West Hobart

Development Activity

Schools in West Hobart iICSEA: school advantage index. 1000 = national avg, higher = more advantaged

Demographics

The median age of 38 is 2.0 years below the national figure, yet the trajectory is aging, with the senior share up 4.1 points and the young share down 2.2 points over the decade. University qualifications reach 61.2%, which is 31.1 points above national, marking one of the most educated populations in Tasmania. Ancestry leans Anglo, led by English (2,826), Irish (1,016) and Scottish (848), and 23.6% of residents were born overseas, just 2.0 points above national. The top non-English languages are Mandarin (83), Nepali (49) and Greek (22). Average household size is 2.3, which is 0.2 below national, consistent with the 33.6% of families that are couples without children, a profile that fits the high-education, professional resident base.

Tenure is balanced almost evenly: 34.9% own outright, 30.0% carry a mortgage and 35.1% rent, so no single group dominates. The stock is overwhelmingly detached at 76.1% separate houses, with apartments at 17.3% and semi-detached at 6.5%, which keeps the suburb family-oriented rather than dense. Three-bedroom dwellings lead at 38.4% and four-plus bedroom homes reach 24.3%. The median house price of $935,000 has fallen from $945,000 in 2024 and $937,500 in 2025, a gentle 15.5% retreat from the 2022 peak of $1,107,000. Both stress measures stay low, with mortgage-to-income at 22.6% and rent-to-income at 20.0%, each well below the 30% threshold, because incomes in the 74.7th percentile comfortably cover housing costs.

Community Profile

Economy & Employment

The workforce concentrates in public-facing knowledge sectors: Healthcare leads at 20.6% (605 workers), Education follows at 15.7% (462) and Public Admin at 13.3% (392), with Professional/Tech at 12.0% and Hospitality at 7.0%. By occupation, Professionals (1,497) and Managers (557) dominate, which aligns with the decile 9 IEO score for education and occupation. Unemployment is moderate at 5.4% and participation reads 65.1%. One anomaly stands out: the IER score for economic resources sits at decile 4, far below the decile 9 IRSAD and decile 8 IRSD readings, because the 35.1% renter share and large public-sector workforce depress aggregate household wealth measures even though education and occupation rank near the top.

Transport to Work

Active transport is heavily used: 35.7% of residents walk or cycle to work, far above the national reliance on cars, while only 52.7% drive and 3.2% take public transport, reflecting the suburb's compact 4.08 km2 footprint close to central Hobart. The area scores decile 9 on IRSAD and decile 8 on IRSD for relative disadvantage, both near the top tier, so few residents face deprivation, and only 3.3% of the 6,525 population need daily assistance. Volunteering runs high at 26.5%. No schools are recorded inside the boundary in this dataset, so families rely on institutions in neighbouring suburbs, a practical trade-off for an inner-city setting where the university qualification rate reaches 61.2%.

Population Forecast

West Hobart is growing steadily, with population rising 1.27% a year, about 118 residents, and 21.3% over the past decade, faster than most established suburbs. Medium forecasts lift the population from 9,619 in 2026 to 10,210 by 2031. The primary driver is overseas migration at 252 a year, which more than offsets a net internal outflow of 187. The gentrification stage reads early signs with a score of 32, supported by the 20% population gain since 2011 and an acceleration in newcomer share from 4% to 15%. Affordability has worsened, sliding from 43.2% in 2011 to 49.1% in 2021, a sign that demand has outpaced incomes and that the suburb is climbing the advantage ladder.

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

How West Hobart compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions