Payneham South
University qualifications reach 48.6%, which is 18.5 percentage points above the national average, and Professionals and Managers together account for more than a third of all employed residents. Italian ancestry is the second most common after English, with 423 residents, reflecting a southern-European settlement pattern that predates the suburb's current premium status.
Local council: Norwood Payneham and St Peters
Population
1,731
Median Age
39.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,560/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
15
Median House
$1.3M
First quarter 2026
Buyers entering now are purchasing below the recent peak, though the price still sits well above the broader SA median. Separate houses make up 56.9% of dwellings, with semi-detached homes at 23.6% and apartments at 19.5%. Three-bedroom homes account for 41.4% of stock and two-bedroom homes 35.8%, so the market caters mainly to families and couples. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,789, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.5%, which is below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many comparable inner suburbs.
For Buyers
Buyers entering now are purchasing below the recent peak, though the price still sits well above the broader SA median. Separate houses make up 56.9% of dwellings, with semi-detached homes at 23.6% and apartments at 19.5%. Three-bedroom homes account for 41.4% of stock and two-bedroom homes 35.8%, so the market caters mainly to families and couples. Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,789, giving a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.5%, which is below the 30% stress threshold and lower than many comparable inner suburbs.
For Investors
A 39.6% renter share is higher than the national average and provides a broad tenant base. The vacancy rate stands at 7.3%, elevated compared to a healthy market threshold of around 3%, suggesting some softening in rental demand that investors should weigh carefully. Only 6 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, confirming that Payneham South is essentially built out at 2,997 residents per square kilometre. The 25.8% share of mortgage holders versus 34.6% outright owners signals that a meaningful cohort of long-term holders absorbs stock rather than turning it over, which supports price floors but limits transaction volume.
Development Activity
Total DAs
61
Last 12 Months
15
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+25.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Demographics
The median age of 39 is one year below the national figure, placing Payneham South slightly younger than the national average. Overseas-born residents account for 34.0% of the population, 12.4 percentage points above the national share. Italian ancestry (423 residents) is the second largest group after English (423), reflecting the suburb's historic Mediterranean character. The top non-English languages are Mandarin (69 speakers), Italian (56) and Greek (24). University qualifications at 48.6% run 18.5 percentage points above the national figure. Average household size is 2.4, marginally below the national figure, and couples with children (502 families) outnumber couples without children (304 families), suggesting family formation remains central to the suburb's composition.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
56.9%
Houses
23.6%
Townhouse
19.5%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure is split across three groups: 34.6% own outright, 25.8% carry a mortgage and 39.6% rent. The outright owners outnumbering mortgage holders points to an established ownership base with reduced debt exposure. Separate houses represent 56.9% of stock, with semi-detached dwellings at 23.6% and apartments at 19.5%, a mix that gives buyers multiple entry points. Three-bedroom homes are the most common at 41.4%, followed by two-bedroom at 35.8% and four-plus bedroom at 18.5%. Rent-to-income at 21.2% stays below the 25% stress threshold, meaning the rental market remains accessible relative to incomes despite the elevated purchase price.
Mortgage / mo
$1,789
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$331
Census 2021
HH Size
2.4
Personal Income / wk
$789
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.3%
Unoccupied
54
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.2%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
26.5%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
45.8%
Couples with children
33.5%
Couples, no children
18.1%
Single parent
448
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare leads local employment at 16.7% (106 workers), followed by Professional and Technical services at 14.3% (91 workers) and Education at 12.4% (79 workers). Public Administration accounts for 9.4% and Retail 8.5%. By occupation, Professionals are the largest group (236 workers) and Managers the second (139), reflecting the suburb's highly educated workforce where 48.6% hold university qualifications, compared to 30.1% nationally. The full-time employment rate is 59.9% and the unemployment rate stands at 5.4%, slightly above a tight labour market baseline. The participation rate of 62.8% is moderate, with 455 residents not in the labour force, partly driven by the established older ownership cohort. Household income sits at the 49.7th percentile nationally, which is below what the qualification profile might suggest, likely because the 39.6% renter share includes lower-income households.
Unemployment
5.2%
Labour Force
956
Unemployed
50
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
57.6%
Part-time
38.6%
Participation
65.1%
Employed
906
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
48.6%
Postgraduate
14.4%
Born Overseas
34.0%
Dwellings
682
Transport to Work
Car dependence is high at 78.8% of commuters driving, above the national average, while 11.3% use public transport and 3.1% walk or cycle. The crime rate stands at 33.5 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 58 total recorded crimes, a relatively low absolute count for the population size. The volunteering rate is 19.0%, indicating civic engagement above the typical baseline. Rent-to-income at 21.2% keeps tenants below the 25% stress threshold, and mortgage-to-income at 26.5% is below the 30% stress level, making housing costs manageable relative to incomes despite the suburb's premium price positioning.
Drive
67.3%
Public Transport
9.6%
Walk / Cycle
2.7%
Work from Home
14.6%
Growth Outlook
This makes Payneham South an outlier compared to the broader SA market, which saw more moderate adjustments over the same period. The suburb has only 1,731 residents across 0.58 square kilometres, meaning population growth is structurally constrained by density already sitting at 2,997 per square kilometre. Development activity is minimal at 6 applications in 12 months, with recent lodgements focused on extensions and alterations rather than new dwellings. The combination of high owner-occupier tenure (34.6% outright) and a well-qualified workforce suggests underlying demand remains, but price recovery will depend on broader SA market conditions rather than local supply expansion.
Population trend: Norwood Payneham and St Peters council area
Payneham South sits in the Norwood Payneham and St Peters council area. These are the council area's residents, not Payneham South's.
Residents 2025
40,845
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.5%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.6%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
58
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
33.5
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Payneham South compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
What schools are in Payneham South?
The suburb covers only 0.58 square kilometres, so families typically access schools in neighbouring suburbs such as Norwood, St Peters and Hackney. Locally, 48.6% of residents hold university qualifications, 18.5 percentage points above the national average.
Is Payneham South safe?
The recorded crime rate is 33.5 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 58 total crimes. This is a relatively low absolute count for a suburb of 1,731 people. The volunteering rate of 19.0% and a mortgage-to-income ratio of 26.5%, below the 30% stress threshold, are both indirect indicators of a stable, low-disadvantage community.
How is Payneham South's population changing?
Payneham South has 1,731 residents across 0.58 square kilometres, giving a density of 2,997 per square kilometre. At that density, significant population growth is unlikely because the suburb is already built out. Only 6 development applications were lodged in the past 12 months, all focused on alterations and extensions rather than new dwellings.
What languages are spoken in Payneham South?
About 34.0% of residents were born overseas, which is 12.4 percentage points above the national share. Italian (56 speakers) and Mandarin (69 speakers) are the two most common non-English languages, followed by Greek (24) and Punjabi (22). Italian ancestry (423 residents) is the second most common after English, reflecting a longstanding Mediterranean community.
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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