Officer
Officer's standout fact is its scale of change: population growth reached 198.7% over 10 years, while the resident base remains young at a median age of 31, which is 9.0 years below the national figure. Sitting between Beaconsfield and Pakenham, it reads more like a fast-building family corridor than an older railway suburb. Detached homes dominate at 94.8% of dwellings, and household income sits in the 80.5 percentile, helping explain why large homes and mortgages are so common. The trade-off is car reliance, with 91.0% driving to work compared with only 3.2% using public transport.
Population
18,503
Median Age
31.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$2,125/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
18
Median House
$711K
Apr-Jun 2024
Homebuyers are mainly buying space: 60.1% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms, 94.8% are separate houses, and apartments are almost absent at 0.1%. The median house price is $711,000 for Apr-Jun 2024, below the $750,000 peak in Oct-Dec 2023 by 5.2%, so recent buyers have had slightly more negotiating room than at the top of the cycle. Mortgage costs are relatively manageable because the median monthly repayment of $2,000 equals 21.7% of household income, while household income ranks at the 80.5 percentile. The suburb suits buyers who value newer family housing more than walkable inner-suburban density.
For Buyers
Homebuyers are mainly buying space: 60.1% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms, 94.8% are separate houses, and apartments are almost absent at 0.1%. The median house price is $711,000 for Apr-Jun 2024, below the $750,000 peak in Oct-Dec 2023 by 5.2%, so recent buyers have had slightly more negotiating room than at the top of the cycle. Mortgage costs are relatively manageable because the median monthly repayment of $2,000 equals 21.7% of household income, while household income ranks at the 80.5 percentile. The suburb suits buyers who value newer family housing more than walkable inner-suburban density.
For Investors
Officer has a rental base of 28.5%, weekly median rent of $396 and a vacancy rate of 3.4%, so returns are supported by tenant depth but not by scarcity alone. Demand is tied to expansion: the suburb is adding an average 1,383 people a year at 4.68%, with internal migration contributing 809 people annually, higher than the 188 from overseas migration. Recent rent growth of 30.3% points to pressure from new households, while 16 development applications over 12 months show supply is still coming through. Investors should price in both population growth and competition from new stock.
Development Activity
Total DAs
72
Last 12 Months
18
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
-41.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Officer iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Brigid's School
Prep-6 · 375 students
Bridgewood Primary School
Prep-6 · 570 students
Kurrun Primary School
Prep-6 · 321 students
St Clare's Primary School
Prep-6 · 584 students
Orchard Park Primary School
Prep-6 · 359 students
Demographics
Officer is younger and more internationally connected than the national profile. The median age is 31, 9.0 years below national, while 35.6% of residents were born overseas, 14.0 percentage points above national. University attainment is 37.5%, which is 7.4 points above national, and average household size is 2.9, 0.4 higher than national, because family households are a major part of the suburb's growth. English ancestry leads at 5,305 people, alongside Indian ancestry at 1,740, and local languages include Sinhal with 486 speakers and Punjabi with 450.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
94.8%
Houses
5.0%
Townhouse
0.1%
Apartment
Tenure
Officer's housing market has more than doubled over the long run, rising from a $346,000 median in 2013 to $711,000 in Apr-Jun 2024, a 105.5% gain and 5.3% CAGR over 14 years. The latest median remains below the $750,000 peak from Oct-Dec 2023, with a 5.2% fall since then. Ownership patterns show a mortgage-heavy suburb: 58.0% of homes have a mortgage, compared with 13.5% owned outright and 28.5% rented. This is consistent with a newer growth area, where 4 or more bedroom homes make up 60.1% and households are still building equity.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$2,000
Rent / wk
$396
HH Size
2.9
Personal Income / wk
$970
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
3.4%
Unoccupied
214
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
18.6%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
19.3%
Couples, no children
16,204
Total families
Economy & Employment
Officer's workforce is service-led, with Healthcare the largest industry at 19.3% or 1,367 workers, followed by Education at 11.2%, Construction at 11.0%, Manufacturing at 8.5% and Retail at 8.2%. Occupations are weighted to Professionals with 2,140 people, Clerical/Admin with 1,419 and Community/Personal roles with 1,254, which supports above-average household incomes. Labour force participation is high at 70.1%, unemployment is 4.6%, and full-time work accounts for 68.6% of employed residents. SEIFA is uneven but strong: IEO decile 7, IER decile 9, IRSD decile 8 and IRSAD decile 7, with resources ranking higher than education and occupation mix.
Unemployment
3.1%
Labour Force
17,653
Unemployed
540
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
68.6%
Part-time
26.8%
Participation
70.1%
Employed
9,275
Occupations
Top Industries
University
37.5%
Postgraduate
10.9%
Born Overseas
35.6%
Dwellings
6,128
Transport to Work
Daily life in Officer is family-oriented but car-dependent. Commuting is dominated by driving at 91.0%, far higher than public transport at 3.2% and walking or cycling at 1.0%, because homes and services are spread across a growth corridor. School choice is a strength, with 8 local schools and an ICSEA range from 1008 to 1082. St Brigid's School leads at 1082 with 375 enrolments, while Bridgewood Primary and Kurrun Primary both sit at 1054 in the Government sector. Safety is more mixed, with 1,118 offences and a crime rate of 60.4 per 1,000, while IRSAD decile 7 points to above-middle socio-economic advantage.
Drive
91.0%
Public Transport
3.2%
Walk / Cycle
1.0%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+4.68%/yr
(+1,383 people/yr)
High GrowthOfficer is firmly in a high-growth phase, with the trend adding 1,383 people a year at 4.68%, well above a stable-suburb trajectory. Migration is led by internal moves, averaging 809 net new residents annually, compared with 188 from overseas migration, so growth is being driven heavily by households relocating within Australia. The medium path lifts population from 30,299 in 2026 to 37,216 in 2031. The shift profile is mixed: rents rose 30.3%, real incomes rose 13.1%, and the gentrification score is 0 with the stage labelled New development, meaning change is more about new supply than displacement.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Internal Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+188
Net Internal / yr
+809
Gentrification Signal
New development
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
1,118
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
60.4
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Officer compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Officer a good suburb to live in?
Officer suits households wanting newer family homes, with 94.8% separate houses and 60.1% having 4 or more bedrooms. It is less suited to car-free living, because 91.0% of commuters drive and only 3.2% use public transport.
What is the median house price in Officer?
The median house price in Officer is $711,000 for Apr-Jun 2024. That is 5.2% below the $750,000 peak recorded in Oct-Dec 2023, but still 105.5% higher than the $346,000 median in 2013.
What schools are in Officer?
Officer has 8 local schools across Government and Catholic sectors. Notable options include St Brigid's School with ICSEA 1082, Bridgewood Primary School with ICSEA 1054, Kurrun Primary School with ICSEA 1054 and Officer Secondary College with 998 enrolments.
Is Officer safe?
Officer recorded 1,118 offences and a crime rate of 60.4 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences were the largest category at 633 incidents, followed by 255 crimes against the person.
Is Officer good for property investment?
Officer has investor appeal through growth rather than scarcity alone. Renters make up 28.5% of households, median rent is $396 a week, vacancy is 3.4%, and population is growing by about 1,383 people a year.
How is Officer's population changing?
Officer is growing quickly, with a 4.68% annual trend and about 1,383 extra residents a year. The medium path reaches 37,216 people by 2031, while 10-year population change has already reached 198.7%.
What languages are spoken in Officer?
Officer has a sizeable overseas-born population at 35.6%, which is 14.0 percentage points above national. Local non-English language groups include Sinhal with 486 speakers, Punjabi with 450, Hindi with 183, Guj with 141 and Urdu with 127.
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 Officer on the Map
View parcels, zoning overlays, DA applications, schools and more.
Open Interactive Map