Northfield SA 5085
Northfield is a suburb in South Australia, 11 km from Adelaide CBD, around 18 minutes by car. Population is 5,043; the median age is 35 and the median household income is $73,840 per year. By household income, education, and employment patterns, it ranks in the bottom 20% nationally. The suburb grew 8.8% between 2016 and 2021. At the 2021 Census, households here paid a median rent of $307 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,580. Northfield is characterised by high crime risk and no recorded bushfire exposure. All 1 school within the suburb boundary rank above the state average, and walkability is moderate.
Is Northfield a good suburb?
Northfield scores a C (42/100) on SuburbScan's Liveability grade — strong on transit, weaker on safety and community.
Mixed results
1 school · 1 above peer schools
Close to the CBD
Walkability 58/100 · 11.1 km · 18 min drive to Adelaide
Around the state median
Median $868K
High crime risk
Fire 0/100 · Crime 88/100 · Flood 42/100
Highly disadvantaged
SEIFA decile 2/10 · median age 35 · 5,043 residents
Liveability Rating
42 / 100 · Ranked #360 in SAEach bar is Northfield's rank among SA suburbs, from 0 to 100 (higher is better). Scored on 4 of 5 factors: no school data, so the other factors carry its weight.
How do you rate the liveability in Northfield?
Local knowledge beats any dataset. Rate it and see what other residents think.
Our score
42 / 100
From schools, safety and socio-economic data — not opinion.
Residents say
…
Median House Price
Public listings dataNorthfield's house market is moving higher: the median sale price reached $868,000, about 10% above where it sat a year earlier.
Houses
$867,500
In line with its 6 neighbours (median $860,000)
Based on 114 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
Typically sold in 21 days — median across 51 sales that recorded a listing period
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 90 sales $850K
- 4 bed 18 sales $1.01M
Units
$610,500
Based on 10 recorded sales in the last 24 months.
By bedrooms
- 3 bed 6 sales $610K
Currently for Sale
Last 6 monthsHouses in Northfield are currently listed at around $945,000 on average. Based on 11 houses listed in the past six months.
$945K
11 houses listed in the last 6 months.
11 of the suburb's 1,573 dwellings (0.7%) were listed for sale in the last 6 months.
Rental Market
Advertised rents · last 6 monthsHouses in Northfield rent for around $650 a week on average, based on 19 houses listed for rent in the past six months.
$650/wk
7% below its 4 neighbours (median $700/wk)
19 houses advertised for rent in the last 6 months.
20 rentals advertised against an estimated 659 rented homes (3.0%) in the last 6 months.
Rent agreed on new leases
Apr–Jun 2026- 3-bed houses
- $582/wk
- 20 bonds
- +59% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies. Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202593 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 32% of its income on the median rent in postcode 5085.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Gross rental yield
Indicative$650/week ($34,000 a year) on a $945,000 median
Gross yield — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. Calculated from median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.
Is Northfield safe? Crime statistics
2026Crime in Northfield sits in the high band, with 484 incidents recorded in 2026 — up roughly 10% on the prior year.
484 offences
10.3% since 2025Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20253 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital, 1 of them fatal
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. This state’s crash data does not name the road.
Schools
One school serve Northfield, and the cohort skews above peer-suburb performance. Northfield Primary School leads the pack.
- • 352 students in one school (avg 352)
Primary
Universities nearby
- 4.6 kmAdelaide University, Mawson Lakes CampusAdelaide University · 130 courses
- 8.0 kmAdelaide University, Magill CampusAdelaide University · 112 courses
- 9.0 kmAdelaide University, Adelaide City CampusAdelaide University · 472 courses
2.3% of residents here are full-time university students aged 15–24.
Distance is measured to the suburb centre. A campus nearby does not by itself mean a student rental market — most suburbs within a few kilometres of one have a student share close to the national norm, and the figure above is what tells them apart.
Walkability
Northfield is somewhat walkable on foot — at 58/100, a short cluster of errands work on foot but most trips still benefit from a car.
Public transport
Weekday and weekend service frequency across every stop inside Northfield.
- Peak (7-9am + 5-7pm)
- 48.2 arrivals/hr
- Off-peak weekday
- 26.7 arrivals/hr
- Saturday
- 17.6 arrivals/hr
- Median peak wait
- 1 min
- Span of service
- 17.8 hours
Scheduled service only, based on the 21 October 2026 timetable. Reliability (delays, cancellations) not measured.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Northfield.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 45%
- Premises covered
- 1,874
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Port Adelaide Enfield: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
The ABS scores 8 small areas inside this suburb and averages them into the single decile above. They fall into 5 different deciles — a wide range, so parts of this suburb rank well above the average and parts well below it.
Northfield is home to about 5,000 residents, with a median age of 35, broadly in line with the national figure. Median household income runs at $74,000 a year, with unemployment at 7.2%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
5,043
Median Age
35
Median Household Income
$73,840/yr
Census Median Rent
$307/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,580/mo
Avg Household Size
2.6
Median Personal Income
$35,308/yr
Unemployment Rate
7.2%
Unoccupied Dwellings
8.1%
Total Dwellings
1,573
Owner-Occupier Rate
58.1%
Houses
80.6%
Rental Stress
21.6%
Mortgage Stress
25.7%
Work From Home
7.5%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
95 rented from a state or territory housing authority and 177 from a community housing provider, as a share of the 638 rented dwellings above — not of all dwellings.
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 55.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 39.1%
- Employment Rate
- 45.1%
- Completed Year 12
- 41.5%
Occupations
Religion
Country of Birth (overseas)
Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents.
When They Arrived
Share of all residents by the year they arrived in Australia. Periods cover different numbers of years, so compare the shape rather than the bar widths.
500 residents (9.9%) arrived since 2016. Australia’s borders were closed to most arrivals from March 2020, so the last two years of that period are much smaller than the ones before them — nationally 260,799 people arrived in 2019 against 28,521 in 2021.
Where New Residents Came From
Where residents aged five and over lived five years before the 2021 Census, for those who lived somewhere else.
Top places newcomers came from, as a share of the 4,727 residents aged five and over. Areas are ABS statistical regions. Small counts are approximate: the ABS adjusts every figure slightly to protect privacy.
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
20% of employed residents work in a capital's city centre (372 of 1,883).
City centre: the ABS area around each capital's CBD, such as Sydney Inner City or Perth City (which takes in Subiaco and Leederville). 2021 Census place of work.
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,311 a year through Port Adelaide Enfield based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Residential 94%
- Parks and recreation 3%
- Commercial 2%
- Zones under 1% 1%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Port Adelaide Enfield
In the year to August 2026, 1,176 new dwellings were approved across Port Adelaide Enfield. That mix is 629 houses and 547 units. Approvals are up 22.9% on the same period a year earlier.
Air Quality
This station does not measure fine particles (PM2.5).
NO₂ averaged 0.51 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: NO₂ 0 · ozone 0.
From the Northfield monitoring station, 1.4 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Parafield Airport, 5.8 kmDry climate — hot summers, mild winters.
- Elevation
- 81 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 8.2 km
- Near high-voltage lines
- 1.1% of addresses
- 25 within 100 m of an overhead line of 110 kV or more
- Annual rainfall
- 404 mm
- 73 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- 30.4°C
- 29 days ≥ 35°C
- Winter min (Jul)
- 6.5°C
- 2 frost days ≤ 0°C
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
Industrial Emissions Nearby
21 facilities within 5 km- 2.7 kmCorrugated Paperboard and Paperboard Container ManufacturingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Total Volatile Organic Compounds · Carbon monoxide
- 2.9 kmPetroleum Product WholesalingTop reported: Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 3.0 kmIron and Steel CastingTop reported: Particulate Matter ≤10.0 µm (PM10) · Particulate Matter ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5) · Total Volatile Organic Compounds
- 3.2 kmMetal Coating and FinishingTop reported: Oxides of Nitrogen · Carbon monoxide · Hydrochloric acid
- 3.2 kmOther Petroleum and Coal Product ManufacturingTop reported: Manganese & compounds · Fluoride compounds · Mercury & compounds
EV adoption
In postcode 5085, 242 of 18,190 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 5.5% (1,004 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 6.8%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 5085, 5,910 rooftop-solar systems totalling 34.3 MW have been installed since 2001, against 9,595 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 313 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$15,000 for new homes.
No purchase-price cap. Stamp duty is fully exempted for eligible first-home buyers as a separate concession.
Mortgage repayments
6 mortgage brokers are registered in this suburb, 23 across postcode 5085.
Conveyance duty at the owner-occupier rate, and it excludes first home buyer concessions — those can cut it substantially or remove it entirely. Excludes legal, inspection and lender fees. Check with RevenueSA
A deposit under 20% usually attracts Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which this doesn't include.
Principal and interest over 30 years, fixed rate. Excludes fees, offset, redraw and LMI. Default rate is the median comparison rate across 1788 advertised products as at 2026-10-26 — indicative only, and not an offer. Your rate depends on the lender, your deposit and your circumstances. Not financial advice.
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Steve Georganas Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Steve Georganas | 69.1% | 30.9% | +7.2 |
| 2022 | Steve Georganas | 61.9% | 38.1% | -3.7 |
| 2019 | Steve Georganas | 58.2% | 41.8% | +0.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Lawrence Ben Australian Labor Party
Next state election: 16 March 2030.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Lawrence Ben ALP | 68.8% |
| 2022 | Andrea Michaels ALP | 64.5% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2024, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: Electoral Commission of South Australia.
Looking at a specific address in Northfield?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 5,043 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Featured in
- #2 in Adelaide suburbs with the largest Sikh community
- #3 in Adelaide suburbs where the most Gujarati is spoken at home
- #3 in Adelaide suburbs with the largest Hindu community
- #3 in Where the Indian community lives in Adelaide
- #4 in Adelaide suburbs where the most Punjabi is spoken at home
- #7 in Adelaide suburbs where the most Hindi is spoken at home
- #7 in Adelaide suburbs where the most Urdu is spoken at home
- #14 in Adelaide suburbs with the largest Muslim community
- #15 in Where the Afghan community lives in Adelaide
Checking the whole city?
Suburbs to avoid in Adelaide There is no list of bad suburbs, but there are hazards the state measures and publishes — recorded crime, bushfire exposure, flood overlays and aircraft noise. Adelaide suburbs ranked on them, with what the numbers do and don't mean.Nearby suburbs
Pooraka SA 5095
Lightsview SA 5085
Clearview SA 5085
Oakden SA 5086
Walkley Heights SA 5098
Northgate SA 5085
Compare Northfield to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other SA suburb — type a name and pick one.
Or jump straight to a nearby comparison:
Common questions about Northfield
Is Northfield a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Northfield is high (88/100, ranked against other SA suburbs on offences per resident). Offences against shops, venues and visitors are divided by the people who live here, so suburbs with large daytime or visitor populations rank higher than living there may feel.
What natural hazards affect Northfield?
Northfield has no recorded bushfire history. Flood overlays cover a moderate share of it (42/100). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
Is Northfield a good place to live?
Northfield has a SuburbScan Liveability grade of C (42/100), ranked against other SA suburbs on school quality (25%), safety (25%), SEIFA socio-economic advantage (25%), walkability (15%) and CBD access (10%). Whether it suits you depends on what you weigh — each of those is on this page.
What is the population of Northfield?
Northfield, SA had a population of 5,043 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Northfield, SA?
The postcode for Northfield, SA is 5085.
How far is Northfield from Adelaide?
Northfield is 11 km from Adelaide CBD by road, about 18 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Northfield?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Northfield was $73,840 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Northfield?
The median advertised rent in Northfield is $650 a week for houses (19 listings), from rental listings over the last six months.
What is the median age in Northfield?
The median age of residents in Northfield was 35 at the 2021 ABS Census.
How are the schools in Northfield?
There is 1 school inside the Northfield boundary: 1 above similar schools on NAPLAN, compared with same-state, same-type schools of similar socio-educational advantage (ICSEA).
Is Northfield walkable?
Northfield scores 58/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it somewhat walkable. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the weather like in Northfield?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Northfield, Parafield Airport (5.8 km away), summer days average 30.4°C, winter nights 6.5°C, 404 mm of rain a year over 73 rainy days, and 29 days a year above 35°C over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Northfield?
First-home buyers in SA may be eligible for $15,000 towards new homes. The grant is administered by RevenueSA; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Northfield belong to?
Northfield sits within the Port Adelaide Enfield local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Northfield?
The average residential rates bill through Port Adelaide Enfield is $1,311 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Northfield?
Across Port Adelaide Enfield, 1,176 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's up 22.9% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Northfield in?
Northfield sits within the federal Division of Adelaide, currently held by Steve Georganas (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Median sale prices · Oct 2026
- For-sale & rental market · Oct 2026
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- Public transport · Oct 2026
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2026
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2026
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.