Mount Lawley
High vacancy and an aging shift define Mount Lawley more than simple inner-city turnover. The suburb has 11,328 residents in 4.34 sq km, giving a density of 2608.1 people per sq km, while renters make up 37.4% of households and vacancy is 10.1%. Compared with nearby Highgate and Inglewood, its housing mix still leans to houses, with 52.6% separate dwellings. Education levels are well above national norms at 55.4% university qualified, helping place household income in the 79.8 percentile.
Population
11,328
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,108/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
95
Median House
$494K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Buyers get an inner-north setting where houses still matter: 52.6% of homes are separate houses, compared with 27.6% apartments and 19.7% semi-detached dwellings. The cost base looks manageable for current residents because the typical mortgage is $2,200 a month and mortgage payments take 24.1% of income. Family income of $3,162 a week is above the $2,108 household figure, supporting larger households, while 32.3% of homes have 3 bedrooms and 25.1% have 4 or more. The trade-off is that no current median house price is available, so buyers need live sales evidence.
For Buyers
Buyers get an inner-north setting where houses still matter: 52.6% of homes are separate houses, compared with 27.6% apartments and 19.7% semi-detached dwellings. The cost base looks manageable for current residents because the typical mortgage is $2,200 a month and mortgage payments take 24.1% of income. Family income of $3,162 a week is above the $2,108 household figure, supporting larger households, while 32.3% of homes have 3 bedrooms and 25.1% have 4 or more. The trade-off is that no current median house price is available, so buyers need live sales evidence.
For Investors
Mount Lawley has a large tenant pool, with 37.4% renting, higher than the 30.2% owned outright share and the 32.4% mortgage share. Weekly rent is $350 and rent absorbs 16.6% of income, so tenant affordability is not stretched. The caution is vacancy: 10.1% is high, meaning investors may need sharper pricing or better presentation to stay leased. Demand is helped by overseas migration averaging +391 people a year, although internal migration averages -23. With 20 development applications in 12 months and rent growth at 6.2%, supply and competition both need watching.
Development Activity
Total DAs
102
Last 12 Months
95
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+2275.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
$581K
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Mount Lawley iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
Mount Lawley Primary School
K-6 · 543 students
St Paul's Primary School
PP-6 · 186 students
Perth College
PP-12 · 889 students
Mount Lawley Senior High School
7-12 · 2041 students
Demographics
Mount Lawley is educated, international and slightly younger than Australia overall. The median age is 38, which is 2.0 years below the national figure, while 55.4% hold university qualifications, 25.3 percentage points above national. Overseas-born residents are 33.3%, 11.7 points above national, and average household size is 2.2, lower than national by 0.3. English ancestry is the largest group at 4199 people, followed by Irish at 1369, Scottish at 1189 and Italian at 1115. Languages other than English are led by Italian with 108 speakers and Mandarin with 74.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
52.6%
Houses
19.7%
Townhouse
27.6%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing stock is mixed but still more house-oriented than many inner suburbs. Separate houses account for 52.6% of dwellings, higher than apartments at 27.6% and semi-detached homes at 19.7%. Ownership is also balanced: 30.2% own outright, 32.4% have a mortgage and 37.4% rent. Bedroom mix explains the broad appeal, with 31.4% having 2 bedrooms, 32.3% having 3 and 25.1% having 4 or more. No current median house price or price-summary series is available, so recent comparable sales are essential. Mortgage payments at 24.1% of income sit below the 30.4 affordability reading recorded for 2021.
Mortgage / mo
$2,200
Rent / wk
$350
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$1,127
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
10.1%
Unoccupied
525
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
16.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
34.5%
Couples, no children
7,598
Total families
Economy & Employment
The local workforce is strongly white-collar. Professional and tech industries employ 889 residents, or 17.5%, above healthcare at 16.4% and education at 10.9%; mining still contributes 7.9% and public administration 7.3%. Occupations reinforce this, with 2509 professionals and 1089 managers. Labour force conditions are solid, with 62.9% of employed residents working full time, participation at 67.0% and unemployment at 4.3%. SEIFA is high but uneven: IEO, IRSD and IRSAD all rank decile 9, while IER is lower at decile 7, suggesting education and advantage are stronger than economic resources alone.
Unemployment
4.6%
Labour Force
11,904
Unemployed
545
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.9%
Part-time
32.8%
Participation
67.0%
Employed
6,295
Occupations
Top Industries
University
55.4%
Postgraduate
14.6%
Born Overseas
33.3%
Dwellings
4,682
Transport to Work
Mount Lawley works well for households wanting schools, transit and inner-north access. Four local schools span an ICSEA range of 1103 to 1155, led by Mount Lawley Primary School, a Government school with ICSEA 1155 and 543 enrolments, St Paul's Primary at 1141 and Perth College, an Independent school at 1138 with 889 enrolments. Public transport use is 16.8%, lower than car driving at 70.1%, while 7.2% walk or cycle. A suburb-level crime rate per 1,000 is not available, so safety checks should use current police updates. IRSAD decile 9 points to above-average social advantage.
Drive
70.1%
Public Transport
16.8%
Walk / Cycle
7.2%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.79%/yr
(+151 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is moderate rather than explosive. The trend path adds 0.79% a year, equal to about 151 people annually, and the medium scenario rises from 18,779 in 2026 to 19,536 in 2031. Migration is the main driver: overseas migration averages +391 people a year, compared with internal migration at -23. The shift profile is Aging, with senior share up 4.3 points and working-age share down 1.5 points, so services may tilt older even as arrivals continue. Gentrification is marked as Early signs with a score of 29, lower than a rapid change story, while real income growth of 11.1% supports gradual renewal.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+391
Net Internal / yr
-23
Gentrification Signal
Early signs
Population +11% since 2011, Strong overseas inflow +391/yr, Accelerating: 0% → 11%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Mount Lawley compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Lawley a good suburb to live in?
Yes for many buyers and renters, especially those valuing schools, education levels and inner-north access. It has 4 local schools, 16.8% public transport commuting and 55.4% university-qualified residents.
What is the median house price in Mount Lawley?
A current median house price is not available. For context, the typical mortgage is $2,200 a month, weekly rent is $350, and 52.6% of dwellings are separate houses.
What schools are in Mount Lawley?
Mount Lawley has 4 local schools: Government, Catholic and Independent options. Mount Lawley Primary has ICSEA 1155, St Paul's Primary 1141 and Perth College 1138.
Is Mount Lawley safe?
A suburb-level crime rate per 1,000 is not available, so check current WA Police figures and inspect at different times. Its 4 schools and 16.8% public transport share support regular daily activity.
Is Mount Lawley good for property investment?
It has investor appeal through a 37.4% rental share, $350 weekly rent and overseas migration averaging +391 people a year. The key risk is the 10.1% vacancy rate.
How is Mount Lawley's population changing?
Growth is steady. The trend adds 0.79% a year, or about 151 people, and the medium path rises from 18,779 in 2026 to 19,536 by 2031.
What languages are spoken in Mount Lawley?
English is dominant, but 33.3% of residents were born overseas. The largest listed non-English languages include Italian with 108 speakers, Mandarin with 74 and Cantonese with 39.
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.
Explore Mount Lawley on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map