SA 5081 Census 2021 + Live DA Data

Walkerville

This compact 1.22 sq km, 2,867-person suburb also has a highly educated profile: 56.8% hold university qualifications and household income sits at the 71.4th percentile. Overseas-born residents account for 32.0%, while 38.9% own their homes outright, reinforcing an established-wealth profile. Compared with nearby North Adelaide and Prospect, Walkerville concentrates premium housing in a smaller, more residential footprint, while its 10.3% vacancy rate can give renters more choice than the price tag suggests.

Local council: Walkerville

Walkerville urban fabric map

Population

2,867

Median Age

47.0

Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)

$1,911/wk

DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year

41

Median House

$2.2M

First quarter 2026

1.22 km²· 2,342.5 people/km²· Family income $2,722/wk

Housing choice spans 50.1% separate houses, 29.8% semi-detached homes and 19.7% apartments. Mortgage costs equal 26.2% of household income and are not flagged as stressful, although the price point remains demanding. Compared with Prospect, Walkerville suits buyers prioritising established streets and access over extra floor area.

For Buyers

Housing choice spans 50.1% separate houses, 29.8% semi-detached homes and 19.7% apartments. Mortgage costs equal 26.2% of household income and are not flagged as stressful, although the price point remains demanding. Compared with Prospect, Walkerville suits buyers prioritising established streets and access over extra floor area.

For Investors

Walkerville suits a selective premium-market investor more than a yield-first strategy. That vacancy can give tenants more choice because 19.7% of dwellings are apartments and 29.8% are semi-detached. Rent growth is 36.2%, but the latest house median is 1.9% below the 1Q 2025 peak, showing that rental and sales conditions can diverge. Forty development applications in 12 months indicate ongoing small-scale supply. Compared with a lower-priced middle-ring suburb, Walkerville depends more on asset quality and tenant targeting than headline yield.

Development Activity

Total DAs

222

Last 12 Months

41

YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements

+13.9%

Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year

N/A

Monthly DA Lodgements

DA Categories

Renovation / Extension
26
New Dwelling
7
Deck / Pergola / Patio
6
Swimming Pool / Spa
5
Garage / Carport / Shed
5
Fencing
5
Tree Removal
5
Subdivision
4

Schools in Walkerville

Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.

Walkerville Primary School

Primary Education Government

Demographics

Walkerville has an older and more highly educated profile than the national baseline: median age is 47, or 7 years above national, and 56.8% have university qualifications, 26.7 percentage points higher than national. Overseas-born residents make up 32.0%, 10.4 points above national, with Mandarin the most common listed non-English language at 49 people, followed by Cantonese at 24. English ancestry counts 1,031 people, while Chinese ancestry counts 296 and Irish ancestry 253. The average household has 2.2 people, 0.3 below national, helping explain the strong share of couples without children at 44.9%. Compared with more mobile inner-north markets, the 73.5% resident-stay rate points to a more settled social pattern.

Age Distribution

0-14
14.8%
15-24
10.8%
25-44
21.8%
45-64
23.3%
65+
29.7%

Bedrooms

Studio/1br
10.9%
2 bed
32.2%
3 bed
28.9%
4+ bed
28.0%

Dwelling Structure

50.1%

Houses

29.8%

Townhouse

19.7%

Apartment

Tenure

Own 38.9% Mortgage 23.8% Rent 32.7% Other 4.6%

Only 50.1% of dwellings are separate houses, compared with 29.8% semi-detached and 19.7% apartments, giving buyers more attached options than a conventional detached-house suburb. Ownership is strong, with 38.9% owning outright and 23.8% paying a mortgage, while 32.7% rent. Two-bedroom homes lead at 32.2%, followed by 3-bedroom dwellings at 28.9%. The 2.2-person household average helps explain the smaller format, while 10.3% vacancy suggests more choice than a tightly held market. Compared with North Adelaide, Walkerville has a more varied dwelling mix.

Mortgage / mo

$2,167

Rent / wkiABS Census 2021 median across all dwelling types. Current market rents are typically higher.

$373

Census 2021

HH Size

2.2

Personal Income / wk

$981

Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)

10.3%

Unoccupied

132

Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

19.5%

Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress

26.2%

Community Profile

Languages Spoken at Home

Mandarin
49
Canton
24
Italian
23
Punjabi
15
Persian ED
13
Greek
12

Ancestry

English
1,031
Other
332
Chinese
296
Irish
253
Scottish
246
Italian
221

Household Composition

43.4%

Couples with children

44.9%

Couples, no children

11.3%

Single parent

692

Total families

Economy & Employment

Walkerville’s economy is anchored by professional and service work rather than heavy industry. Healthcare accounts for 27.5% of employment, followed by Professional/Tech at 13.5%, Education at 11.6%, Public Administration at 7.5% and Retail at 6.0%. The occupational mix reinforces that pattern: 554 professionals and 225 managers sit ahead of 127 clerical/admin workers. Unemployment is 4.0%, with a 54.4% participation rate and 57.1% of workers employed full-time, so the labour market looks stable even though 1,018 people are outside the labour force. Household income ranks at the 71.4th percentile, while IEO and IER deciles are 9 and 7, above the midpoint. These conditions support premium housing demand because higher-skilled employment can sustain larger loan commitments, though the 26.2% mortgage-to-income ratio still matters.

Unemployment

4.0%

Labour Force

1,330

Unemployed

53

Source: ABS Census 2021

Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)

Overall advantage
9
Disadvantage
9
Economic resources
7
Education & occupation
9

Full-time

57.1%

Part-time

37.1%

Participation

54.4%

Employed

1,277

Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021

Occupations

Professionals 554
Managers 225
Clerical/Admin 127
Community/Personal 115
Sales 82
Trades 75
Labourers 52
Machinery/Drivers 17

Top Industries

Healthcare 27.5%
Professional/Tech 13.5%
Education 11.6%
Public Admin 7.5%
Retail 6.0%

University

56.8%

Postgraduate

17.9%

Born Overseas

32.0%

Dwellings

1,155

Transport to Work

Walkerville is compact and convenient for households that value inner-north access, but daily travel remains car-led. Car drivers account for 65.0% of journeys, compared with 7.0% using public transport, 5.5% walking or cycling and 15.7% working from home. One local government primary school, Walkerville Primary School, serves the suburb. Families seeking secondary education or a non-government sector should check nearby schools and exact enrolment zones, because boundaries can differ by address. Crime is recorded at 86.2 incidents per 1,000 residents, so address-level checks and normal inner-city precautions remain sensible. Socioeconomic advantage is a stronger positive: IRSAD and IRSD both sit in decile 9, while IEO is also decile 9 and IER decile 7. Compared with the national midpoint, these deciles indicate a more advantaged setting.

Drive

65.0%

Public Transport

7.0%

Walk / Cycle

5.5%

Work from Home

15.7%

Growth Outlook

Walkerville is forecast to grow at 0.97% a year, with overseas migration identified as the primary driver. Population change across the wider area is 14.6% over 10 years, while the forecast shift is labelled Mixed and records 36.2% rent growth, 15.9% real-income growth and a 3.0-point rise in the senior share. The gentrification signals are restrained: the score is 6 and the stage is Not gentrifying, below the shift score of 34 and its Early signs label. That combination points to established-suburb renewal rather than a rapid identity change, because older resident retention, premium prices and small-scale redevelopment can lift values without a broad affordability reset. Forty development applications in 12 months add evidence of active property turnover, but not of a large project pipeline.

Population trend: Walkerville council area

Walkerville sits in the Walkerville council area. These are the council area's residents, not Walkerville's.

Residents 2025

8,673

Growth, 5 yr average

+1.2%/yr

2020 to 2025

Growth, last year

+0.9%

2024 to 2025

ABS Estimated Resident Population by LGA, 30 June each year; council area, not this suburb

Safety & Crime

Total Offences

247

Year ending June 2024

Rate per 1,000 People

86.2

Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police

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

How Walkerville compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Population
Top 18%
Household Income
Top 29%
Rent Level
Top 21%
Apartments
Top 5%
Renters
Top 17%
Uni Educated
Top 6%
Public Transport
Top 15%
Born Overseas
Top 12%
Density
Top 6%

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Walkerville a good suburb to live in?

It suits buyers seeking an established inner-north setting, strong socioeconomic indicators and compact housing. Median age is 47, IRSAD is decile 9 and public transport use is 7.0%, so it is better matched to car-oriented households than transit-first living.

What schools are in Walkerville?

The suburb has 1 local government primary school, Walkerville Primary School. Families seeking secondary education or a non-government sector should check nearby schools and exact enrolment zones, because boundaries can differ by address.

Is Walkerville safe?

Crime is recorded at 247 incidents, equal to 86.2 per 1,000 residents. That is a reason to check the exact street, building access and parking arrangements rather than relying only on a suburb-wide rate. Current police updates are worth reviewing before committing.

How is Walkerville's population changing?

The suburb has 2,867 residents today. Across the wider area, forecast population change is 14.6% over 10 years and annual growth is 0.97%, with overseas migration the primary driver. The trajectory is Mixed, so growth should be read as steady rather than rapid.

What languages are spoken in Walkerville?

English ancestry is recorded for 1,031 people, while Chinese ancestry is 296. Mandarin is the most common listed language other than English at 49 speakers, followed by Cantonese at 24 and Italian at 23. Overseas-born residents account for 32.0%.

What development is occurring in Walkerville?

There were 40 development applications in 12 months. Recent examples include a 1 into 2 land division, dwelling alterations and additions, and a two-storey detached dwelling. The pattern is more consistent with incremental infill and renovation than a large apartment pipeline.

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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