Lockleys
A $1,420,000 median house price in a western Adelaide suburb where the median age is 44, four years above the national figure, signals an established, owner-heavy market rather than a churning one. Some 43.1% of homes are owned outright and only 21.6% are rented, well below the national rental share, while 80.3% of dwellings are separate houses on a compact 3.12 km2 footprint. University qualifications reach 41.9%, which is 11.8 points above national, and household income sits in the 67.5th percentile. Crime runs at just 22.4 incidents per 1,000 residents, and the Italian and Greek ancestry presence (1,068 and 545 residents) reflects a long-settled post-war migrant fabric.
Population
5,987
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,869/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
76
Median House
$1.4M
Median 1Q 2026
At a $1,420,000 median, Lockleys is a premium owner-occupier market, and prices have been flat, rising only 1.4% from $1,400,000 in 2025 with a 0.0% peak-to-latest move. Buyers are paying for detached living: 80.3% of dwellings are separate houses and only 9.6% are apartments, so house supply dominates. Three-bedroom homes make up 50.6% of stock and four-plus-bedroom homes another 30.1%, pointing to a family-sized market. Average monthly mortgage repayments of about $2,000 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.7%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite the high entry price, because household incomes in the 67.5th percentile and the 43.1% outright-ownership base keep leverage low. This is a market where equity, not new borrowing, sets the pace.
For Buyers
At a $1,420,000 median, Lockleys is a premium owner-occupier market, and prices have been flat, rising only 1.4% from $1,400,000 in 2025 with a 0.0% peak-to-latest move. Buyers are paying for detached living: 80.3% of dwellings are separate houses and only 9.6% are apartments, so house supply dominates. Three-bedroom homes make up 50.6% of stock and four-plus-bedroom homes another 30.1%, pointing to a family-sized market. Average monthly mortgage repayments of about $2,000 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.7%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite the high entry price, because household incomes in the 67.5th percentile and the 43.1% outright-ownership base keep leverage low. This is a market where equity, not new borrowing, sets the pace.
For Investors
Investors face a thin rental segment: only 21.6% of homes are rented, well below the national share, with weekly rent at $350 and a vacancy rate of 6.0%. Against the $1,420,000 median, that rent implies a gross yield near 1.3%, low even for inner Adelaide, so the case rests on capital growth and demand rather than cashflow. Demand support is real but indirect: overseas migration is the primary driver at a net 299 a year across the surrounding catchment, offsetting net internal outflow of 128. Development activity is moderate at 74 applications in 12 months, weighted toward alterations, pools and fences rather than new dwellings, which constrains future rental supply. Rent grew 22.4% over the decade, so the upside is escalation on a scarce, detached-house base more than volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
335
Last 12 Months
76
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+58.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Lockleys iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Francis School
R-6 · 457 students
Lockleys North Primary School
R-6 · 422 students
Demographics
The median age of 44 is 4.0 years above national, and the trajectory is gently aging, with the senior share up 1.4 points over the decade against a working-age share that also rose 1.0 point. Overseas-born residents reach 23.5%, only 1.9 points above national, but ancestry tells a deeper story: Italian (1,068) and Greek (545) follow English (1,828), and Greek (152) and Italian (123) lead the non-English languages, a legacy of post-war settlement. University qualifications at 41.9% run 11.8 points above national. Average household size is 2.5, level with national, and the family profile leans traditional, with 1,923 couples with children outnumbering the 1,212 couples without. Christianity dominates at 3,580 residents, consistent with the southern-European heritage.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
80.3%
Houses
10.1%
Townhouse
9.6%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure skews strongly to ownership: 43.1% own outright and 35.2% carry a mortgage, so 78.3% of households are owner-occupiers, far above the national mix, while renters sit at just 21.6%. Outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to long-held, debt-light wealth rather than recent buyer churn. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 80.3%, with apartments at 9.6% and semi-detached at 10.1%, and three-bedroom homes (50.6%) plus four-plus-bedroom homes (30.1%) confirm a family-house market. The median house price edged from $1,400,000 to $1,420,000 across 2025-2026, a 1.4% move. Mortgage-to-income at 24.7% and rent-to-income at 18.7% both sit below the 30% stress line, a sign that high prices are absorbed by an established, asset-rich resident base.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$350
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$878
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.0%
Unoccupied
148
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.7%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
25.5%
Couples, no children
4,750
Total families
Economy & Employment
The workforce concentrates in services: Healthcare leads at 19.4% (410 workers), Education follows at 12.8% (269) and Professional/Tech at 9.9% (208), with Public Admin at 9.2% and Construction at 8.5%. By occupation, Professionals (830) and Managers (500) dominate, aligning with the decile 7 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment is low at 3.5% and the full-time rate is 62.1%, though participation reads 59.1% because 1,776 residents, reflecting the older median age, are not in the labour force. Real incomes grew 22.0% over the decade. One anomaly: the IER economic-resources score sits at decile 4, well below the decile 6 IRSAD reading, because the high outright-ownership share suppresses the income-and-mortgage measures that index favours.
Unemployment
2.3%
Labour Force
8,493
Unemployed
199
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.1%
Part-time
34.4%
Participation
59.1%
Employed
2,872
Occupations
Top Industries
University
41.9%
Postgraduate
9.2%
Born Overseas
23.5%
Dwellings
2,303
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-centric: 84.8% drive to work while only 5.9% use public transport and 3.5% walk or cycle, above the typical detached-suburb car reliance and a function of the 3.12 km2 low-density layout. Safety is a genuine strength, with crime at just 22.4 incidents per 1,000 residents, and the suburb scores decile 6 on both IRSAD and IRSD, an above-average advantage tier. Volunteering runs at 16.4% and 7.6% of residents (443 people) need daily assistance, consistent with the older median age of 44. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off offset by the area's high 41.9% university-qualified base and low-crime setting.
Drive
84.8%
Public Transport
5.9%
Walk / Cycle
3.5%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.86%/yr
(+123 people/yr)
EstablishedLockleys is an established, slow-growth suburb: annual population growth registers 0.86%, roughly 123 people a year across the catchment, while the 10-year change is 10.1%, modest but accelerating from around 2%. Overseas migration is the sole positive driver at a net 299 a year, offset by net internal outflow of 128, so the area relies on new arrivals rather than local retention. The gentrification stage reads early signs, scored 29 to 41, supported by 22.0% real income growth and affordability improving from 44.5% in 2011 to 36.3% in 2021. Medium forecasts point to steady continuation rather than a surge, consistent with a built-out detached suburb at 1,916 residents per km2 with limited new supply.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+299
Net Internal / yr
-128
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +12% since 2011, Net internal outflow -128/yr, Strong overseas inflow +299/yr, Accelerating: 2% → 10%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
134
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
22.4
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Lockleys compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lockleys a good suburb to live in?
Lockleys scores decile 6 on both the IRSAD and IRSD indexes, an above-average advantage tier, with household income in the 67.5th percentile and university qualifications at 41.9%, which is 11.8 points above national. Crime is low at 22.4 incidents per 1,000 residents. The main trade-off is a high $1,420,000 median house price.
What is the median house price in Lockleys?
The median house price is $1,420,000, a premium western Adelaide market. Prices were flat, rising just 1.4% from $1,400,000 in 2025. Weekly rent averages $350 and monthly mortgage repayments run about $2,000, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.7%, below the stress threshold.
What schools are in Lockleys?
No schools are recorded inside the Lockleys boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is highly educated, with university qualifications at 41.9%, which is 11.8 points above the national figure across the 3.12 km2 suburb.
Is Lockleys safe?
Lockleys records 134 incidents a year, a low crime rate of 22.4 per 1,000 residents. The suburb also scores decile 6 on the IRSD index of relative disadvantage, an above-average tier, and only 7.6% of residents need daily assistance, both consistent with a settled, low-disadvantage area.
Is Lockleys good for property investment?
Rent of $350 a week against a $1,420,000 median gives a gross yield near 1.3%, low, with a 6.0% vacancy rate and only 21.6% of homes rented. Net overseas migration of 299 a year supports demand, but the case rests on capital growth rather than yield, as rent grew 22.4% over the decade.
How is Lockleys's population changing?
Population growth runs at 0.86% annually, about 123 people a year across the catchment, with a 10.1% rise over 10 years that is accelerating from around 2%. Overseas migration drives growth at a net 299 a year, offsetting net internal outflow of 128. The profile is gently aging, with the senior share up 1.4 points.
How much development is happening in Lockleys?
There were 74 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Most are alterations, additions, pools and fences on existing dwellings rather than new supply, consistent with a built-out detached suburb where 80.3% of homes are separate houses and population growth is a modest 0.86% a year.
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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