> Source: https://www.k-stra.com/australia/perth/ > Updated: 2026-11-03 Australia · WA · Perth # How many people live in Perth, and how much do they spend? A long coastal city of houses, growing at both ends: Perth spends more per head than any other large Australian city, and spreads that spending more evenly. In short Greater Perth had 2,452,786 residents at 30 June 2025 and grew about 16.3% from 2019, on average 2.72% a year, the fastest of the large capitals. Residents spend about A$56,330 each a year, the most of the six largest cities. A 45-minute drive from Forrest Place reaches 2,188,565 people, and incomes vary less between postcodes than in Sydney or Melbourne. [Draw a catchment in Perth](https://www.k-stra.com/a/?b=15,30,45&mv=115.86,-31.95,9,0,0&src=australia-perth) Drive times ## How many people live within 15, 30 and 45 minutes of central Perth? *[Image: K-Stra map of the 15, 30 and 45-minute drive areas from Forrest Place, Perth, with the residents of each band and the full table of population by band.]* People & Economy · Perth 2,188,565 residents within 45 minutesDrive bands from Forrest Place in average traffic, residents by band. One topic, 2 credits. From Forrest Place, 581,717 people live within 15 minutes by car, 1,217,580 between 15 and 30 minutes and only 389,268 between 30 and 45. The 45-minute area covers 2,690 km² and 89.2% of Greater Perth. The 15–30 minute band holds 55.6% of the total: the freeways along the coast bring the middle suburbs close in time. Rockingham, to the south, falls almost entirely in the outer band, with 70,098 of its residents between 30 and 45 minutes. Residents by drive time from Forrest Place, Perth Drive time Residents Cumulative 0–15 min 581,717 581,717 15–30 min 1,217,580 1,799,297 30–45 min 389,268 2,188,565 Source: K-Stra analysis of 2 November 2026, drive time by car in average traffic from Forrest Place; residents from ABS Estimated Resident Population at 30 June 2025, placed on address points. Distance ## How does Perth change with distance from the centre? In a straight line, 632,752 people live within 10 kilometres of Forrest Place and 1,534,365 within 20. Flats are about half of the homes within 5 km, 51.5%, and only 10.2% between 5 and 10, far fewer than in the eastern capitals. The income index stays above 105 in every ring, from 115.8 within 5 km to 107.3 between 30 and 50: unlike the eastern capitals, Perth has no low-income belt in its middle suburbs. Residents, income, age and housing by straight-line distance from central Perth Distance from Forrest Place Residents Within this distance Income index Median age Flats (2021) Rented (2021) 0–5 km 194,814 194,814 115.8 36.1 51.5% 47.1% 5–10 km 437,938 632,752 109.6 37.6 10.2% 36.2% 10–20 km 901,613 1,534,365 105.4 38.1 5.8% 25.6% 20–30 km 414,792 1,949,157 109.9 36.2 2.2% 21.5% 30–50 km 341,801 2,290,958 107.3 35.8 2.7% 25.7% Straight-line rings counted by K-Stra on every address point, inside or outside the city boundary. Residents and age: ABS 2025; income index: ABS Personal Income 2022–23; flats and renting: ABS Census 2021. Key figures ## What are the key figures for Greater Perth? Key figures for Greater Perth against Western Australia and Australia Indicator Greater Perth WA Australia Residents, 30 June 2025 2,452,786 3,044,382 27,613,654 Average yearly change, 2019–2025 2.72% 2.41% 1.50% Area 6,417 km² 2,526,633 km² 7,688,095 km² Residents per km² 382.3 1.2 3.6 Median age 37.4 37.9 38.5 Aged under 15 17.8% 17.9% 17.4% Aged 65 and over 15.7% 16.3% 17.5% Income index 107.6 106.4 100.0 Consumption index 107.1 106.0 100.0 Spending per resident, a year A$56,330 A$55,725 A$52,582 Resident spending, a year A$138.2 billion A$169.6 billion A$1,452.0 billion Families (Census 2021) 570,107 703,116 6,730,182 Homes rented (Census 2021) 29.1% 30.3% 33.6% Flats and apartments (Census 2021) 10.6% 8.9% 19.6% Area: the Greater Capital City Statistical Area (ABS ASGS Edition 3). Residents counted by K-Stra on the address points inside it; yearly change: council estimates 2019–2025 weighted by the residents each council brings. Income index from ABS Personal Income 2022–23 (tax data), measured or estimated; consumption index derived from it; 100 = Australia. Spending per resident from the consumption index and ABS national accounts (5204.0) for 2024–25. The parts of the city ## Which parts of Perth are largest, richest and youngest? Perth – North West, from Scarborough to Joondalup and Wanneroo, is the most populous region, with 656,994 residents; the South East follows with 611,762. Perth – Inner has an income index of 119.7, the highest. Mandurah, at the southern end of the metropolitan area, is the oldest region, with a median age of 44.3, and the only one with an income index below 100, 94.6. The parts of Greater Perth with residents, median age, income index and share of flats Region (SA4) Residents 2025 Median age Income index Flats (2021) Perth – North West 656,994 37.9 108.1 4.3% Perth – South East 611,762 36.0 103.7 7.9% Perth – South West 519,352 37.5 110.1 8.0% Perth – North East 324,566 37.0 107.0 4.7% Perth – Inner 212,572 36.7 119.7 47.0% Mandurah 127,540 44.3 94.6 3.3% Growth ## Which Perth councils are growing fastest? Serpentine-Jarrahdale grew 29.0% from 2019 to 2025, on average 4.84% a year and Kwinana 4.74% a year, in the south; Swan 4.31% in the north-east and Armadale 3.91% in the south-east. Stirling, with 254,821 residents, is the largest council. Even the slowest councils of the metropolitan area grew by about 1.5% a year: Joondalup and Kalamunda at 1.47%, Mundaring at 1.55%. No Perth council lost residents. The largest and fastest-growing councils of Greater Perth Council Residents 2019 Residents 2025 Change a year Median age Income index Stirling 227,540 254,821 2.00% 38.0 110.9 Wanneroo 208,263 246,147 3.03% 35.7 104.4 Swan 148,672 187,090 4.31% 35.1 106.3 Joondalup 162,308 176,595 1.47% 41.1 111.0 Rockingham 135,440 159,934 3.01% 36.3 108.6 Gosnells 127,017 144,475 2.29% 36.2 96.7 Cockburn 115,577 139,499 3.45% 36.8 113.1 Melville 104,340 115,945 1.85% 41.3 109.7 Serpentine-Jarrahdale 31,410 40,531 4.84% 33.6 113.3 Kwinana 44,700 57,422 4.74% 33.8 108.7 Perth 28,214 35,673 4.41% 33.1 102.6 Armadale 91,543 113,003 3.91% 35.1 106.8 The eight largest councils mostly inside the city, then the fastest growing of those with more than 20,000 residents. Change on 2025 council boundaries; the average yearly change is the total change over the six years divided by six. Income index and median age are worked out from the addresses inside the city, so a council’s figure can differ slightly from the ABS figure for the whole council. Postcodes ## Which postcodes in Perth have the highest and lowest incomes? The highest income indices are on the coast and in the inner west: 6015 City Beach (137.9), 6011 Cottesloe (137.4), 6016 Mount Hawthorn (133.7). The lowest is 6102 Bentley, by Curtin University, at 85.3. That range is narrow: the lowest postcode in Perth sits far higher than the lowest in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. The youngest postcodes are new estates at the edges — 6174 Golden Bay (30.4), 6038 Alkimos (31.3) — and the oldest is 6076 Lesmurdie, in the hills, at 47.0. Highest income index: postcodes of Greater Perth with more than 5,000 residents Highest income index Residents Median age Income index 6015 City Beach 7,615 46.1 137.9 6011 Cottesloe 10,782 41.0 137.4 6016 Mount Hawthorn 12,470 36.2 133.7 6007 West Leederville 9,164 35.7 127.3 6008 Subiaco 18,855 38.5 126.4 Lowest income index: postcodes of Greater Perth with more than 5,000 residents Lowest income index Residents Median age Income index 6102 Bentley (WA) 15,998 31.9 85.3 6064 Marangaroo 37,210 38.1 89.9 6061 Balga 47,055 34.1 91.9 6107 Beckenham 55,363 32.8 92.2 6109 Maddington 15,109 35.7 92.8 ABS postal areas with more than 5,000 residents inside the city, named after their most populous suburb; the part of each postcode inside the city boundary only. Income index: ABS personal income tax data for 2022–23, measured for councils and SA2 areas and estimated elsewhere; a postcode is the average of its addresses, weighted by residents, so it can differ from the council that contains it. Spending and businesses ## How much do residents of Perth spend, and how many businesses serve them? Greater Perth has fewer hairdressers per 10,000 residents than any of the other five cities, 8.28, and fewer restaurants (10.69) and supermarkets (2.35) than Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide, while its residents spend the most per head. More resident spending for each outlet is consistent with larger stores, or with room for more. Spending of the residents of Greater Perth by category, a year Category Per resident Total (A$ million) Food and non-alcoholic beverages A$5,174 12,691 Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics A$1,568 3,846 Clothing and footwear A$1,938 4,753 Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels A$13,529 33,184 Furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance A$2,482 6,088 Health A$4,130 10,130 Transport A$5,967 14,636 Information and communication A$1,021 2,504 Recreation, sport and culture A$5,900 14,471 Education services A$2,093 5,134 Restaurants and accommodation services A$4,918 12,063 Insurance and financial services A$4,459 10,937 Personal care, social protection and miscellaneous goods and services A$3,151 7,729 All categories A$56,330 138,165 Businesses per 10,000 residents in Greater Perth, Western Australia and Australia Per 10,000 residents Perth WA Australia Supermarkets 2.35 2.72 2.92 Pharmacies 2.53 2.64 2.63 Gyms & fitness centers 6.47 6.82 7.06 Bars & cafés 9.72 11.03 12.00 Restaurants 10.69 10.82 12.17 Hairdressers 8.28 8.06 9.31 Childcare & early learning 4.80 4.63 5.24 Aged care & retirement living 2.41 2.43 2.50 Fuel stations 2.13 4.27 3.74 Real estate agencies 4.24 4.24 5.34 Hotels & accommodation 4.62 12.33 15.11 Spending per resident from the consumption index and ABS national accounts (5204.0) for 2024–25; residents only, visitors not included. K-Stra places catalogue, October 2026, as the app classifies each business; residents at 30 June 2025. Reading the numbers ## What does this mean for choosing a location in Perth? High spending, fast growth and a narrow income range make Perth an easier market to read than Sydney: a site in an average suburb is not far from the city average, and most of the city is a car-based market of houses. Growth comes from both ends of a long coastal corridor, where the new estates are young and shops and services follow the houses. A site there is a bet on timing as well as on place. Fewer outlets per resident with the highest spending per resident means more resident spending for each outlet on average. The catchment of a specific site shows whether the competitors nearby already take it; visitors and workers are not in these figures. FAQ ## What else do people ask about Perth? ### What is the population of Perth? Greater Perth had 2,452,786 residents at 30 June 2025 (estimated from ABS council figures), 80.6% of Western Australia. The City of Perth council, which covers only the centre, had 35,673. ### Is Perth the fastest-growing capital city in Australia? Among the large capitals, yes: Greater Perth grew on average about 2.72% a year from 2019 to 2025 (about 16.3% in all), against 2.22% for Greater Brisbane, 1.56% for Greater Melbourne and 1.30% for Greater Sydney, on council estimates weighted by residents. ### Which Perth postcodes have the highest incomes? By income index, 6015 City Beach, 6011 Cottesloe, 6016 Mount Hawthorn, 6007 West Leederville and 6008 Subiaco, among postcodes with more than 5,000 residents. 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