Wanneroo
Detached housing dominates Wanneroo, with 86.9% separate houses and 52.5% of dwellings holding 4 or more bedrooms. Compared with nearby Hocking and Sinagra, it reads as the older established centre rather than a new fringe estate. The population of 12,113 has a median age of 41, which is 1.0 year above national, while 37.3% born overseas is 15.7 percentage points above national. Household income sits near the middle at the 49.7 percentile, so the suburb is broad-based rather than affluent.
Population
12,113
Median Age
41.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,561/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
0
Median House
$441K
Estimated from rent (2025)
Wanneroo suits buyers prioritising land, bedrooms and predictable repayments. Separate houses make up 86.9% of stock, far higher than the 0.2% apartment share, and 52.5% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms. A current median house price is not available, so affordability is better read through the $1,736 monthly mortgage and 25.7% mortgage-to-income ratio. That is below a stress setting because household budgets are not stretched as hard as in higher-debt markets.
For Buyers
Wanneroo suits buyers prioritising land, bedrooms and predictable repayments. Separate houses make up 86.9% of stock, far higher than the 0.2% apartment share, and 52.5% of homes have 4 or more bedrooms. A current median house price is not available, so affordability is better read through the $1,736 monthly mortgage and 25.7% mortgage-to-income ratio. That is below a stress setting because household budgets are not stretched as hard as in higher-debt markets.
For Investors
Investors face a mixed rental picture. Renting accounts for 21.9% of households, lower than the 46.2% buying with a mortgage, so the tenant pool is not as deep as in apartment-heavy suburbs. Median rent is $350 per week, while the 7.0% vacancy rate is higher than a tight rental setting and may weaken pricing power. The offset is demand growth: overseas migration averages 202 people a year and internal migration adds 121, because Wanneroo still attracts family households.
Schools in Wanneroo iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged
St Anthony's School
PP-6 · 378 students
Wanneroo Secondary College
7-12 · 1367 students
Wanneroo Primary School
K-6 · 414 students
East Wanneroo Primary School
K-6 · 346 students
Demographics
Wanneroo is older and more overseas-born than the national baseline. Median age is 41, sitting 1.0 year above national, and 37.3% of residents were born overseas, 15.7 percentage points above national. University attainment is 22.2%, which is 7.9 points below national, matching an occupational mix with many trades, care and administration roles. English ancestry leads at 5,380 people, while Christianity counts 5,444 residents and smaller language groups include Afrikaans and Gujarati at 49 each.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
86.9%
Houses
10.2%
Townhouse
0.2%
Apartment
Tenure
The housing structure is strongly ownership-led. Owned outright homes account for 31.9%, mortgages for 46.2% and rentals for 21.9%, so mortgage holders are higher than renters by 24.3 percentage points. The dwelling mix explains the family scale: 86.9% are separate houses, 10.2% semi-detached and only 0.2% apartments. Three-bedroom homes make up 37.0%, but 4-plus bedrooms lead at 52.5%, giving larger households more choice than in denser, lower-land suburbs.
Mortgage / mo
$1,736
Rent / wk
$350
HH Size
2.5
Personal Income / wk
$729
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.0%
Unoccupied
346
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
22.4%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.7%
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
27.2%
Couples, no children
9,437
Total families
Economy & Employment
Wanneroo's workforce leans practical and service-based. Healthcare is the largest industry at 17.1% and 595 workers, followed by construction at 13.5% and 471, then education at 10.0%. Professionals are the biggest occupation group at 881, but clerical roles, community and personal service, labourers and managers are all close behind. SEIFA is mixed: IEO decile 4 sits below average, while IER decile 7 is higher, suggesting stronger economic resources than education and occupation rankings alone imply.
Unemployment
5.0%
Labour Force
9,126
Unemployed
460
Quarterly Trend
Source: SALM Dec-25
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
62.2%
Part-time
31.6%
Participation
57.0%
Employed
5,292
Occupations
Top Industries
University
22.2%
Postgraduate
4.3%
Born Overseas
37.3%
Dwellings
4,561
Transport to Work
Daily life is car-oriented, with 87.8% driving to work compared with only 4.1% using public transport and 2.1% walking or cycling. School access is a practical strength: 4 local schools span ICSEA 972 to 1046, led by Catholic St Anthony's School at 1046 and Government Wanneroo Secondary College at 994 with 1,367 students. IRSAD decile 5 puts socio-economic advantage around the middle, while the 20.49 sq km area and 591.1 people per sq km help explain the low-density feel.
Drive
87.8%
Public Transport
4.1%
Walk / Cycle
2.1%
Work from Home
N/A
Population Forecast
+1.41%/yr
(+235 people/yr)
EstablishedPopulation growth is steady rather than explosive. The annual trend is 1.41%, equal to about 235 people a year, and the medium path rises from 16,648 in 2026 to 17,823 by 2031, higher than the 2025 population of 16,627. Migration is the main engine, led by overseas migration at 202 people a year plus 121 from internal migration. The growth story is also changing in character: the trajectory is aging, seniors are up 4.3 points, and the gentrification score is 47 with an Active stage.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+202
Net Internal / yr
+121
Gentrification Signal
Active
Population +20% since 2011, Net internal migration +121/yr, Strong overseas inflow +202/yr, Accelerating: 6% → 13%
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Wanneroo compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wanneroo a good suburb to live in?
Wanneroo is strongest for households wanting space, schools and established services. It has 86.9% separate houses, 4 local schools and a median age of 41, so it suits families and older residents more than buyers seeking high-density nightlife.
What is the median house price in Wanneroo?
A current median house price is not available. Affordability can still be judged through the $1,736 monthly mortgage, 25.7% mortgage-to-income ratio and 46.2% of households buying with a mortgage.
What schools are in Wanneroo?
Wanneroo has 4 local schools: St Anthony's School, Wanneroo Secondary College, Wanneroo Primary School and East Wanneroo Primary School. ICSEA scores range from 972 to 1046, with enrolments from 346 to 1,367.
Is Wanneroo safe?
No suburb-level crime rate is available, so safety is best checked against current WA Police figures and street-level inspections. Local context includes 4 schools, 86.9% separate houses and an IRSAD decile of 5.
Is Wanneroo good for property investment?
Wanneroo has demand support from 202 net overseas migrants a year and 121 net internal migrants, but the 7.0% vacancy rate is a caution. Rentals are 21.9% of households and median rent is $350 per week.
How is Wanneroo's population changing?
Wanneroo is growing at 1.41% a year, or about 235 people annually. The medium path reaches 17,823 by 2031, while the suburb is also aging, with the senior share up 4.3 percentage points.
What languages are spoken in Wanneroo?
Wanneroo has a sizeable migrant population, with 37.3% born overseas, 15.7 percentage points above national. Recorded language groups include Afrikaans and Gujarati at 49 speakers each, Mandarin at 42 and Italian at 37.
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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