North Brighton
At a median age of 49, North Brighton residents are 9 years older than the national figure, which explains much of what the data shows: high outright ownership at 40%, low turnover (81.7% stayed in the same dwelling), and a household income sitting at the 62.5th percentile nationally despite strong professional employment. The suburb covers just 1.18 square kilometres, housing 2,665 residents at a density of 2,259 per square kilometre.
Local council: Holdfast Bay
Population
2,665
Median Age
49.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,772/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
24
Median House
$1.9M
First quarter 2026
Stock is 83.1% detached houses with semi-detached at 15.4% and apartments at just 1.5%, so buyers compete for a uniform dwelling type. Three-bedroom homes account for 47.2% of stock and 4-plus bedroom for 29.9%. The mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, meaning households carrying debt are not stretched by SA standards. Outright owners at 40% outnumber mortgage holders at 37.8%, a sign that established, debt-free residents dominate the ownership base.
For Buyers
Stock is 83.1% detached houses with semi-detached at 15.4% and apartments at just 1.5%, so buyers compete for a uniform dwelling type. Three-bedroom homes account for 47.2% of stock and 4-plus bedroom for 29.9%. The mortgage-to-income ratio sits at 26.1%, below the 30% stress threshold, meaning households carrying debt are not stretched by SA standards. Outright owners at 40% outnumber mortgage holders at 37.8%, a sign that established, debt-free residents dominate the ownership base.
For Investors
Vacancy at 7.2% indicates rental supply exceeds current demand. Development logged 23 applications in 12 months, mostly alterations rather than new supply, confirming a renovation-active market. The 81.7% residential retention rate shows long-term holder behaviour, while the 18.3% who moved create periodic stock availability. Capital growth is the primary investment case here, as the 31.5% price gain from 1Q 2025 to 1Q 2026 demonstrates, rather than any meaningful rental yield.
Development Activity
Total DAs
170
Last 12 Months
24
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-11.1%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in North Brighton
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Paringa Park Primary School
Brighton Secondary School
Demographics
English (1,161), Scottish (262), and Irish (239) ancestries dominate, with overseas-born residents at 21.9%, only 0.3 percentage points above the national average. The median age of 49 is 9 years higher than the national figure, reflecting an established owner base that has aged in place. University qualifications reach 40.3%, which is 10.2 percentage points above national, indicating a settled professional cohort rather than a transient graduate population. Average household size of 2.5 matches national. Couples with children (775 families) represent 40% of all families and couples without children 30.5%, a profile consistent with families at later life stages and empty-nesters.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
83.1%
Houses
15.4%
Townhouse
1.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is ownership-skewed: 40.0% own outright, 37.8% carry a mortgage, and 22.2% rent. The high outright ownership rate is consistent with the median age of 49 and long residence periods. Stock is 83.1% separate houses and only 1.5% apartments. Bedroom sizes skew large: 3-bedroom at 47.2% and 4-plus at 29.9%, with just 3.8% in the 0-1 bedroom category.
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$395
Census 2021
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$793
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.2%
Unoccupied
75
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.1%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
41.3%
Couples with children
43.5%
Couples, no children
13.7%
Single parent
680
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare (20.3%, 166 workers) and Education (19.2%, 157 workers) together account for nearly 40% of employment, higher than the national share of these sectors. Professional/Technical follows at 9.9%. By occupation, Professionals (359) and Managers (183) lead, covering roughly half of employed residents. Unemployment is 2.3%, below the national average, and the full-time rate is 57.1%. Participation at 49.8% is lower than national norms because 909 residents are not in the labour force, a direct consequence of the median age of 49.
Unemployment
2.2%
Labour Force
1,171
Unemployed
26
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.5%
Part-time
41.0%
Participation
52.1%
Employed
1,145
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
40.3%
Postgraduate
9.9%
Born Overseas
21.9%
Dwellings
969
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high at 86.2%, with public transport used by only 4.1% of commuters, reflecting the coastal suburban layout of southern Adelaide. Walking and cycling account for 4.6%. Crime sits at 25.1 incidents per 1,000 residents (67 total), a low rate consistent with the suburb's low-crime-rate classification. Volunteering at 20.8% is above typical metropolitan rates, indicating community engagement. Residents needing assistance number 323 (13%), tracking the older median age of 49 rather than economic hardship. Mortgage-to-income at 26.1% and rent-to-income at 22.3% both stay below the 30% stress threshold, giving owners and renters manageable cost burdens relative to the 62.5th-percentile household income.
Drive
72.2%
Public Transport
4.3%
Walk / Cycle
3.9%
Work from Home
15.4%
Growth Outlook
Price growth of 31.5% from 1Q 2025 to 1Q 2026 is the dominant recent signal, though the two-quarter history limits trend confidence. The 81.7% residential retention rate confirms a stable, low-turnover base where less than one in five households moved in the past year. Development logged 23 applications in 12 months, including a two-level new dwelling and alterations, representing incremental supply rather than a pipeline that would soften prices. The aging median age of 49 means natural population churn is slow, and the 83.1% detached house composition constrains new supply in a compact 1.18 square kilometre footprint, maintaining price pressure above the SA state average.
Population trend: Holdfast Bay council area
North Brighton sits in the Holdfast Bay council area. These are the council area's residents, not North Brighton's.
Residents 2025
39,683
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.0%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+0.8%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
67
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
25.1
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How North Brighton compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in North Brighton?
No schools are recorded inside the North Brighton boundary in this dataset. Families in the suburb rely on schools in neighbouring areas. The local adult population is highly qualified, with 40.3% holding university degrees, which is 10.2 percentage points above the national average.
Is North Brighton safe?
North Brighton recorded 67 total incidents, giving a crime rate of 25.1 per 1,000 residents, a low figure by metropolitan SA standards. The suburb's identity signals include a low-crime-rate classification. The community has a volunteering rate of 20.8% and 81.7% of residents remained in the same dwelling, both consistent with a settled, low-turnover area.
How is North Brighton's population changing?
North Brighton has a population of 2,665 across 1.18 square kilometres. The suburb shows high stability, with 81.7% of residents remaining in the same dwelling over the past year and a turnover rate of just 18.3%. The median age of 49 is 9 years above the national figure, indicating an aging, long-settled resident base rather than rapid population turnover.
How much development is happening in North Brighton?
There were 23 development applications lodged in the past 12 months. Examples include a new two-level detached dwelling, single-storey additions, and shed constructions. This pace is modest for a suburb of 2,665 residents and reflects incremental improvement to existing stock rather than large-scale new supply, consistent with the 83.1% separate house composition.
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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