Modbury North
Household income lands in the 52.4th percentile nationally, almost exactly the national midpoint, yet the detached-house premium has run far ahead of incomes. The population of 5,704 carries a median age of 40, identical to the national figure, and 30.2% were born overseas, 8.6 points above national. With 44.0% of households on a mortgage versus 18.5% renting, this is an owner-occupier, mortgage-belt market rather than an investor or rental one.
Population
5,704
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,596/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
78
Median House
$886K
First quarter 2026
Three-bedroom homes dominate at 66.4% and four-plus-bedroom houses add 29.2%, which suits families more than downsizers. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,473 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.3%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household income sitting near the national median in the 52.4th percentile. Owner-occupiers hold the upper hand here, with 44.0% on a mortgage and 37.5% owning outright, leaving little of the market in investor hands.
For Buyers
Three-bedroom homes dominate at 66.4% and four-plus-bedroom houses add 29.2%, which suits families more than downsizers. Average monthly mortgage repayments of $1,473 produce a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.3%, comfortably below the 30% stress threshold despite household income sitting near the national median in the 52.4th percentile. Owner-occupiers hold the upper hand here, with 44.0% on a mortgage and 37.5% owning outright, leaving little of the market in investor hands.
For Investors
Renters make up only 18.5% of households, a shallow tenant pool that signals this is an owner-occupier market more than an investor one. The vacancy rate of 4.0% is higher than the tight sub-2% seen in stronger rental markets, pointing to soft tenant demand rather than scarcity. Development is modest at 68 applications over 12 months, mostly single detached dwellings and land divisions rather than higher-density supply, so the housing mix stays heavily detached. With 30.2% of residents born overseas, 8.6 points above national, migration adds some baseline demand, but the case rests on the recent 21.3% capital growth far more than on yield or turnover, which runs at just 16.1%.
Development Activity
Total DAs
394
Last 12 Months
78
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+47.2%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Modbury North
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Modbury School P-6
Demographics
The median age of 40 matches the national figure exactly, so this is not an aging or unusually young suburb. University qualifications reach 31.0%, only 0.9 points above national, a near-average education profile that fits the mortgage-belt identity. Overseas-born residents at 30.2% run 8.6 points above national, and that diversity shows in the languages: Mandarin (76 speakers), Punjabi (71), Gujarati (40), Arabic (38) and Hindi (35) lead the non-English list. Ancestry is still Anglo-led, with English (2,222), Scottish (462), Irish (425) and German (419) the largest groups. Average household size is 2.6, just 0.1 above national, and couples with children (1,896 families) outnumber couples without children (27.3%), consistent with a family-oriented, three-bedroom housing stock.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
95.6%
Houses
2.3%
Townhouse
1.7%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure tilts firmly to owner-occupiers: 44.0% carry a mortgage, 37.5% own outright and only 18.5% rent. That mortgage-heavy split, well above the renter share, marks an established family market rather than a churn of tenants or new investors. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 95.6% separate houses, with apartments at 1.7% and semi-detached at 2.3%, and three-bedroom homes make up 66.4% against 29.2% four-plus-bedroom. Yet mortgage-to-income stays manageable at 21.3% and rent-to-income at 22.6%, both below the 30% stress line, because incomes near the 52.4th percentile still cover repayments of about $1,473 a month.
Mortgage / mo
$1,473
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$360
Census 2021
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$743
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.0%
Unoccupied
90
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
43.0%
Couples with children
38.9%
Couples, no children
16.7%
Single parent
1,692
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce leans heavily on Healthcare, which employs 20.7% (392 workers), well ahead of Education at 11.1% (210), Construction at 8.8% (166), Public Administration at 8.7% (165) and Manufacturing at 8.0% (151). By occupation, Professionals lead at 525, followed by Clerical and Administrative workers (419) and Community and Personal Service workers (383), a mix that reads more practical and service-based than corporate. Unemployment sits at 5.5%, above the national average, while the full-time employment rate is 63.0% and participation reaches 59.0%, held down partly by 1,643 residents not in the labour force. The healthcare concentration is no accident, because the suburb sits within the Modbury hospital catchment in Adelaide's northeast, which anchors that sector locally.
Unemployment
5.1%
Labour Force
2,917
Unemployed
150
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.2%
Part-time
34.8%
Participation
62.5%
Employed
2,767
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
31.0%
Postgraduate
7.9%
Born Overseas
30.2%
Dwellings
2,158
Transport to Work
Daily life here is car-centric: 85.3% drive to work while only 7.8% use public transport and 1.4% walk or cycle, well below what denser inner suburbs record. Crime totals 175 incidents at a rate of 30.7 per 1,000 residents, a moderate figure for metropolitan Adelaide. The suburb is family-practical rather than amenity-rich, with three-bedroom houses at 66.4% and a household size of 2.6, just 0.1 above national. Volunteering runs at 15.4% and 5.8% of residents (320 people) need daily assistance, both ordinary for the 5,704-strong population. Healthcare access is a genuine strength, since the sector employs 20.7% of the local workforce, reflecting the nearby Modbury hospital that serves the northeast and supports both jobs and services for residents.
Drive
76.6%
Public Transport
7.0%
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
10.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
175
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
30.7
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Modbury North compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Modbury North?
No schools are recorded inside the 2.85 km2 Modbury North boundary in this dataset, so families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. The resident base is family-oriented, with three-bedroom homes making up 66.4% of dwellings and university qualifications at 31.0%, just 0.9 points above national.
Is Modbury North safe?
Modbury North recorded 175 crime incidents, a rate of 30.7 per 1,000 residents, a moderate level for metropolitan Adelaide. The suburb is a stable, family-oriented area where 83.9% of residents stayed put, with turnover of just 16.1%, both consistent with a settled neighbourhood.
How is Modbury North's population changing?
The population of 5,704 sits on a built-out 2.85 km2 at 1,998.7 residents per km2, leaving little room to grow. Turnover is low at 16.1%, with 83.9% of residents staying put. Overseas-born residents at 30.2%, 8.6 points above national, are the main source of inward demand.
What languages are spoken in Modbury North?
About 30.2% of residents were born overseas, 8.6 points above the national figure. English dominates, while Mandarin (76 speakers), Punjabi (71), Gujarati (40), Arabic (38) and Hindi (35) are the most common non-English languages, reflecting a moderately diverse resident mix.
How much development is happening in Modbury North?
There were 68 development applications lodged in the past 12 months, modest for the area. Most are single detached dwellings and one-into-two land divisions rather than higher-density supply, which keeps the stock at 95.6% separate houses and constrains future apartment growth.
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). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
Explore Modbury North on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map