Semaphore South
At 44 years, the median age sits 4 years above the national figure, and 77% of residents stayed put over the five years to census, pointing to an owner-occupier cohort that arrived and stayed. University qualifications reach 37.6%, which is 7.5 points above the national average, yet household income ranks at only the 58.2nd percentile nationally, a gap explained partly by the 61.7% participation rate and the number of established homeowners who are no longer in full-time work.
Local council: Port Adelaide Enfield
Population
1,031
Median Age
44.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,676/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
23
Median House
$1.3M
First quarter 2026
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,842, and mortgage-to-income sits at 25.4%, below the 30% stress threshold despite the high purchase price because many buyers carry equity from earlier purchases. Separate houses make up 59.7% of the stock, with semi-detached dwellings at 33.5% and apartments at just 6.8%, giving buyers a predominantly house-and-semi market. Three-bedroom dwellings are the most common at 38.5%, followed by two-bedroom at 36.9%. Outright owners at 34.3% outnumber renters at 29.6%, consistent with a suburb where residents tend to stay for the long term.
For Buyers
Monthly mortgage repayments average $1,842, and mortgage-to-income sits at 25.4%, below the 30% stress threshold despite the high purchase price because many buyers carry equity from earlier purchases. Separate houses make up 59.7% of the stock, with semi-detached dwellings at 33.5% and apartments at just 6.8%, giving buyers a predominantly house-and-semi market. Three-bedroom dwellings are the most common at 38.5%, followed by two-bedroom at 36.9%. Outright owners at 34.3% outnumber renters at 29.6%, consistent with a suburb where residents tend to stay for the long term.
For Investors
The 10.3% vacancy rate is the more important signal: it is elevated for an area of this price, suggesting the rental pool is not as tight as the purchase price might imply. Development activity recorded 14 applications in the past 12 months, a modest level for a 0.62 km2 suburb, with recent approvals spanning a two-storey dwelling, a verandah addition, and a spa pool, consistent with incremental improvement rather than large-scale supply growth. The 6.5% price gain over one year supports a capital-growth thesis more than a yield one, and the low turnover rate of 23% means opportunities to buy are infrequent.
Development Activity
Total DAs
93
Last 12 Months
23
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+76.9%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Semaphore South
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
Le Fevre High School
Demographics
The median age of 44 is 4 years above the national figure and reflects a suburb that has aged in place, with 77% of residents remaining at the same address for five years or more. Overseas-born residents stand at 20.4%, which is 1.2 points below the national average, and the ancestry profile is strongly Anglo-Celtic: English (440), Irish (146) and Scottish (144) are the top three ancestries, with German (84) the main continental European group. University qualifications at 37.6% run 7.5 points above the national rate, and the average household size of 2.2 is 0.3 below national, consistent with couples-without-children households at 31.5% of all families. Volunteering at 16.9% is comparatively active for a suburb of this size, and only 4.0% of residents need daily assistance.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
59.7%
Houses
33.5%
Townhouse
6.8%
Apartment
Tenure
Tenure divides into 34.3% outright owners, 36.1% with a mortgage, and 29.6% renters, a pattern where mortgage holders are the largest group, indicating the suburb still attracts active buyers despite its premium price point. The stock is dominated by separate houses at 59.7% and semi-detached dwellings at 33.5%, with apartments making up just 6.8%. Bedroom sizes lean toward two and three bedrooms, which together account for 75.4% of dwellings, reflecting the couple-dominant household profile. Rent-to-income at 19.1% keeps tenants well below the 30% stress threshold, even though the $320 weekly rent is moderate compared to Adelaide's inner suburbs.
Mortgage / mo
$1,842
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$320
Census 2021
HH Size
2.2
Personal Income / wk
$930
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
10.3%
Unoccupied
51
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
19.1%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.4%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
38.0%
Couples with children
42.5%
Couples, no children
16.0%
Single parent
287
Total families
Economy & Employment
Healthcare is the largest employing industry at 19.1% of local workers (70 people), followed by Education at 12.0% (44), Public Admin at 11.2% (41), and Construction and Professional/Tech each at 10.7% (39). This public-sector and knowledge-worker tilt is consistent with the Professionals (133) and Managers (89) being the two largest occupation groups. The unemployment rate is 4.1%, marginally above the low levels seen in more prosperous Adelaide suburbs, and the participation rate of 61.7% is below national norms because a large share of older homeowners are not in the labour force. Full-time employment runs at 63.5% of those employed, and weekly household income of $1,676 places the suburb at the 58.2nd percentile nationally, below what the house prices alone would suggest.
Unemployment
3.8%
Labour Force
573
Unemployed
22
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.3%
Part-time
34.1%
Participation
65.8%
Employed
551
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
37.6%
Postgraduate
9.7%
Born Overseas
20.4%
Dwellings
439
Transport to Work
Car dependency is high at 87.1%, with only 8.0% of residents using public transport and 2.3% walking or cycling to work, which is typical for an outer coastal suburb not served by rail. The crime rate of 65 incidents per 1,000 residents gives a concrete safety reference point, though no category breakdown is available to assess whether this is concentrated in property or personal crime. Housing stress is low on both dimensions: rent-to-income sits at 19.1% and mortgage-to-income at 25.4%, both below the 30% threshold. Only 4.0% of residents need daily assistance despite the older median age of 44, and the 16.9% volunteering rate suggests a socially engaged community that is more connected than the small population count implies.
Drive
73.3%
Public Transport
6.7%
Walk / Cycle
2.0%
Work from Home
15.9%
Growth Outlook
The suburb's small population of 1,031 and compact 0.62 km2 footprint mean price moves are driven by individual transactions rather than broad supply shifts, so volatility is higher than in larger suburbs. The 10.3% vacancy rate indicates some softness in the rental segment that may moderate rental growth. Development activity at 14 applications in 12 months is low relative to the suburb's size, limiting new supply and supporting the existing stock's capital value. The combination of a low turnover rate of 23% and predominantly owner-occupier tenure means listing volumes stay thin, which historically supports price resilience in premium coastal pockets.
Population trend: Port Adelaide Enfield council area
Semaphore South sits in the Port Adelaide Enfield council area. These are the council area's residents, not Semaphore South's.
Residents 2025
143,022
Growth, 5 yr average
+1.5%/yr
2020 to 2025
Growth, last year
+1.2%
2024 to 2025
ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
67
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
65.0
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Semaphore South compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Semaphore South a good suburb to live in?
Semaphore South suits owner-occupiers who value coastal amenity and a stable, established neighbourhood. The median age of 44 is 4 years above national, 77% of residents stayed put at the last census, and housing stress is low with mortgage-to-income at 25.4%.
What schools are in Semaphore South?
Families rely on schools in neighbouring suburbs. Locally, 37.6% of residents hold university qualifications, which is 7.5 percentage points above the national average, reflecting an educationally engaged resident base.
Is Semaphore South safe?
The recorded crime rate is 65 incidents per 1,000 residents, based on 67 total incidents. No category breakdown is available in this data. As context, only 4.0% of the 1,031 residents need daily assistance, and housing stress indicators are well below national stress thresholds, both indirect signals of a stable area.
How is Semaphore South's population changing?
The suburb has a population of 1,031 across just 0.62 km2, giving a density of 1,653 people per km2. The median age of 44 is 4 years above the national figure and the low turnover rate of 23% indicates the community is stable rather than growing rapidly. No multi-year population trend data is available in the current brief.
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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