Marleston
With a population of 1,950 packed into just 0.97 square kilometres, Marleston ranks among Adelaide's denser inner suburbs at 2,019 residents per km2. Nearly half of residents hold university qualifications (47%), which is 16.9 percentage points above the national average, yet household income sits only in the 41.7th percentile nationally, a gap that partly explains a 47.2% renter share well above the national norm. The suburb's healthcare sector employs 21% of working residents, the single largest industry, anchoring its economy close to the nearby Queen Elizabeth Hospital precinct.
Local council: West Torrens
Population
1,950
Median Age
37.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,418/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
17
Median House
$982K
First quarter 2026
Dwellings split roughly evenly between separate houses (50.2%) and attached stock, with semi-detached homes at 31.3% and apartments at 18.5%. Two and three-bedroom homes each account for around 43-44% of stock, so four-bedroom family homes are rare at just 7.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,528, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.9% sits below the 30% stress threshold, making purchase costs manageable relative to local incomes.
For Buyers
Dwellings split roughly evenly between separate houses (50.2%) and attached stock, with semi-detached homes at 31.3% and apartments at 18.5%. Two and three-bedroom homes each account for around 43-44% of stock, so four-bedroom family homes are rare at just 7.5%. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,528, and the mortgage-to-income ratio of 24.9% sits below the 30% stress threshold, making purchase costs manageable relative to local incomes.
For Investors
Marleston's 47.2% renter share is well above the national average, underpinning consistent tenant demand. The vacancy rate of 6.7% is elevated compared to the Adelaide metro average, which warrants monitoring before committing. Development activity was modest at 15 applications in the past 12 months, so supply pressure is low, and the high overseas-born proportion (40.2%, some 18.6 points above national) sustains rental demand from new arrivals.
Development Activity
Total DAs
83
Last 12 Months
17
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+13.3%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 37 is 3 years younger than the national figure, a reflection of the suburb's university-educated, renter-heavy profile. Overseas-born residents make up 40.2% of the population, which is 18.6 percentage points above the national average, and English (492), Indian (158), Chinese (155) and Italian (133) ancestries all feature significantly. Among languages spoken at home, Greek, Mandarin and Punjabi each have around 40 speakers, signalling genuine multicultural breadth. Average household size of 2.1 is 0.4 below national, consistent with the strong couples-without-children presence (33.2% of families) and the 5.2% share of small one-bedroom dwellings.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
50.2%
Houses
31.3%
Townhouse
18.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure divides clearly: 47.2% rent, 30.5% carry a mortgage and 22.4% own outright, a renter-majority profile well above the national owner-occupier norm. Separate houses account for 50.2% of stock, a higher house proportion than many comparable inner suburbs, while semi-detached homes add 31.3% and apartments 18.5%. Two-bedroom and three-bedroom dwellings together represent about 87% of all homes, so large family homes are scarce. At a rent-to-income ratio of 20.5%, renters face no rent stress by standard benchmarks, which is below the 30% stress threshold.
Mortgage / mo
$1,528
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$290
Census 2021
HH Size
2.1
Personal Income / wk
$746
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
6.7%
Unoccupied
60
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
20.5%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
35.8%
Couples with children
43.3%
Couples, no children
15.8%
Single parent
469
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare employs 21.0% of local workers, the highest share of any single industry and well above the typical suburban figure, anchored by proximity to major hospital infrastructure. Professional/Technical services (8.9%), Hospitality (8.7%), Education (8.5%) and Public Administration (7.8%) round out the top five, giving a balanced public-sector and knowledge-economy mix. Professionals are the largest occupation group at 263 workers, followed by Community/Personal service (160) and Clerical/Admin (140). The unemployment rate is 4.6% and the full-time employment rate is 59.7%, both in a normal range. Household income in the 41.7th percentile nationally sits lower than the education profile might predict, partly because healthcare and community work roles carry moderate rather than high salaries.
Unemployment
4.4%
Labour Force
1,105
Unemployed
49
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.2%
Part-time
38.5%
Participation
64.7%
Employed
1,056
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
47.0%
Postgraduate
13.6%
Born Overseas
40.2%
Dwellings
847
Transport to Work
Car travel dominates at 76.4% of commuters, though 9.7% use public transport and 6.5% walk or cycle, above-average active transport for Adelaide. No schools are recorded inside the suburb boundary, so families depend on institutions in adjoining suburbs. The crime rate is 82.6 incidents per 1,000 residents based on 161 recorded offences, a rate that should be read in context of the suburb's high residential density compared to the SA state average. Volunteering participation of 14.2% and a rent-to-income ratio of 20.5% (below the 30% stress threshold) suggest a reasonably stable community, while the need-for-assistance rate of 11.2% (212 people) is broadly consistent with the older-established pockets within the suburb.
Drive
68.4%
Public Transport
9.0%
Walk / Cycle
5.8%
Work from Home
10.2%
Growth Outlook
Price data covers only two quarters, showing a 2.8% decline from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, so the long-run trend cannot be established from available records. The suburb's high overseas-born share of 40.2% points to strong migration-driven population demand, and the 28.6% annual turnover rate shows active churn in the rental market that sustains leasing activity. At 2,019 residents per km2, Marleston is already dense relative to most SA suburbs, which limits greenfield supply. Development applications at 15 over 12 months are modest, with recent activity including aged-care refurbishment and residential additions rather than bulk new supply.
Population trend: West Torrens council area
Marleston sits in the West Torrens council area. These are the council area's residents, not Marleston's.
Residents 2025
66,547
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.2%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.9%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
161
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
82.6
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Marleston compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marleston a good suburb to live in?
Marleston suits renters and educated professionals well: 47% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 16.9 points above the national average, and the rent-to-income ratio of 20.5% keeps housing costs manageable. The trade-offs are a 6.7% vacancy rate and no schools within the suburb boundary, so families need to travel to neighbouring areas.
What schools are in Marleston?
No schools are recorded inside the Marleston boundary in this dataset. With only 0.97 square kilometres of area, the suburb is compact and families rely on schools in adjacent suburbs. Locally, 47% of adult residents hold university qualifications, well above the national figure of around 30%.
Is Marleston safe?
The recorded crime rate is 82.6 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 161 offences, in a suburb of 1,950 people. Detailed crime category data is not available in this dataset. The 11.2% need-for-assistance rate (212 residents) and 14.2% volunteering participation reflect an active, mixed-age community.
How is Marleston's population changing?
Long-run population trend data is not available for Marleston in this dataset. However, the suburb has a 28.6% annual housing turnover rate, showing active market churn, and 40.2% of residents were born overseas, which is 18.6 points above the national average and reflects sustained migration inflow to the area.
What languages are spoken in Marleston?
About 40.2% of residents were born overseas, which is 18.6 percentage points above the national average. The most common non-English languages are Greek, Mandarin and Punjabi, each spoken by around 40 to 42 residents, followed by Nepali (29) and Malayalam (25), reflecting the suburb's genuinely international character.
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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