Rokeby

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

Demographics

The median age of 32 is 8 years below the national median, and the working-age share grew 2.2 points over the decade, though the young-adult share contracted 3.6 points, a sign the very youngest cohort is thinning. Overseas-born residents account for 14.2% of the population, 7.4 points below the national figure, so the suburb skews domestic compared to the Australian average. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English (1,789) leads, followed by Irish (370) and Scottish (299). The largest non-English language communities are Nepali (70 speakers) and Mandarin (36), reflecting small but growing South Asian and East Asian groups. University qualifications reach 28.2%, which is 1.9 points below the national figure. Average household size of 2.5 matches the national average, and couples with children (1,210 families) outnumber couples without children (739).

Rokeby's price history spans 30 years: from a $52,750 trough in 1999 to a $640,000 peak in 2026, a 1,113% total gain. The 8.7% compound annual growth rate over that period exceeds most comparable-decile suburbs nationally. The tenure mix shows 40.9% carrying mortgages, 38.7% renting and only 20.4% owning outright, lower outright ownership than state and national averages, consistent with the younger median age of 32. Three-bedroom homes dominate at 72% of dwellings and 94.4% are separate houses, so the suburb functions as a traditional detached housing market with little apartment supply. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 23.5% and rent-to-income of 25.8% both sit below the 30% stress benchmark, which is notable given household income ranks in the 29.3rd percentile nationally.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

The top industry by share is Healthcare at 22% (252 workers), followed by Public Administration at 11.2% and Retail at 9.6%. Education and Construction each contribute around 9.3% and 9.2% respectively, forming a public-sector and services-oriented economy. Community and Personal occupations lead the workforce (307 workers), with Professionals (287) and Labourers (268) closely behind. The unemployment rate of 8.8% is elevated compared to the national average, and the participation rate of 57.6% is low, meaning a significant share of working-age residents are not seeking employment. SEIFA places Rokeby in decile 1 on IRSD and IRSAD, meaning it ranks in the bottom 10% nationally for both relative disadvantage and socio-economic advantage. Weekly household income of $1,279 sits in the 29.3rd percentile nationally, partly because full-time employment at 61.6% of employed residents leaves part-time and casual work filling much of the rest.

Transport to Work

Car dependence is high: 82.8% drive to work, while only 6.4% use public transport and 2.4% walk or cycle, reflecting a suburban layout designed around the private vehicle. This is above the national average car dependence and limits options for residents without access to a car. The IRSAD decile 1 ranking places Rokeby in the most disadvantaged 10% nationally, which correlates with below-average service access and household resources. Volunteering at 12.7% is moderate, and 7.4% of residents (292 people) need daily assistance, a proportion that warrants monitoring as the senior share rises 2.3 points over the decade. No schools are recorded within the suburb boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions nearby. Rent-to-income at 25.8% keeps most renters below the stress threshold, though the gap between rent growth of 65.8% and income growth of 32.7% means this margin is narrowing.

Population Forecast

Rokeby grew 43.3% over the past decade, reaching 9,227 residents in 2025, and the annual rate of 2.64% adds roughly 244 people per year. Internal migration is the engine: net 168 arrivals per year from within Australia, supplemented by 21 net overseas arrivals. The medium forecast puts the area at 10,447 by 2031, a further 13% from the 2026 base of 9,226. The gentrification score of 36 classifies it at Early signs, supported by the net internal migration surge (signalled as accelerating from 11% to 50% of growth mix) and rising affordability pressure. Rent grew 65.8% over the period against real income growth of 32.7%, a structural tension that typically precedes displacement of lower-income renters as the suburb transitions. The affordability trend is classified as Stable, moving from 43.9% in 2011 to 44.6% in 2021.

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

How Rokeby compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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