Para Hills West
The suburb remains low-rise and car-oriented: 70.2% of dwellings are separate houses, density is 1,206.3 people per sq km, and 82.5% travel by car. Its 3,295 residents have a median age of 38, two years below the national figure, while 37.4% were born overseas, 15.8 percentage points above national. Compared with nearby Para Hills and Salisbury Heights, it sits within an established northern suburban market rather than an apartment-led inner-city setting. Its 0.26% annual trend points to slower growth than expansion areas.
Population
3,295
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,127/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
59
Median House
$880K
First quarter 2026
That burden is below the mortgage stress threshold, which may support demand even as prices have risen 30.9% in one year. The stock is practical rather than apartment-led: 70.2% separate houses, 28.4% semi-detached homes and 64.8% three-bedroom dwellings. Compared with smaller-unit markets, this suits households seeking established family layouts, while the 38.0% renting share means buyers should assess competition street by street. Nearby Para Hills offers a similar established northern housing context.
For Buyers
That burden is below the mortgage stress threshold, which may support demand even as prices have risen 30.9% in one year. The stock is practical rather than apartment-led: 70.2% separate houses, 28.4% semi-detached homes and 64.8% three-bedroom dwellings. Compared with smaller-unit markets, this suits households seeking established family layouts, while the 38.0% renting share means buyers should assess competition street by street. Nearby Para Hills offers a similar established northern housing context.
For Investors
Para Hills West has a 38.0% renting share, a $275 weekly median rent and a 5.2% vacancy rate, giving investors a sizeable tenant base but not an ultra-tight leasing setting. Rental growth has reached 24.0% in the shift profile, which can improve income prospects, although the 30.9% annual house-price increase raises the entry hurdle. Development activity is notable, with 61 applications in 12 months, including proposals for 2 single-storey dwellings and 4 dwellings in two residential flat buildings. Compared with a lower-rent, lower-turnover market, the combination of overseas migration as the primary driver and 19.9% turnover supports tenant demand, but investors should test holding costs and renewal risk.
Development Activity
Total DAs
320
Last 12 Months
59
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+13.5%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Para Hills West
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Para Hills West Primary School
Para Hills High School
Demographics
Para Hills West has 3,295 residents, a median age of 38 and average household size of 2.3, making it slightly younger and smaller-household than the national pattern: age is 2.0 years below national and household size is 0.2 lower. Overseas-born residents account for 37.4%, 15.8 percentage points above national, with English ancestry reported by 1,071 people and Indian ancestry by 185. No religion is the largest stated affiliation at 1,302, followed by Christianity at 1,122 and Islam at 331. University attainment is 24.0%, 6.1 points below national, which aligns with the strong presence of community/personal, trades and labouring occupations. Compared with a more graduate-heavy suburb, local demand is likely to be shaped more by practical services and family households.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
70.2%
Houses
28.4%
Townhouse
1.3%
Apartment
Tenure
The short history signals a sharp repricing, so buyers should avoid treating one year's movement as a normal cycle. Tenure is mixed: 25.4% own outright, 35.7% hold a mortgage and 38.0% rent. The dwelling mix is low-rise, with 70.2% separate houses, 28.4% semi-detached homes and only 1.3% apartments; 64.8% have 3 bedrooms. Household income sits at the 21st percentile, while mortgage-to-income is 26.6%, so affordability is better than a heavily leveraged market but still price-sensitive. Compared with nearby Para Hills, the separate-house pattern is the clearest common feature for buyers.
Mortgage / mo
$1,300
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$275
Census 2021
HH Size
2.3
Personal Income / wk
$600
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.2%
Unoccupied
73
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
24.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.6%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
38.4%
Couples with children
35.3%
Couples, no children
24.4%
Single parent
865
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the dominant industry at 26.1% of local employment, with 210 workers, followed by construction at 8.8% and 71, manufacturing at 8.7% and 70, education at 8.4% and 68, and retail at 7.7% and 62. The occupation mix is similarly practical, led by community/personal roles at 236, trades at 225 and labourers at 200, ahead of professionals at 186 and clerical/admin at 161. The 7.7% unemployment rate and 55.9% participation rate sit alongside 54.2% full-time employment. Socioeconomic measures are below higher-advantage areas: IRSAD and IRSD are both decile 3, IER is decile 4 and IEO is decile 3. Healthcare and education may provide some resilience because they meet recurring local and regional needs, but income at the 21st percentile remains a constraint.
Unemployment
7.7%
Labour Force
1,513
Unemployed
117
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
54.2%
Part-time
38.8%
Participation
55.9%
Employed
1,396
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
24.0%
Postgraduate
6.5%
Born Overseas
37.4%
Dwellings
1,336
Transport to Work
Daily life is strongly car dependent: 82.5% travel by car, compared with 4.9% using public transport, while 6.2% work from home. Two nearby government schools cover both primary and secondary years, but families should check enrolment zones against the exact address because boundaries can cut across suburb lines. Safety needs active consideration, with 379 recorded offences and a crime rate of 115.0 per 1,000 residents. The IRSAD score is in decile 3, and 10.2% of residents, or 321 people, report needing assistance, so services and household support matter to livability. Compared with transit-oriented suburbs, Para Hills West is better suited to residents with reliable vehicle access; its density of 1,206.3 people per sq km supports a compact suburban footprint while transport figures still point to car dependence.
Drive
82.5%
Public Transport
4.9%
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
6.2%
Population Forecast
+0.26%/yr
(+41 people/yr)
EstablishedPara Hills West follows an established, slow-growth trajectory: the annual trend is 0.26%, while population change across the wider area is 4.4% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, which helps explain the 37.4% overseas-born share, but the shift profile is Aging, with the senior share up 3.4 points and the young share down 0.4 points. Gentrification is not currently evident: the gentrification score is 0 and the stage is Not gentrifying. Compared with faster-expanding northern corridors, the modest trend suggests demand will depend more on replacement, family and migrant households than on rapid population pressure. The 61 development applications in 12 months add renewal capacity without changing the suburb's established character.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+138
Net Internal / yr
-140
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -140/yr
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
379
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
115.0
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Para Hills West compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Para Hills West a good suburb to live in?
It can suit households wanting mostly detached housing, with 70.2% of dwellings separate houses and 64.8% having 3 bedrooms. Car access matters because 82.5% travel by car, while the crime rate is 115.0 per 1,000 residents, so buyers should compare streets and check services.
What schools are in Para Hills West?
Para Hills West has 2 government schools: Para Hills West Primary School for primary students and Para Hills High School for secondary students. Enrolment zones should be checked for the exact address, as access can differ between streets and year levels.
Is Para Hills West safe?
Safety deserves careful checking. The suburb recorded 379 offences and a crime rate of 115.0 per 1,000 residents. Review recent incident patterns, lighting, parking and the exact street before deciding, because conditions can vary across local pockets.
How is Para Hills West's population changing?
Change is modest and ageing. The annual trend is 0.26%, while population change across the wider area is 4.4% over 10 years. The shift is labelled Aging, with the senior share up 3.4 points and the young share down 0.4 points. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver.
What languages are spoken in Para Hills West?
Overseas-born residents make up 37.4% of the suburb. Punjabi is recorded for 62 people, Guj for 56, Arabic for 23, Malayalam for 22 and Persian ED for 19. These figures can help families assess local language familiarity, but they do not replace checking specific school and service access.
What development is occurring in Para Hills West?
Development activity is active for an established suburb, with 61 applications lodged in the past 12 months. Examples include a 1-into-2 residential land division, 2 single-storey dwellings and 4 dwellings in two residential flat buildings. Buyers should check address-level approvals, parking and construction timing before relying on future supply.
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.
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