold. That low ratio, combined with household income in the 70.6th percentile, means a typical family carries the loan comfortably, which is why owner-occupiers dominate. Outright owners (43.7%) outnumber mortgage holders (39.9%), a sign of long-held, debt-free ownership rather than recent speculative buying.
For Investors
Renters make up only 16.4% of households here, a shallow tenant pool compared with renter-heavy city markets, so landlords compete for a thin slice of demand. Weekly rent of $340 against the $599,000 median implies a gross yield near 3.0%, modest but stronger than premium Sydney suburbs because the entry price is low. The 6.0% vacancy rate is higher than tight metropolitan averages, which can lengthen letting periods. Development activity is healthy at 138 applications in 12 months, though the samples skew to sheds, pools and single dwelling houses rather than multi-unit supply, so stock stays detached and family-sized. With prices up 9.6% year on year and mortgage-to-income at 19.8%, the investment case rests more on steady capital growth and affordability-driven demand than on rental yield.
Development Activity
Total DAs
527
Last 12 Months
143
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+45.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Lake Albert iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Mater Dei Primary School
K-6 · 322 students
Mater Dei Catholic College
7-12 · 749 students
Lake Albert Public School
K-6 · 434 students
Demographics
The median age of 43 is 3.0 years above the national figure, reflecting an established population that has aged in place, with mobility data showing 81.8% of residents stayed put and turnover at just 18.2%. Only 6.8% were born overseas, which is 14.8 points below national, and ancestry is firmly Anglo-Celtic: English (2,739), Irish (926), Scottish (813) and German (356) lead, with Mandarin the only notable non-English language at 12 speakers. University qualifications reach 27.1%, sitting 3.0 points below national, consistent with a workforce weighted toward healthcare, trades and public service rather than corporate professions. Average household size is 2.6, marginally above national by 0.1, and couples with children (2,213 families) outnumber couples without (1,558), underlining the family orientation.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
95.7%
Houses
0.7%
Townhouse
3.4%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure here leans heavily toward ownership: 43.7% own outright, 39.9% carry a mortgage and just 16.4% rent. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders signals long-held, debt-free wealth rather than a churn of recent buyers, which is unusual and points to residents who settled decades ago. The stock is almost entirely detached, at 95.7% separate houses against only 3.4% apartments, and 57.7% have four or more bedrooms, so the housing is built for families with room to grow. The median house price rose from $575,000 in 2024 to $630,000 in 2025, a 9.6% move, yet remains affordable: against household incomes in the 70.6th percentile, mortgage-to-income holds at 19.8% and rent-to-income at 18.0%, both comfortably below the 30% stress line.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,625
Rent / wk
$340
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$907
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.0%
Unoccupied
146
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.8%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
29.6%
Couples, no children
5,264
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce concentrates in essential services rather than corporate sectors: Healthcare leads at 21.7% (462 workers), Education follows at 16.1% (344) and Construction at 12.9% (276), with Public Admin at 8.0% and Professional/Tech at 5.6%. By occupation, Professionals (628), Clerical and Administrative workers (448) and Managers (417) dominate, a mix typical of a regional service centre. Unemployment is low at 2.5% and the full-time employment rate is 64.3%, while participation reads 60.4%, held below the national norm because the older median age of 43 leaves 1,659 residents not in the labour force. The healthcare and education weighting is causal: a regional hub draws hospital, aged-care and teaching jobs that anchor steady, recession-resistant employment.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
64.3%
Part-time
33.2%
Participation
60.4%
Employed
2,983
Occupations
Top Industries
University
27.1%
Postgraduate
5.5%
Born Overseas
6.8%
Dwellings
2,296
Transport to Work
Car dependence is near total here: 90.8% of residents drive to work, while only 0.7% use public transport and 2.4% walk or cycle, far below the national reliance on public transit, a function of the low 256-per-km2 density and 24.54 km2 spread. The trade-off is space and quiet rather than walkability. Community ties run deep, with volunteering at 19.9% and 81.8% of residents long-settled, and only 5.9% (358 people) need daily assistance despite the older median age of 43. Housing costs stay manageable, with mortgage-to-income at 19.8% and rent-to-income at 18.0%, both well below the 30% stress threshold, so households retain disposable income. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in surrounding Wagga Wagga.
Drive
90.8%
Public Transport
0.7%
Walk / Cycle
2.4%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Lake Albert compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lake Albert a good suburb to live in?
Lake Albert suits families seeking space and affordability, with a $599,000 median house price and household income in the 70.6th percentile. Mortgage costs stay low at 19.8% of income, well below the 30% stress line, and 95.7% of homes are detached houses, though 90.8% car dependence means limited public transport.
What is the median house price in Lake Albert?
The median house price is $599,000, affordable by metropolitan standards. Prices rose 9.6% from $575,000 in 2024 to $630,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $340 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $1,625, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of just 19.8%.
What schools are in Lake Albert?
No schools are recorded inside the Lake Albert boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in surrounding Wagga Wagga. The local profile is family-oriented, with 2,213 couple-with-children families and an average household size of 2.6, marginally above the national figure.
Is Lake Albert safe?
Detailed crime statistics are not available for Lake Albert in this dataset. As indirect indicators, only 5.9% of the 6,291 residents need daily assistance, volunteering runs at 19.9% and 81.8% of residents stay long term, all consistent with a settled, low-turnover community.
Is Lake Albert good for property investment?
Rent of $340 a week against a $599,000 median gives a gross yield near 3.0%, stronger than premium Sydney suburbs because entry prices are low. Renters are only 16.4% of households and vacancy is 6.0%, so the case rests on 9.6% annual capital growth rather than a deep tenant pool.
How is Lake Albert's population changing?
The population of 6,291 is settled, with 81.8% of residents staying put and turnover at just 18.2%. The median age of 43 sits 3.0 years above national, reflecting an aging-in-place community, while 138 development applications in 12 months point to gradual, affordability-led growth.
How much development is happening in Lake Albert?
There were 138 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. The samples skew toward sheds, swimming pools and single dwelling houses rather than multi-unit projects, so new stock stays detached and family-sized, keeping separate houses at 95.7% of dwellings.
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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