Thornlie
Overseas-born residents account for 43.5% of Thornlie's population of 23,665, a share 21.9 percentage points above the national figure. The suburb is also strongly detached-house oriented, with 91.1% of dwellings separate houses, while its median age of 38 is 2 years below the national level. Compared with newer Canning Vale, Thornlie reads as the more established, mortgage-led option, with 43.2% of households paying a mortgage and 52.9% living in homes with 4 or more bedrooms. Its slower 0.46% annual growth trend and Aging trajectory point to a settled market shaped by families, long-term owners and overseas migration.
Population
23,665
Median Age
38.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,571/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Thornlie suits buyers seeking established, family-sized housing rather than an apartment-focused setting. Separate houses account for 91.1% of dwellings, while 52.9% have 4 or more bedrooms and another 40.4% have 3 bedrooms, giving families more choice than smaller-home markets. No median house price is quoted, so buyers should rely on recent comparable sales and allow for a typical monthly mortgage figure of $1,625. Mortgage costs equal 23.9% of household income, compared with rent at 21.0%, indicating a meaningful but not flagged repayment burden. Compared with apartment-led suburbs, the detached format can provide more space, but it also makes maintenance and land value important parts of the purchase decision.
For Buyers
Thornlie suits buyers seeking established, family-sized housing rather than an apartment-focused setting. Separate houses account for 91.1% of dwellings, while 52.9% have 4 or more bedrooms and another 40.4% have 3 bedrooms, giving families more choice than smaller-home markets. No median house price is quoted, so buyers should rely on recent comparable sales and allow for a typical monthly mortgage figure of $1,625. Mortgage costs equal 23.9% of household income, compared with rent at 21.0%, indicating a meaningful but not flagged repayment burden. Compared with apartment-led suburbs, the detached format can provide more space, but it also makes maintenance and land value important parts of the purchase decision.
For Investors
Thornlie has a moderate rental base, with 21.4% of households renting compared with 43.2% paying a mortgage. Weekly rent is $330 and vacancy is 5.7%, so investors should test achievable rent carefully rather than assume strong scarcity. Residential turnover is 17.9%, while 82.1% of residents stayed at the same address, which can support steadier tenancies because much of the suburb is established and settled. The 0.46% annual growth trend, 3.1% rent growth and zero recorded development activity over 12 months suggest a lower-change market than an active redevelopment precinct. Overseas migration is the primary growth driver, but a gentrification score of 10 and a Not gentrifying stage call for disciplined yields and conservative capital-growth assumptions.
Schools in Thornlie
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
AUSTRALIAN ISLAMIC COLLEGE THORNLIE
SACRED HEART PRIMARY SCHOOL
FOREST CRESCENT PRIMARY SCHOOL
SOUTH THORNLIE PRIMARY SCHOOL
THORNLIE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Demographics
Thornlie combines a large overseas-born population with an established household base. The overseas-born share is 43.5%, or 21.9 percentage points above the national figure, and the largest listed ancestry counts are English at 7,560, Chinese at 2,393, Scottish at 1,737 and Irish at 1,561. Mandarin is the leading listed non-English language at 559 speakers, followed by Arabic at 235 and Punjabi at 225. The median age is 38, which is 2 years below national, while university attainment is 29.6%, just 0.5 percentage points below national. Average household size is 2.7, or 0.2 above national, and couples with children make up 45.5% of families. Compared with nearby Canning Vale, Thornlie's profile is more strongly shaped by established households and an aging trajectory.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
91.1%
Houses
7.6%
Townhouse
1.2%
Apartment
Tenure
Thornlie's housing stock is dominated by separate houses, which make up 91.1% of dwellings, compared with only 1.2% apartments and 7.6% semi-detached homes. Larger properties are common: 52.9% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms, versus 40.4% with 3 bedrooms. Tenure is led by mortgage holders at 43.2%, followed by outright owners at 33.7% and renters at 21.4%. Mortgage tenure is higher than outright ownership, indicating a substantial active-buyer and refinancing cohort, while the 21.0% rent-to-income share sits below the 23.9% mortgage-to-income share. Compared with nearby Canning Vale, Thornlie's established detached format may provide more mature streetscapes and renovation opportunities, although buyers should assess each home's age, upkeep and land value individually.
Mortgage / mo
$1,625
Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.
$330
Census 2021
HH Size
2.7
Personal Income / wk
$682
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
5.7%
Unoccupied
508
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
21.0%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
23.9%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
45.5%
Couples with children
36.1%
Couples, no children
16.6%
Single parent
6,590
Total families
Economy & Employment
Thornlie's employment base is led by healthcare at 16.7% or 1,137 workers, followed by education at 10.9% or 742, construction at 9.2% or 627, retail at 7.1% or 480 and public administration at 6.8% or 464. The occupational mix is similarly practical, led by trades at 1,911 people, professionals at 1,742 and clerical or administrative roles at 1,463. Participation is 61.8%, unemployment is 7.1%, and 6,501 workers are employed full time compared with 3,844 part time. The household income percentile is 51.2, close to the midpoint. Economic resources rank in decile 6, above education and occupation decile 4, while IRSD and IRSAD are both decile 4. That gap suggests household resources are stronger than some broader disadvantage and education indicators, partly consistent with established mortgage households.
Unemployment
7.1%
Labour Force
11,773
Unemployed
833
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.4%
Part-time
35.1%
Participation
61.8%
Employed
10,940
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
29.6%
Postgraduate
6.7%
Born Overseas
43.5%
Dwellings
8,400
Transport to Work
Thornlie has practical family access, with 7 local schools comprising 5 government schools, including 4 primary schools and 1 senior high school, plus 2 non-government primary schools. Exact enrolment zones should be checked against the address because school boundaries can cross local streets. Transport is strongly car dependent: 82.2% travel as car drivers, compared with 5.0% using public transport, 1.1% walking or cycling and 5.6% working from home. Car use is therefore much higher than every other listed travel mode, making parking, road access and proximity to daily services important. The IRSAD score sits in decile 4, while the IRSD is also decile 4, placing Thornlie below higher-advantage areas on these measures. Check current local police information and visit the surrounding streets at different times when assessing safety.
Drive
82.2%
Public Transport
5.0%
Walk / Cycle
1.1%
Work from Home
5.6%
Population Forecast
+0.46%/yr
(+119 people/yr)
EstablishedThornlie's forecast trend is 0.46% annual growth, while population change across the wider area is 3.0% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, but the shift trajectory is Aging: the senior share has increased by 5.5 percentage points, while the young share has fallen by 0.5 points and the working share by 2.4 points. Compared with a gentrifying suburb, Thornlie's gentrification score of 10 and Not gentrifying stage indicate limited transformation pressure. Rent growth is 3.1%, and affordability is labelled Improving, moving from 51.9 in 2011 to 48.4 in 2021. The combination of slow growth, ageing households and overseas migration points to gradual change rather than a rapid redevelopment cycle.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+473
Net Internal / yr
-282
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
Net internal outflow -282/yr, Strong overseas inflow +473/yr
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Thornlie compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Thornlie a good suburb to live in?
Thornlie can suit households wanting established detached housing, with 91.1% of dwellings being separate houses and 45.5% of families having children. Its 5.0% public transport share and 82.2% car-driver share mean it is better suited to residents comfortable with driving than to car-free households.
What is the median house price in Thornlie?
No current median house price is quoted for Thornlie. Buyers can benchmark individual sales against the suburb's housing profile: 91.1% of dwellings are separate houses, 52.9% have 4 or more bedrooms and the typical weekly rent is $330.
What schools are in Thornlie?
Thornlie has 7 listed local schools: 5 government schools, including 4 primary schools and 1 senior high school, plus 2 non-government primary schools. Families should check the exact enrolment zone because boundaries can affect access even within the same postcode.
Is Thornlie safe?
Assess Thornlie street by street using current police information and visits at different times. The suburb has 23,665 residents, so local conditions may vary between pockets. Safety should be considered alongside lighting, traffic, parking and the route to schools or public transport rather than judged from a single suburb-wide label.
Is Thornlie good for property investment?
Thornlie may suit investors seeking an established rental market, with weekly rent of $330, vacancy of 5.7% and 21.4% of households renting. However, annual growth is forecast at 0.46%, development activity is 0 and the suburb is Not gentrifying, so yield and maintenance assumptions should be conservative.
How is Thornlie's population changing?
Population change across the wider area is forecast at 3.0% over 10 years, with annual growth of 0.46%. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while the suburb is on an Aging trajectory: the senior share is up 5.5 percentage points and the young share is down 0.5 points.
What languages are spoken in Thornlie?
Thornlie has an overseas-born share of 43.5%, which is 21.9 percentage points above national. The leading listed languages are Mandarin with 559 speakers, Arabic with 235, Punjabi with 225, Cantonese with 220 and Urdu with 201.
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 education open registers (school locations), 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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