Margate
With 84.4% of residents staying put in the five years before the census, Margate reads as one of the most stable communities south of Hobart. Household income sits in the 70.4th percentile nationally, above the median despite the regional context, and the SEIFA IRSD score lands in decile 8, meaning only 20% of Australian suburbs are less disadvantaged. The suburb spans 39.26 square kilometres at a density of just 108 people per km2, so the 4,239 residents are spread across a largely rural-residential footprint. Professionals make up the largest occupational group at 513 workers, and university qualification rates at 35.1% run 5 points above the national figure.
Population
4,239
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,886/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
5
Median house price data is not yet available for Margate in this dataset, but the housing profile still tells a clear story. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,690, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning typical buyers here carry a lighter debt burden than the national average. The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 97.9%, with almost no apartments and only 1.5% semi-detached, so buyers face very little competition from higher-density product. Bedroom sizes skew large: 35.5% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 48.1% have three, compared to national norms where two-bedroom homes account for a much larger share. Owner-occupier rates are high, with 38% owning outright and 46.1% on a mortgage, leaving renters at just 15.8%.
For Buyers
Median house price data is not yet available for Margate in this dataset, but the housing profile still tells a clear story. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,690, and the mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 20.7%, well below the 30% stress threshold, meaning typical buyers here carry a lighter debt burden than the national average. The stock is overwhelmingly detached houses at 97.9%, with almost no apartments and only 1.5% semi-detached, so buyers face very little competition from higher-density product. Bedroom sizes skew large: 35.5% of dwellings have four or more bedrooms and 48.1% have three, compared to national norms where two-bedroom homes account for a much larger share. Owner-occupier rates are high, with 38% owning outright and 46.1% on a mortgage, leaving renters at just 15.8%.
For Investors
A rental vacancy rate of 3.5% and weekly rent of $400 frame the investor picture for Margate. The renter share of 15.8% is low, meaning tenant demand is limited and the market is owner-dominated, which caps rental income potential. Median house price data is not available, so gross yield cannot be precisely calculated. Development activity is modest at 3 applications in the past 12 months, all residential or small commercial, indicating the suburb is not in an active construction phase. The suburb's stability signal, a 84.4% five-year resident retention rate, points to low churn rather than population-driven rental demand growth. Investors relying on yield over capital growth would need to weigh the thin rental market carefully.
Development Activity
Total DAs
5
Last 12 Months
5
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
Schools in Margate iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Channel Christian School
Prep-6 · 150 students
Margate Primary School
K-6 · 364 students
Demographics
The median age of 37 is 3 years below the national figure, suggesting Margate skews toward working-age families rather than retirees, a pattern confirmed by 46.1% of households carrying a mortgage and average household size of 2.8, which is 0.3 above national. Overseas-born residents account for 14.5% of the population, 7.1 percentage points below the national rate, reflecting a predominantly Australian-born community. Ancestry leans heavily Anglo-Celtic: English ancestry leads at 1,882 residents, followed by Irish at 489 and Scottish at 450. University qualifications reach 35.1%, which is 5 percentage points above the national average, a signal of a relatively educated workforce for a regional TAS suburb. The volunteering rate of 23.1% is notably high, pointing to strong community participation.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
97.9%
Houses
1.5%
Townhouse
N/A
Apartment
Tenure
The housing stock in Margate is almost exclusively detached houses at 97.9%, with semi-detached at 1.5% and apartments not materially present. This reflects the suburb's large footprint of 39.26 square kilometres and low density. Ownership rates are high: 38% own outright and 46.1% are on a mortgage, with only 15.8% renting, lower than the national renting share. Bedroom sizes favour larger homes: 35.5% have four or more bedrooms and 48.1% have three bedrooms, while only 1.8% have zero or one bedroom. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,690, and mortgage-to-income at 20.7% is below the 30% stress threshold, meaning the typical mortgaged household is not under financial pressure relative to the national average. Rent-to-income at 21.2% is also comfortable for tenants.
Mortgage / mo
$1,690
Rent / wk
$400
HH Size
2.8
Personal Income / wk
$828
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.5%
Unoccupied
53
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
23.4%
Couples, no children
3,683
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates employment in Margate at 17.5% of workers (272 people), followed by Education at 14.0% (218) and Public Administration at 12.0% (186), a combination that points to a predominantly public-sector workforce typical of communities connected to Hobart. Construction accounts for 11.7% (182 workers), above the national mix, reflecting the ongoing residential development characteristic of a growing peri-urban suburb. Professionals are the largest occupational group at 513 workers, with Managers second at 283. Unemployment sits at 3.9%, close to national levels, and full-time employment reaches 58.3% of employed people. The SEIFA IRSD decile of 8 and IEO decile of 7 confirm a workforce that is better resourced and higher educated than the majority of Australian suburbs.
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
58.3%
Part-time
37.8%
Participation
63.2%
Employed
1,996
Occupations
Top Industries
University
35.1%
Postgraduate
9.4%
Born Overseas
14.5%
Dwellings
1,472
Transport to Work
Car dependency is high in Margate: 88.6% of residents drive to work, compared to the national average, while only 3.5% use public transport and 2.6% walk or cycle, reflecting the suburb's rural-residential spread across 39.26 square kilometres. No schools are recorded within Margate's boundaries in this dataset, so families commute to nearby schools, a trade-off common in lower-density peri-urban areas. Crime data is not available. The SEIFA IRSAD decile of 6 indicates moderate relative advantage nationally, while the IRSD decile of 8 confirms low relative disadvantage, placing most residents well above the national median on measures of material wellbeing. Housing stress is absent by both mortgage and rent metrics, with costs running at 20.7% and 21.2% of income respectively, both below the 30% stress threshold.
Drive
88.6%
Public Transport
3.5%
Walk / Cycle
2.6%
Work from Home
N/A
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Margate compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Margate a good suburb to live in?
Margate offers strong liveability signals: SEIFA IRSD in decile 8 (lower disadvantage than 80% of Australian suburbs), household income in the 70.4th percentile nationally, and mortgage-to-income at 20.7%, well below stress levels. The 84.4% five-year resident retention rate suggests most people who move here choose to stay.
What is the median house price in Margate?
Median house price data is not yet available for Margate in this dataset. However, monthly mortgage repayments average $1,690 and the mortgage-to-income ratio is 20.7%, indicating prices are manageable relative to local incomes. Weekly rent averages $400.
What schools are in Margate?
No schools are recorded within the Margate boundary in this dataset. Families typically commute to nearby schools in the Kingborough council area. The suburb's own education profile is strong, with 35.1% of residents holding university qualifications, 5 points above the national figure.
Is Margate safe?
Crime rate data is not available for Margate in this dataset. As a proxy, the SEIFA IRSD decile of 8 places the suburb in the lowest disadvantage tier relative to 80% of Australian suburbs, and low disadvantage areas nationally tend to have lower crime rates than the average.
Is Margate good for property investment?
The rental market is small, with renters at just 15.8% of households and a vacancy rate of 3.5%. Weekly rent is $400. Median house price data is not available, limiting yield calculations. The high owner-occupier rate of 84.2% and low development activity of 3 applications in 12 months suggest a stable but low-turnover market.
How is Margate's population changing?
Specific population forecasts are not in this dataset, but the suburb's profile signals steady growth. The median age of 37 is 3 years below the national figure, average household size is 2.8, and 46.1% of residents carry a mortgage, all consistent with active family formation. Resident stability is high at 84.4% staying over 5 years.
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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