Lenah Valley
Detached housing defines Lenah Valley more than inner Hobart: 88.4% of dwellings are separate houses, while apartments account for 6.3%. The suburb's 6,522 residents sit in a high-education, established owner base, with university attainment at 52.4%, 22.3 percentage points above national, and household income in the 72.2 percentile. Compared with New Town and North Hobart, Lenah Valley feels less strip-centre oriented because the housing stock is family-sized and hillside-residential, anchored by 35.5% outright ownership.
Population
6,522
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,931/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
8
For homebuyers, the core appeal is space rather than apartment choice: 88.4% of dwellings are separate houses, 45.0% have 3 bedrooms and 28.4% have 4 or more bedrooms. A current purchase median is not available, so serviceability indicators matter: the typical mortgage payment is $1,625 a month and mortgage-to-income is 19.4%, below stress settings. Because 35.5% own outright and 37.9% have a mortgage, turnover can be steadier than in a rental-heavy suburb, but buyers wanting units face a thin 6.3% apartment pool.
For Buyers
For homebuyers, the core appeal is space rather than apartment choice: 88.4% of dwellings are separate houses, 45.0% have 3 bedrooms and 28.4% have 4 or more bedrooms. A current purchase median is not available, so serviceability indicators matter: the typical mortgage payment is $1,625 a month and mortgage-to-income is 19.4%, below stress settings. Because 35.5% own outright and 37.9% have a mortgage, turnover can be steadier than in a rental-heavy suburb, but buyers wanting units face a thin 6.3% apartment pool.
For Investors
Investors are looking at a tenant market that is present but not dominant: 26.0% rent, below the 73.4% combined owner-occupier share. The rent benchmark is $380 a week, while vacancy at 5.1% means pricing discipline matters compared with tighter rental pockets. Only 6 development applications were lodged in 12 months, a lower supply signal than larger infill areas. Because detached houses dominate at 88.4%, family rental demand may be steadier than small-unit churn, but yield needs checking against current sale prices.
Development Activity
Total DAs
8
Last 12 Months
8
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
—
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
Lenah Valley skews educated and only slightly younger than Australia overall: median age is 37, which is 3.0 years below the national comparison, while university attainment is 52.4%, 22.3 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents make up 22.5%, only 0.9 points above national, so migration is visible but not dominant. English ancestry leads at 2,677 residents, followed by Irish at 776 and Scottish at 712, because the area retains an Anglo-leaning base alongside smaller Nepali 87 and Mandarin 80 language groups.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
88.4%
Houses
5.0%
Townhouse
6.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Housing is strongly owner-occupied, with 35.5% owned outright and 37.9% mortgaged compared with 26.0% renting. Separate houses account for 88.4% of dwellings, far higher than apartments at 6.3% and semi-detached homes at 5.0%, which explains the family-sized bedroom profile: 45.0% have 3 bedrooms and 28.4% have 4 or more. Cost pressure appears contained because rent-to-income is 19.7% and mortgage-to-income is 19.4%, while density stays moderate at 780 residents per sq km across 8.36 sq km.
Mortgage / mo
$1,625
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$380
Census 2021
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$939
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.1%
Unoccupied
137
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
46.1%
Couples with children
39.3%
Couples, no children
13.2%
Single parent
1,798
Total families
Economy & Employment
Lenah Valley's workforce leans to public-service and knowledge roles: healthcare employs 638 people or 23.0%, education 418 or 15.1%, and public admin 379 or 13.7%. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 1,206, above community and personal service at 495 and managers at 467. Participation is 69.6% with unemployment at 4.9%, supporting household income in the 72.2 percentile. SEIFA is strong but uneven: IEO decile 9, IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 8 sit higher than the IER decile 5, because education and advantage outpace pure economic resources.
Unemployment
4.9%
Labour Force
3,726
Unemployed
181
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.0%
Part-time
40.1%
Participation
69.6%
Employed
3,545
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
52.4%
Postgraduate
17.5%
Born Overseas
22.5%
Dwellings
2,543
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented but not car-only: 67.7% drive to work, while 6.6% use public transport, 6.9% walk or cycle and 10.7% work from home. That mix suits households wanting hillside residential space because most errands still rely on a car, yet Hobart employment is close enough for hybrid work. Social advantage is above average, with IRSAD decile 8 and IRSD decile 8. A suburb-level crime rate is not published, so safety should be checked by street and route rather than inferred from a single number.
Drive
67.7%
Public Transport
6.6%
Walk / Cycle
6.9%
Work from Home
10.7%
Population Forecast
+0.51%/yr
(+47 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is measured rather than rapid: the forward trend is 0.51% a year, lower than high-growth fringe markets, and the 10-year population change marker is 10.2%. The main migration driver is Overseas migration, which fits the 22.5% overseas-born share without making the suburb migrant-majority. The shift trajectory is Mixed, with rent growth of 48.0% and affordability moving from 37.1 in 2011 to 39.3 in 2021. Gentrification signals are split: shift metrics score 57 and Active, while one current marker is 0 and Not gentrifying, so change looks selective rather than suburb-wide.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+82
Net Internal / yr
-138
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -138/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Lenah Valley compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lenah Valley a good suburb to live in?
Yes for buyers wanting space close to Hobart: 88.4% of dwellings are separate houses, 10.7% work from home and IRSAD sits in decile 8, above average. It is less suited to people needing a large apartment market, with apartments at 6.3%.
What is the median house price in Lenah Valley?
A current median house price is not available for Lenah Valley. For affordability context, the typical mortgage payment is $1,625 a month, mortgage-to-income is 19.4%, and 88.4% of dwellings are separate houses, so recent detached sales are the key check.
What schools are in Lenah Valley?
There are 0 schools recorded within Lenah Valley itself. Families usually need to compare nearby Hobart and New Town options by sector, enrolment and commute time, especially because 67.7% of workers drive and local public transport use is 6.6%.
Is Lenah Valley safe?
A suburb-level crime rate per 1,000 residents is not published for Lenah Valley, so safety is best checked at street level. Context is relatively advantaged, with IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 8, but those 2 indexes do not replace current police incident checks.
Is Lenah Valley good for property investment?
It can suit patient investors more than high-churn strategies: 26.0% of homes are rented, rent is $380 a week and vacancy is 5.1%. Only 6 development applications in 12 months points to limited new supply, but sale price must be checked because yield is not stated.
How is Lenah Valley's population changing?
Lenah Valley's population is 6,522 today, and the growth trend is 0.51% a year, lower than fast-growth fringe suburbs. The 10-year population change marker is 10.2%, with Overseas migration listed as the primary driver.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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