Hawthorndene is a middle-ring metropolitan suburb of Adelaide, in Mitcham Council, with mainly mixed commercial and residential development. It is set against Mount Lofty Ranges.
Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group, placing it among the highest-ranked middle-ring metropolitan suburbs. Reported crime is exceptionally low against comparable places. Reported offences have fallen 15% year on year. Space is a strength, but car dependence is high. The clearer weaknesses are limited amenity for the price, thinner park access and more mapped flood cover, with park access 42% below the peer median.
Overall, Hawthorndene suits people prioritising lower crime and school quality over amenity for the price.
Generated from the official metrics on this page. It can omit nuance or contain errors — check the tables and source notes before relying on it.
Strengths and weaknesses
Middle-ring metropolitan suburb · compared with middle-ring metropolitan suburbs in South Australia (106)
Strengths
Reported crime is exceptionally low against comparable places
Local school ICSEA scores are among the highest in the peer group
Weaknesses
Buyers pay a premium despite relatively limited amenity access
Park access is a relative weakness
Mapped flood cover is a relative weakness
What stands out
Mount Lofty Ranges
Space is a strength, but car dependence is high
Who it suits
Stars are audience-fit ratings derived from Suburb.Guide data, not demographic counts or user reviews.
Families★★★☆☆
Professionals★★★☆☆
Retirees★☆☆☆☆
Students★☆☆☆☆
Budget buyers★★★☆☆
Housing, growth and risk
How Hawthorndene compares
A quick read of housing, growth, livability, and risk
Median house price
$1.11M
+22% change
Median rent
$700/wk
Population (ERP)
3,575
+1.0% annual growth
Dwelling vacancy
4.8%
Census unoccupied dwellings
Livability profile
Desirability pillars vs the peer median (50th percentile)
How it compares
Relative standing using percentiles, ranks, and national deciles
Desirability
#32
among Metro Adelaide · Emerging
Crime rate
7th
percentile in state (higher = more crime)
Pop. growth
74th
percentile in SA
Rented dwellings
8%
2021 Census tenure
Advantage (IRSAD)
10/10
national SEIFA decile
School ICSEA
85th
percentile among schools with ICSEA
Population growth
Recent ERP change over 1 and 5 years
Housing mix
Dwelling types from the 2021 Census
Risks & flags
Quick scan — open a section below for full context
Living here
Desirability
Ranks & confidence
Desirability score
51.0/100 — Average
State standing
Top 19% of South Australia's suburbs
National rank
1806th in Australia
State rank
130th in SA
Peer rank
#32 among Metro Adelaide · Emerging suburbs
Cohort rank
#93 among Metro Adelaide suburbs
Data confidence
100%
Data sources & freshness
Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Housing
Houses (01/01/26 to 31/03/26)
$700
Rental bonds lodged (01/01/26 to 31/03/26)
5
Median house price (Q1 2026)
$1,111,000
Median price change
+21.9%
Median weekly rent from SA Housing Authority rental bond data. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Median house sale prices cover metropolitan Adelaide and selected fringe councils (19 LGAs, including Adelaide Hills and Gawler), not all of regional South Australia.
Household crowding and healthy vacancy — not cheapness Modest price change as a healthy-growth band
Data sources & freshness
SA rent report & metro median house sales — Government of South Australia · 1 January - 31 March 2026; 1Q 2026 · Updated · Quarterly; metro-fringe sales only
Population
Estimated resident population
3,575(June 2025)
+1.0% annual · +7.7% over 5 years · 74th percentile in SA
Growth figures & methodology
Annual growth
+1.0%
5-year growth
+7.7%
Change in 1 year
+36
Change in 5 years
+256
Growth rank in SA
74th percentile
ABS Estimated Resident Population allocated to this suburb from SA2-level data. Not an official ABS suburb count.
Methodology
Figures are allocated from ABS Estimated Resident Population at Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2), using 2021 Census share within overlapping SA2 regions. Where Census data is unavailable, area overlap is used instead.
The dashed chart line is a simple growth-trend estimate to June 2030 (~3,800), extrapolated at +1.3% average annual growth since 2011. It is illustrative only — not an official ABS forecast.
2021 Census figures
2021 Census
Population
3,389
Median age
41
Median household income / week
$2,139
Dwelling vacancy
4.8%
Unoccupied private dwellings
60 of 1,257
Median monthly mortgage
$1,842
Median weekly rent (2021 Census)
$400
Tenure (owned / mortgaged / rented)
39.5% / 52.9% / 7.6%
Employment rate
65.5%
Travel to work (WFH / public transport / car)
13.3% / 3.9% / 65.2%
Walked or cycled to work
2.3%
Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
1,157 / 37 / 6
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%) · Accessibility (12%) · Future Growth (6%)
Employment, household income and owned-outright tenure (2021 Census) Work-from-home and public-transport commute shares (2021 Census) Five-year population change as a healthy-growth band, not a boom bonus
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
40.5% of adults have a university degree, compared with 22.6% across South Australia. 14.9% have a trade or vocational qualification.
University qualified40.5% · 22.6% SA
Diploma qualified11% · 8.6% SA
Trade / vocational14.9% · 17.5% SA
Year 12 or below33.6% · 51.2% SA
Highest qualification field
Main field of the highest non-school qualification (2021 Census).
Health17.1%
Management and commerce16.3%
Society and culture15%
Engineering and related technologies12.8%
Education12.5%
Natural and physical sciences6.6%
How these groups are defined
Measure
Definition
University qualified
Bachelor degree or higher
Diploma qualified
Advanced Diploma / Diploma
Trade / vocational
Certificate III + IV
Year 12
Year 12 as highest attainment
Below Year 12
Year 11 / 10 / 9 or below
People aged 15 years and over, 2021 Census. University, diploma and trade shares match ABS highest educational attainment (HEAP). Year 12 and below Year 12 are combined in the chart because the General Community Profile reports school-only attainment as a residual.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)
University qualifications from the 2021 Census
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Tax & income
Median taxable income (2023–24)
$65,989
95th percentile in SA · +12% vs Australia
Median salary / wages (2023–24)
$71,350
97th percentile in SA · +10% vs Australia
Residents with rental investments
13.0%
62nd percentile in SA · -6% vs Australia
Median super balance (2023–24)
$136,647
95th percentile in SA · +116% vs Australia
Residents with business income
9.0%
31st percentile in SA · -13% vs Australia
Australian Taxation Office Taxation Statistics 2023–24, individuals Table 25. Figures describe taxpayers who live in postcode 5051 — not a suburb-level official statistic. Rental investment is the share of local taxpayers reporting rental income or loss, not the share of local properties owned by investors.
Counts, net rent & state comparison
Taxpayers in this postcode
10,282
Taxpayers reporting net rent
1,333
Median net rent
-$412
Taxpayers reporting business income
957
Taxable income vs state median
+21%
Salary / wages vs state median
+24%
Rental investment vs state median
+8%
Super vs state median
+76%
Business income vs state median
-18%
Percentiles rank this postcode among unique postcodes in SA, so suburbs that share a postcode are not counted twice. Dollar figures are compared with Australia-wide ATO medians from the same release. Median net rent is among taxpayers who reported the rent label and can be negative.
Data sources & freshness
Taxation Statistics 2023–24 — individuals by postcode (Table 25) — Australian Taxation Office · Updated · Annual release; taxpayer residential postcode, not suburb boundary
Community & culture
6.2% speak a language other than English at home; 18.8% born overseas
Language at home
3,119 English only · 206 other
Non-English at home
6.2%
Born overseas
626 (18.8%)
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
30 (0.9%)
Australian citizens
3,177
Languages spoken at home (other than English)
10
Top languages other than English
Share of residents who speak a language other than English at home (2021 Census).
German15 · 22.4%
French11 · 16.4%
Mandarin9 · 13.4%
Korean7 · 10.4%
Russian7 · 10.4%
Persian5 · 7.5%
Arabic4 · 6%
Afrikaans3 · 4.5%
Religion
58.3%No religion
No religion is the most common response at 58.3%, while Christianity accounts for 35.7%.
Measure
Suburb
State
No religion
58.3%
45.2%
Christianity
35.7%
40%
Other / not stated
6%
14.7%
Christian denominations
Denomination
Suburb
State
Catholic
9.1%
15.5%
Anglican
8.8%
7.2%
Uniting Church
5.9%
4.8%
Baptist
3.2%
1.5%
Christian (not further defined)
2.9%
2.6%
Lutheran
2.2%
2.4%
2021 Census — languages spoken at home, birthplace, Indigenous status, and religious affiliation (usual residence). Religion is optional on the Census form.
Data sources & freshness
2021 Census — General Community Profile (including method of travel to work and educational attainment) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Updated
The 2026 Census was conducted in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Crime & safety
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Offence counts & rates
Total offences (2025–26)
33
Against the person
10
Against property
23
Rate per 1,000 residents
9.2
Person-crime prevalence
About 1 in 339 residents
State crime-rate percentile
7.1th (higher = more crime)
Family & domestic abuse offences
29
Decrease (daily rate)
-15.4%
Recorded road crashes (in suburb)
62
Crash rate per 1,000 residents (state rank)
17.34
Most common offence types
Common Assault3
Damage Or Destroy Property8
Motor Vehicle Theft And Related Offences3
Sct - Residence4
Serious Assault4
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (22%)
Crime rate, offences against the person, year-on-year trend and recorded road crash rates
Hawthorndene Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1108 · 86th percentile · LBOTE 7% · 290 students · Top SEA quarter 42% · 0.6 km awayView on My School →
Coromandel Valley Primary SchoolPrimary · Government · ICSEA 1097 · 84th percentile · LBOTE 4% · 483 students · Top SEA quarter 37% · 1.4 km awayView on My School →
Great for outdoor family life — 3 parks mapped in suburb, 4 playgrounds nearby
Well connected by public transport — 26 public transport stops
Walkability proxy
30/100
Cafés per 1,000 residents
0
Food & drink per 1,000 residents
0
Parks per 1,000 residents
0.89
Shopping(1)
GDs Wholesale Fruit and VegConvenience store
Community(2)
Hawthorndene KindergartenKindergarten
Hawthorndene Primary SchoolSchool
Sport & outdoors(15)
Batley AvenueCycling route
Birdie LoopCycling route
Minno Creek TrailCycling route
Drinking water
Blackwood Forest Recreation ParkNature reserve
Archibald's ReservePark
Suffolk Road ReservePark
Wescombe ReservePark
Playground (4)
Sports field
Swimming pool (2)
Transport(22)
22 bus stops
Other(5)
Blackwood CFSFire station
Parking (6)
Shelter (3)
Sports Hall
Track (3)
Names and addresses from OpenStreetMap. Unnamed venues show as their type (e.g. Cafe). Transport stops are summarised by type rather than listed individually. Campgrounds, beaches, wineries and local trails are included when they sit inside the suburb boundary.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport per 1,000 residents (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
Local amenity insights — Suburb Guide (derived) · current · Updated
Green cover is the share of this suburb's boundary overlapping OpenStreetMap parks, woodland and forest polygons — not a satellite tree-canopy product. Summer maximum is the WorldClim / Open-Meteo seasonal normal already collected for Weather.
Contributes to desirability score · Environment (12%)
Tree canopy first, then green-cover area and parks per 1,000
Data sources & freshness
OpenStreetMap green cover and tree canopy — OpenStreetMap contributors · current · Updated · Park/woodland polygons intersected with suburb boundaries
Health access
Nearest hospital
The Repat Precinct (6.0 km)
Nearest hospital type
Public Rehabilitation Hospital
Nearest hospital emergency
No emergency department listed
GP clinics in suburb
0
GP clinic counts from OpenStreetMap. Bulk-billing figures only include clinics tagged in OSM (sparse and unofficial — not a Medicare list).
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (12%)
Active NDIS participants allocated from NDIA Statistical Area Level 2 (SA2, ASGS 2016) counts to this suburb boundary. Not an official suburb-level NDIS figure · as at 31 March 2026.
For NDIS spend and service-demand exploration by SA2 or postcode, see the Care Sector Demand Map.
Typical conditions by season for suburbs in the same ~44 km climate area. Rainfall totals are summed from monthly WorldClim layers; rainy-day counts are approximate.
Summer (Dec–Feb)
Usual max / min
29° / 14°
Rainfall
67 mm · ~8 rainy days
Autumn (Mar–May)
Usual max / min
23° / 10°
Rainfall
97 mm · ~12 rainy days
Winter (Jun–Aug)
Usual max / min
16° / 6°
Rainfall
148 mm · ~18 rainy days
Spring (Sep–Nov)
Usual max / min
22° / 9°
Rainfall
119 mm · ~15 rainy days
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (12%)
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid against all current SA Planning risk layers (high, medium, general, urban interface, regional, outback). Flood cover is the share of the suburb boundary overlapping current SA Planning flood overlays (flooding and evidence required). Safer places from CFS designated locations.
Estimated from 8 nearby ordinary polling places (up to 7.7 km away).
Coalition 32.3%Labor 67.7%
12.7 percentage points more Labor-leaning than the electorate
Estimated swing since 2022: +5.5 pp toward Labor
Nearest polling places
HawthorndeneLabor 70.4% · Coalition 29.6% TPP (2025)0.7 km away
Blackwood (Mayo)Labor 59.6% · Coalition 40.4% TPP (2025)1.6 km away
Coromandel ValleyLabor 60.0% · Coalition 40.0% TPP (2025)2.2 km away
Upper SturtLabor 67.5% · Coalition 32.5% TPP (2025)3.5 km away
Flagstaff Hill East (Mayo)Labor 66.3% · Coalition 33.6% TPP (2025)3.9 km away
Federal electorate from AEC federal division boundaries (2025 redistribution). Division-level results are official AEC figures from the latest general election, with by-election updates where applicable. The estimated suburb profile blends up to eight nearest ordinary polling booths in the same electorate using inverse-distance weighting from the suburb centroid — an approximation, not official AEC data. Nearest polling places are shown for reference.
ABS Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), 2021 release — the latest available, derived from the 2021 Census. Deciles rank suburbs nationally from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest).
What do IRSAD and IRSD measure?
IRSAD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage. Combines indicators of advantage (e.g. high income, skilled occupations) and disadvantage. Higher decile = more advantaged relative to other Australian areas.
IRSD — Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage. Focuses on disadvantage only (e.g. low income, unemployment, limited education). Higher decile = less disadvantage nationally.
A new SEIFA edition typically follows each census; the ABS has not announced a release date beyond 2021.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (12%)