Samford Valley

Development Activity

Demographics

The median age of 45 is 5.0 years above the national figure, and the trajectory is aging: the senior share rose 8.2 percentage points while the working-age share fell 3.9 points over the decade. University qualifications reach 48.8%, which is 18.7 points above the national average, consistent with the decile 9 IEO score for education and occupation. Ancestry is strongly Anglo-Celtic, led by English (1,519), Irish (487) and Scottish (457), and the overseas-born share of 21.7% sits close to the national figure. Average household size is 3.2, which is 0.7 above national, reflecting the dominance of couples with children: 1,267 of 2,964 families, compared to 732 couples with no children. Volunteering runs at 22.6%, notably above community norms.

Ownership dominates tenure in a way rarely seen in urban suburbs: 48.3% own outright and 47.2% carry a mortgage, leaving only 4.5% renting, compared to the national renting share closer to 30%. The stock is 99.2% separate houses with 84.7% having four or more bedrooms, meaning the suburb functions almost entirely as large-family owner-occupier territory. The mortgage-to-income ratio of 18.5% and rent-to-income of 20.3% both sit below stress thresholds, reflecting how well household incomes in the 98.3rd percentile cover housing costs. The low density of 158 per square kilometre across 20.31 square kilometres means lot sizes are large and subdivision activity is limited to occasional reconfiguring permits.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

Healthcare leads the local employment base at 16.9% of workers (204 people), followed closely by Professional and Technical services at 15.3% (185) and Education at 11.9% (144). Construction accounts for 10.0% (121) and Public Administration for 8.7% (105). By occupation, Professionals (520) and Managers (324) together account for the majority of employed residents, which aligns with the decile 10 IRSAD and IEO scores. The full-time employment rate is 61.4% and the unemployment rate is 4.3%, with 832 residents not in the labour force, a figure explained partly by the older median age of 45. Real income growth of 6.0% over the decade is modest, but absolute income levels rank this suburb above 98% of all Australian suburbs.

Transport to Work

Car dependence is very high at 88.9% of commuters driving, well above national levels, because the semi-rural setting provides limited public transport, with only 3.1% using transit. This is the main practical trade-off for residents choosing the area. The suburb earns decile 10 on IRSAD, IEO and IRSD nationally, placing it in the highest advantage tier on every major socioeconomic index. Only 3.5% of residents need daily assistance (110 people), and housing stress is absent: both mortgage-to-income at 18.5% and rent-to-income at 20.3% fall below the 30% threshold. The 83.7% five-year residential stability rate signals a settled, committed population. No school records appear in the dataset for the suburb boundary itself, so families use nearby educational facilities.

Population Forecast

Population grew 13.3% over the ten years to 2021, and the current trend of 1.14% annually adds around 151 people per year, projecting a population of roughly 14,176 by 2031 under medium forecasts. The SA2 area recorded 12,865 in 2023, 13,087 in 2024 and 13,239 in 2025 on the broader census boundary. Net internal migration of 57 per year and net overseas migration of 90 together sustain demand without the speculative surge seen in high-growth corridors. The gentrification score of 13 registers as not gentrifying, consistent with a suburb already at the top decile of advantage with no room to upgrade further. Affordability held stable between 2011 and 2021, at 50.4% versus 50.6%, indicating price growth tracked income growth over the period.

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

How Samford Valley compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

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