Mount Nelson

Development Activity

Schools in Mount Nelson iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 40 matches the national figure. However, the suburb's demographic profile stands out on education: 58.0% hold university qualifications, which is 27.9 percentage points above the national average, one of the sharpest differentials in Tasmania. Overseas-born residents make up 26.6% of the population, 5.0 points above national. Ancestry is predominantly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,098), Scottish (323) and Irish (276), with Chinese ancestry also notable at 230 residents. Average household size is 2.5, equal to the national average. The household composition leans toward couples: 31.1% are couples without children and couples with children account for 868 families out of 2,071 total. Volunteering runs at 28.3%, notably high, and only 4.1% of residents need daily assistance.

Separate houses dominate at 80.9%, well above the national figure where medium and high-density housing takes a much larger share. Semi-detached dwellings make up 13.9% and apartments just 5.2%. Room sizes skew large: 34.7% of dwellings have 4 or more bedrooms, and 32.7% have 3, suggesting family-oriented stock rather than investor-grade units. Tenure is skewed toward ownership: 40.2% own outright and 31.2% hold a mortgage, leaving 28.6% renting. The 40.2% outright ownership rate signals a long-settled population, consistent with the aging trajectory. Mortgage repayments average $1,586 per month, and at a mortgage-to-income ratio of 21.7% this remains manageable compared to many mainland capital suburbs where the ratio often exceeds 30%. Rent at $320 per week is low relative to other Hobart elevated suburbs.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Education and healthcare together account for 36.4% of the local workforce, with Education leading at 19.3% (205 workers) and Healthcare at 17.1% (181 workers). Professional and Technical services follow at 12.5% and Public Administration at 11.9%, giving the suburb a distinctly public-sector and knowledge-economy character. By occupation, Professionals are the single largest group at 510 workers, followed by Managers at 178, consistent with the 58% university qualification rate. Full-time employment runs at 53.2% of those employed, with part-time at 580 workers. The unemployment rate is 7.6%, which is above typical low-disadvantage suburbs, likely reflecting a participation rate of 58.9% in a population with a high share of retirees. SEIFA IEO score is 1,115 at decile 9, reflecting high education and occupation advantage relative to the national distribution.

Transport to Work

Mount Nelson is overwhelmingly car-dependent: 78.8% of residents drive to work and only 6.1% use public transport, equal to the walking and cycling share of 6.1%. This reflects the suburb's hilly topography and limited bus frequency compared to inner Hobart. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on nearby institutions. The IRSAD decile of 8 places Mount Nelson in the top 20% of suburbs nationally for advantage, and the IEO score of 1,115 (decile 9) confirms strong education and employment outcomes. The IRSD decile of 8 also indicates low relative disadvantage nationally. Rent-to-income at 19.0% and mortgage-to-income at 21.7% both sit below stress thresholds, giving residents stronger financial headroom than in most capital-city markets.

Population Forecast

Mount Nelson has grown 14.8% over the past decade, adding around 356 people, and current annual growth runs at approximately 1.01% or 53 persons per year. Forecast population for the broader SA2 rises from around 5,259 in 2025 to approximately 5,640 by 2031 under the medium scenario, a steady rather than rapid trajectory. The migration balance is slightly positive: overseas arrivals of 158 per year exceed an internal outflow of 138, so growth relies on international migration rather than movement from other Australian regions. The trajectory is aging, with the senior share rising 6.0 points over the decade, and affordability has worsened slightly, with the housing cost share rising from 40.8% in 2011 to 44.7% in 2021. Real income growth of 6.9% has not kept pace with housing cost increases, a pattern common to high-amenity Hobart suburbs.

National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs

How Mount Nelson compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions