Somerville
Detached housing shapes Somerville’s identity: 82.4% of dwellings are separate houses and only 0.2% are apartments, giving it a lower density feel at 304.4 people per sqkm across 38.65 sqkm. Compared with nearby Baxter and Tyabb, it reads more as a self-contained township than a commuter pocket. Household income sits in the 62.8 percentile, above the national midpoint, while 49.6% of homes carry a mortgage, so local demand is tied closely to family budgets and interest rates.
Population
11,767
Median Age
40.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,781/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
15
Median House
$778K
Apr-Jun 2024
For homebuyers, Somerville is mainly a house market rather than an apartment market: 82.4% separate houses and 17.2% semi-detached homes sit far higher than the 0.2% apartment share. The median house price was $778,500 in Apr-Jun 2024, 11.5% below the Jan-Mar 2024 peak of $880,000, giving buyers a little more negotiating room after the spike. Families get bedroom depth, with 46.8% of homes at 3 bedrooms and 38.7% at 4 or more, while mortgage costs absorb 23.3% of income.
For Buyers
For homebuyers, Somerville is mainly a house market rather than an apartment market: 82.4% separate houses and 17.2% semi-detached homes sit far higher than the 0.2% apartment share. The median house price was $778,500 in Apr-Jun 2024, 11.5% below the Jan-Mar 2024 peak of $880,000, giving buyers a little more negotiating room after the spike. Families get bedroom depth, with 46.8% of homes at 3 bedrooms and 38.7% at 4 or more, while mortgage costs absorb 23.3% of income.
For Investors
Investors should read Somerville as a lower churn, owner-occupier market. Renting is 16.7%, below the 49.6% mortgage share and 33.7% owned outright share, so the tenant pool is thinner than in inner suburban rental markets. Weekly rent is $380 and vacancy is 4.6%, which points to softer letting pressure despite forecast rent growth of 38.2%. Only 7 development applications in 12 months suggests limited new supply, but demand relies on household formation rather than a large student or apartment renter base.
Development Activity
Total DAs
20
Last 12 Months
15
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+650.0%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Somerville iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Brendan's School
Prep-6 · 270 students
Somerville Primary School
Prep-6 · 400 students
Somerville Secondary College
7-12 · 582 students
Somerville Rise Primary School
Prep-6 · 156 students
Demographics
Somerville’s population of 11,767 is relatively settled and Anglo-leaning, with median age 40 matching the national age benchmark at 0.0 years difference. Overseas-born residents are 15.7%, 5.9 percentage points below national, and university attainment is 22.1%, 8.0 points below national, which helps explain the stronger trades, care and administration workforce mix. English ancestry is the largest count at 5,619, followed by Scottish at 1,335 and Irish at 1,208; household size is 2.6, slightly above national by 0.1.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
82.4%
Houses
17.2%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing base is mature and detached, and prices show both long-run growth and short-term volatility. The median house price of $778,500 in Apr-Jun 2024 is 102.2% higher than the 2013 level of $385,000, equal to a 5.2% CAGR over 14 years. It is also 11.5% below the $880,000 peak from Jan-Mar 2024, so recent buyers are not paying the top print. Ownership is deep: 33.7% owned outright and 49.6% mortgaged, compared with only 16.7% renting, which supports stability but limits rental liquidity.
Median House Price Trend
Source: State Valuer-General
Mortgage / mo
$1,800
Rent / wk
$380
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$809
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
4.6%
Unoccupied
208
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.3%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
25.8%
Couples, no children
9,736
Total families
Economy & Employment
Somerville’s employment base sits above average on job security but closer to the national middle on status measures. Unemployment is 2.6% with 60.0% participation, while full-time work accounts for 61.7% of employed residents. Healthcare leads at 18.7%, construction follows at 17.1%, then education at 12.7%, manufacturing at 8.4% and retail at 6.4%. The SEIFA pattern is mixed: economic resources rank in decile 8 and disadvantage in decile 7, but education and occupation is decile 5 and IRSAD is decile 6 because the workforce blends professionals, trades and service roles.
Unemployment
3.4%
Labour Force
10,717
Unemployed
367
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
61.7%
Part-time
35.7%
Participation
60.0%
Employed
5,600
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.1%
Postgraduate
3.9%
Born Overseas
15.7%
Dwellings
4,313
Transport to Work
Daily life is highly car-based: 92.1% drive to work, compared with 0.6% using public transport and 2.3% walking or cycling, so convenience depends on road access more than train or bus use. The school offer is compact, with 4 local schools spanning ICSEA 975 to 1043; St Brendan's School at 1043 and Somerville Primary School at 1013 sit above Somerville Secondary College at 983. Safety needs local scrutiny, with 772 offences and a 65.6 per 1,000 crime rate, while IRSAD decile 6 is above the national midpoint.
Drive
92.1%
Public Transport
0.6%
Walk / Cycle
2.3%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+0.39%/yr
(+75 people/yr)
EstablishedGrowth is forecast to stay slow rather than transform the suburb. The trend path adds 75 people a year, or 0.39% annually, with the medium scenario rising from 19,167 in 2026 to 19,541 in 2031. Compared with that modest increase, the bigger shift is age structure: seniors are up 6.5 points and the young share is down 2.6 points. Migration is led by overseas inflow at 78 people a year, partly offset by internal movement of -44, while the gentrification score is 0 and the stage is Not gentrifying.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+78
Net Internal / yr
-44
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
772
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
65.6
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Somerville compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Somerville a good suburb to live in?
Somerville suits buyers who want space and a slower growth setting: 82.4% of dwellings are separate houses, 4 schools operate locally, and household income sits in the 62.8 percentile. Car dependence is high at 92.1%, so it suits drivers more than public transport commuters.
What is the median house price in Somerville?
The median house price in Somerville was $778,500 in Apr-Jun 2024. That is 11.5% below the $880,000 peak in Jan-Mar 2024, but still 102.2% higher than the 2013 median of $385,000.
What schools are in Somerville?
Somerville has 4 local schools: St Brendan's School, Somerville Primary School, Somerville Secondary College and Somerville Rise Primary School. ICSEA scores range from 975 to 1043, with Catholic and Government sectors represented.
Is Somerville safe?
Somerville recorded 772 offences, equal to 65.6 per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences made up the largest category at 479, so safety perceptions can vary by street and property security.
Is Somerville good for property investment?
Somerville can work for investors seeking houses rather than apartments, but the renter base is only 16.7% and vacancy is 4.6%. Rent is $380 a week, and 7 development applications suggest limited supply pressure.
How is Somerville's population changing?
Somerville is changing slowly: the trend forecast adds 75 people a year, or 0.39% annually. The medium scenario reaches 19,541 by 2031, with overseas migration averaging 78 people a year and internal migration at -44.
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), state Valuer-General (house prices), Department of Jobs SALM (unemployment), ACARA (school ICSEA), 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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