Melrose Park
University qualifications reach 42.6% of residents, which is 12.5 percentage points above the national average, pointing to a knowledge-worker base that is driving both demand and income growth. Household income sits at the 51.6th percentile nationally, roughly median, yet prices are well above what that income rank typically sustains in outer suburbs, because proximity to the CBD and Flinders precinct commands a premium. The suburb is predominantly owner-occupied, with 32.2% owning outright and 40.5% carrying a mortgage, while only 27.3% rent.
Local council: Mitcham
Population
2,319
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,583/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
29
Median House
$1.2M
First quarter 2026
Separate houses make up 74.4% of dwellings, which is the dominant stock type, and three-bedroom homes account for 49.1% of all dwellings, giving buyers a clear sense of what is available. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,900, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many comparable suburbs in comparable price brackets. Four-plus bedroom homes are present at 17.7%, so larger family configurations do trade, just at a premium above the median. Mortgage holders at 40.5% outnumber renters at 27.3%, signalling a stable owner-occupier community rather than an investor-dominated market.
For Buyers
Separate houses make up 74.4% of dwellings, which is the dominant stock type, and three-bedroom homes account for 49.1% of all dwellings, giving buyers a clear sense of what is available. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,900, producing a mortgage-to-income ratio of 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many comparable suburbs in comparable price brackets. Four-plus bedroom homes are present at 17.7%, so larger family configurations do trade, just at a premium above the median. Mortgage holders at 40.5% outnumber renters at 27.3%, signalling a stable owner-occupier community rather than an investor-dominated market.
For Investors
The vacancy rate of 7.7% is elevated compared to tighter Adelaide markets and suggests that demand for rental stock is not running ahead of supply. Development activity in the past 12 months reached 28 applications, mostly additions and carports consistent with an established suburb improving existing dwellings rather than adding new supply. The 1.5% capital growth recorded from 2025 to 2026 is positive but modest, so the investment case rests more on long-run capital preservation in a well-educated, employed catchment than on yield or rapid appreciation. Healthcare and education workers, at a combined 35.4% of the local workforce, provide stable demand from public-sector employment.
Development Activity
Total DAs
153
Last 12 Months
29
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+26.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Melrose Park
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Edwardstown Primary School
Demographics
The median age of 38 is 2.0 years below the national figure, pointing to a working-age community rather than a retiree-heavy one. Overseas-born residents account for 22.2% of the population, which is 0.6 percentage points above the national average and reflects modest international diversity. Ancestry is Anglo-Celtic in character, led by English (825 residents), Irish (198) and Scottish (184), with German heritage (176) also well represented. University qualifications reach 42.6%, which is 12.5 points above the national figure, one of the stronger education profiles in suburban Adelaide. The average household size of 2.4 is marginally below the national average, consistent with the mix of couples without children (24.6% of families) and couples with children (850 families out of 1,746 total). Volunteering engages 18.4% of residents, above what lower-education suburbs typically return.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
74.4%
Houses
11.6%
Townhouse
14.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure in Melrose Park is owner-occupier-oriented: 32.2% own outright and 40.5% carry a mortgage, leaving renters at 27.3%. The outright ownership share indicates a base of established, longer-term residents who have paid down debt. Stock is predominantly detached houses at 74.4%, with apartments at 14.1% and semi-detached at 11.6%, a distribution that limits the supply of lower-entry-point dwellings. Three-bedroom homes at 49.1% define the typical dwelling, followed by two-bedroom at 27.1% and four-plus at 17.7%. Rent-to-income at 22.1% keeps tenants below the 30% stress threshold, which is a relative affordability signal compared to higher-cost city markets.
Mortgage / mo
$1,900
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$350
Census 2021
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$832
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.7%
Unoccupied
79
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
27.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
45.3%
Couples with children
35.9%
Couples, no children
16.6%
Single parent
601
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare dominates the local industry mix at 22.7% of employed residents (195 workers), which is consistent with proximity to Flinders Medical Centre and the broader Flinders health precinct to the south. Education follows at 12.7% (109 workers) and Professional/Technical services at 9.5% (82 workers), together forming a knowledge and service economy. By occupation, Professionals are the largest group at 347 workers, with Managers adding 136, meaning white-collar workers account for a strong share of the employed base. The unemployment rate is 4.2% and the participation rate is 61.7%, both broadly in line with metropolitan norms. Full-time employment covers 59.5% of those employed, above what part-time-heavy service suburbs typically record. The household income at the 51.6th percentile nationally is mid-range, though the high university qualification rate of 42.6% suggests incomes are set to grow as careers progress.
Unemployment
3.9%
Labour Force
1,217
Unemployed
48
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
56.4%
Part-time
38.4%
Participation
64.9%
Employed
1,169
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
42.6%
Postgraduate
10.8%
Born Overseas
22.2%
Dwellings
952
Transport to Work
The suburb is car-dependent, with 82.6% of residents commuting by car, while 6.5% use public transport and 6.5% walk or cycle. The crime rate of 65.1 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 151 recorded offences, is a figure that buyers should benchmark against neighbouring suburbs in Mitcham LGA, as the raw rate reflects both population density and policing geography. No schools are recorded within the 1.32 km2 boundary, so families draw on institutions in adjacent suburbs including Mitcham and Edwardstown. Rent-to-income at 22.1% and mortgage-to-income at 27.7% both sit below the 30% stress threshold, meaning neither owner-occupiers nor renters face acute housing cost pressure relative to their incomes. Only 6.7% of residents (150 people) require daily assistance, a low figure consistent with the younger-than-average median age of 38.
Drive
71.5%
Public Transport
6.4%
Walk / Cycle
5.7%
Work from Home
12.7%
Growth Outlook
The area saw 28 development applications in the past 12 months, predominantly additions and outbuildings consistent with an established suburb where residents are improving rather than selling. The suburb identity is mortgage-belt and detached-house-dominant, which in an Adelaide context means demand is underpinned by owner-occupier fundamentals rather than speculative turnover. The population mobility rate of 19.4% turnover against 80.6% who stayed indicates a relatively stable resident base, which tends to support property values through periods of broader market volatility. Healthcare and education employment, at a combined 35.4% of local workers, anchor demand because these roles are typically non-cyclical compared to construction or retail.
Population trend: Mitcham council area
Melrose Park sits in the Mitcham council area. These are the council area's residents, not Melrose Park's.
Residents 2025
71,267
Growth, 5 yr average
+0.9%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.0%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
151
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
65.1
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Melrose Park compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Melrose Park a good suburb to live in?
Melrose Park suits professional households: 42.6% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 12.5 points above the national average, and mortgage-to-income sits at 27.7%, below the 30% stress threshold. The crime rate of 65.1 per 1,000 residents and the absence of schools within the boundary are the main considerations for families.
What schools are in Melrose Park?
No schools are recorded inside the Melrose Park boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in adjacent suburbs such as Mitcham and Edwardstown. Locally, 42.6% of adults hold university qualifications, which is 12.5 percentage points above the national average, reflecting a highly educated adult population.
Is Melrose Park safe?
Melrose Park recorded 151 total incidents in the reference period, translating to a crime rate of 65.1 per 1,000 residents. Detailed category breakdowns are not available in this dataset, so buyers should cross-reference SA Police suburb crime statistics when comparing against the Mitcham LGA average.
How is Melrose Park's population changing?
Forecast data is not available in this brief, but the suburb's 19.4% annual turnover rate against 80.6% who stayed suggests a stable resident base. The 2,319 residents in 1.32 km2 produce a density of 1,760 per km2, modest by inner-Adelaide standards, and 28 development applications in 12 months point to incremental improvement rather than significant new supply.
How much development is happening in Melrose Park?
There were 28 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Recent examples include a garage, carport and verandah, consistent with an established suburb where owners are adding or improving rather than subdividing. This level of activity signals confidence among owner-occupiers, who make up 72.7% of residents across outright and mortgage tenure.
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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